Hawkesbury Radio was a fully licensedcommunity radio station until the Australian Communications and Media Authority refused to renew its full-time broadcast licence in late 2017. Hawkesbury Radio was one of only two community stations Australia-wide to lose their licence. After several years of investigations, ACMA cited failure to involve the community in its operations as the reason for the loss of licence.. Hawkesbury Radio's primary purpose was supposed to be to serve the residents of the Australian City of Hawkesbury, but ACMA's refusal to renew their licence in effect questioned the station's ability and willingness to do this. Hawkesbury Radio broadcasts on the frequency 89.9 FM. The station is staffed by volunteers and broadcasts live for a very limited time each week under the terms of their temporary broadcast licence.. Hawkesbury Radio was the only Community Radio Station in Australia to have Broadcast rights of NRL which featured Penrith Panthers NRL matches, from 1997 to 2009. In 2016 the station gained broadcast rights to Western Sydney WanderersA-League matches as well as W-League, National Youth League and FFA Cup matches involving the Wanderers Hawkesbury Radio began in 1978 with a test broadcast, gaining its full licence in 1982, one of the first local community radio licences granted. The station broadcast out of a tiny condemned building, which housed the studio and transmitter in Fitzgerald Street Windsor for many years, before moving to its current site in 1992 in an adjacent building. Hawkesbury Radio originally broadcast on 89.7 MHz, but moved to its current frequency of 89.9 MHz in December 1999.
Programming
Hawkesbury Radio keeps to a mainly AOR mix during the daytime hours. Outside of these hours, there are specialist programmes such as bluegrass, country and western music. The station also has sports programmes on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Sports coverage
For 20 years it has broadcast various live events from calling Penrith Panthers NRL Matches from 1997-2009 and the club's reserve grade matches, to covering Windsor Wolves Ron Massey Cup Matches. Plus finals matches in NSWRL Competitions. From 2016, the station has become the community radio partner of the Western Sydney Wanderers, with all A-League games covered on radio and all home games of the W-League and Youth League games online. The station also broadcasts the National Premier Leagues NSW competition each week in divisions 1, 2 & 3. In addition the station became the first in Australia to broadcast a World Rugby Sevens Series event in broadcasting all three days of the 2017 Sydney Sevens, and the station also broadcasts at least one game a week in the Shute Shield Sydney club rugby competition after previously broadcasting Penrith Emus games from 2001-2003.
Controversy
In October 2015, The Australian Communications and Media Authority found Hawkesbury Radio in violation of its licence as a community broadcaster for failing to encourage community participation in the operations of the station. Following a lack of improvement by the station, the ACMA revoked Hawkesbury Radio's licence as a community broadcaster with the licence expiring on 3 October 2017.
Licence
After having its broadcasting licence revoked by the ACMA, Hawkesbury Radio was given a 12-month temporary licence which it had to time-share with two other organisations.
