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Bill Caralis’ Super Radio Network stations breach local content rules

The Bill Caralis-owned Super Radio Network has been rapped by the media watchdog for failing to broadcast the minimum daily three hours of local content on its stations 2EL, 2HC and 2PM – with the latter managing only as little as five minutes on a sample business day investigated by ACMA.

The findings come almost seven months after the issue was first raised publicly in an episode of Media Watch.  

The investigation related to the Grant Goldman breakfast program which airs and is presented from 2SM Sydney on weekdays between 6-9am.

The show is also broadcast on 2HC Coffs Harbour, 2EL Orange and 2PM Kempsey.

The complainant claimed that the syndication of the Sydney-based show on the three regional stations meant that it had “little or no relevance to the licence areas”, making it in breach of licence conditions that require all regional commercial radio stations to air a minimum of three hours local content on each business day.

In a ACMA report into 2HC Coffs Harbour, 2EL Orange and 2PM Kempsey, they were found to have failed to meet the minimum three hours requirement.

2HC and 2PM were found to have broadcast approximately five minutes of local content respectively on September 8 – the sample business day ACMA used in its investigation – while 2EL broadcast approximately 46 minutes.

The stations will now have to report to ACMA on a periodic basis detailing how they are meeting their local content requirements.

The regional stations have also been told they need to implement a “rigorous training program” to ensure staff are aware of their licence obligations.

Chris Chapman, ACMA chairman, said: “Given that the local content obligations have now been in force for over two years, it is timely to examine licensee compliance more broadly.”

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