Work on the new Yea studio for UGFM is progressing well. The new studio has been made ready prior to fitting out with new studio equipment. The makeover at the old railway station has included completely repainting, fitting new glass to doors and windows along with upgrading the power supply including an emergency backup power generator input plus fitting a new sink, bench and air conditioning for heating and cooling in the room to be used as the studio.
Sound proofing has been installed along with new curtains, security alarm system and the bench for the broadcast console has been installed.
Work is now progressing well in fitting out the new studio with broadcast equipment required to produce programs that will be heard across the Murrindindi Shire and surrounds on UGFM’s network of 5 transmitters located across the Murrindindi Shire.
A new weather station for Yea is also being established at the studio and will provide broadcasters producing programs in Yea with up to date weather conditions. The weather station will also be accessible to the general public via the Davis Weatherlink website similar to the Marysville and Alexandra weather stations. It is planned to soon upgrade the Marysville weather station and also establish a further weather station at the UGFM Kinglake studio.
Work had slowed on the Yea project due to urgent work that needed to be carried out at the Kinglake transmitter and studio, this included linking the studio to Alexandra and establishing a link into the Kinglake transmitter on FM 94.5 MHz for UGFM programs.
All programs from the new Yea studio will tie into the UGFM program grid and will be broadcast across the entire UGFM network on all 5 transmitters, so they will be able to be heard by everyone that is able to receive the station, locally throughout the Murrindindi Shire and around the world on-line plus at times relayed through the Mansfield Shire on Radio Mansfield.
This is also the situation with the UGFM studios located at Marysville and Kinglake feeding programs to the hub at the Alexandra studios for broadcast.
Thus programs at any time could originate from any of our Alexandra, Kinglake, Marysville, Yea or remote Albury studios, plus some programs will also originate in Mansfield from our sister community station Radio Mansfield.
Many thanks for assistance in the project go to the Yea Men’s shed, Broadford Technical School, the Yea Railway Park committee, the Murrindindi Shire Council and financial assistance to the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and Community Broadcasting Foundation and the volunteers from UGFM that have so far put many hours into the project as well.
It is hoped to have the new studio at Yea completed in the coming months with an official opening where everyone will be invited along to visit and celebrate the completed project.
