The first broadcast station in New Zealand was in Dunedin.  In May 2021 experimental voice and music broadcasts began.  Regularly scheduled broadcasting started in 1922, New Zealanders brag, before the BBC.  The Otago Radio Association’s 4XD claims to be the first broadcasting organization in the British Empire, a claim disputed in the UK.  But IF the UK was first, it was only by hours.  The confusion comes because the BBC started on November 14 while 4XD started on November 15.  BUT given the dateline and time zones Dunedin claims first rights.   A BBC Documentary in 1962 called 4XD “The longest lived radio station in the world.”  KDKA Pittsburgh, WHA in Madison and several other stations in the States would dispute that.  There were several stations on the air in New Zealand before November 2022 but none survived and none that I found can go back to May 2021.

The station started as a volunteer run organization and in 2022 celebrated 100 years of broadcasting.  It has gone through several call sign assignments and formats.  Other stations have merged in and out.  For a while it was the local affiliate of the national broadcaster.  Currently it operates as non-commercial Radio Dunedin with professional programming from 6 AM to 7PM on weekdays.  On weeknights, weekends and public holidays the station is programmed by the volunteers of Open Access Radio (OAR).  OAR also operates on a low power FM frequency.  I think I may have discovered the world’s first community radio station and it’s lot older than I thought.  I bought a book put out for the centenary of the station. 

In the ‘60s and ‘70s we thought we were creating something new.  Turns out there is nothing new under the sun.