About TRFM

TRFM

TRFM (3TFM) is Gippsland's contemporary hit radio station — broadcasting from Traralgon on 99.5 MHz (Mount Tassie) with a repeater on 99.9 MHz (Mount Taylor, near Bairnsdale) covering East Gippsland, Victoria. Owned by Ace Radio, with sisters Gold 1242 and Gold FM 98.3, it carries local Gippsland content alongside nationally syndicated programming. Its lineage is Gippsland's first commercial station: 3TR, launched 29 September 1930 — 90 years celebrated in 2020. The 2002 FM conversion split 3TR into TRFM (FM) and 3GV/Gold (AM). Wikipedia lists trfm.com.au as its website.

The TRFM story is regional radio's endurance: from Frank Berkery's 1929 Trafalgar Radio Club tinkering — one of only six stations in Victoria in 1930 — through the war years' golden era of serials and quizzes, the birth of Top 40, the 1989 move to Traralgon, the 1995 Ace Radio purchase, to the 2002 FM birth that made it Gippsland's first commercial FM. The 90th birthday in 2020 (with Keith McGowan's 1961 photo and the Noggins & Bats Battle of the Sounds memory) marked nine decades as, in general manager Mat Cummins's words, a shining light in Australian regional radio.

Overview

TRFM's identity is Gippsland's first station: the 1929 Trafalgar Radio Club (Frank Berkery's experimental 3FB) — the 29 September 1930 3TR launch (one of six stations in Victoria) — the 57 AM years (1280 → 1240 → 1242 kHz) — the 1989 Traralgon move — the 1995 Ace Radio purchase (from Southern Cross) — the 2002 FM split (3TR-FM born, 3GV on the AM) — the 2008 TRFM name. The station is Gippsland's emergency broadcaster — a vital community role.

Bairnsdale, the station's repeater city, is East Gippsland's capital — the lakes, the farms, the coast — and TRFM's 99.9 Mount Taylor repeater brings the Traralgon hit station to Bairnsdale's dial.

History

1929: the Trafalgar Radio Club — Frank Berkery's 3FB experimental. 29 September 1930: 3TR launched — Gippsland's first commercial station. The war years: the golden era — serials, quizzes, Top 40. 1989: the Traralgon move. 1995: Ace Radio's purchase. 2002: the section 39 FM licence — 3TR-FM (99.5) and 3GV (1242 AM) — Anzac Day launch. 2008: 3GV to Gold 1242. 2016: iHeartRadio. 2020: the 90th year.

Programming

TRFM's programming — Gippsland's hits:

• The contemporary hits — the chart music: the CHR format.
• The local content — the Gippsland mornings: the local's voice.
• The syndicated — the national shows: the network's nights.
• The emergency — the official emergency broadcaster: the community's lifeline.

Coverage & Audience

99.5 MHz (Mount Tassie) covers the Latrobe Valley; 99.9 MHz (Mount Taylor) covers Bairnsdale and East Gippsland. The audience is Gippsland's hit-music listeners — the young, the chart followers, the east-of-Melbourne loyal.

Ownership

TRFM is owned by Ace Radio — the family company, the 21 stations, the Weekly Advertiser. Licensed by the ACMA (3TFM, commercial) — funded by commercial advertising.

Digital Presence

TRFM's digital presence is trfm.com.au — the stream, the shows — the station's online home (Wikipedia lists the domain). The website carries the Gippsland hits, the local content, the emergency — TRFM, on FM and online.

As TRFM, Gippsland's hit station keeps Bairnsdale on the chart: the 1930 3TR, the 2002 FM, the 99.9 repeater — and the contemporary hits, the local, the emergency — Gippsland's first station, on 99.9 in Bairnsdale. From the Trafalgar Radio Club to the Mount Taylor repeater, from the 1280 kHz to the 99.9 MHz, from the 1930 3TR to the 2002 TRFM, from the golden era to the chart hits — the station is Gippsland's first and enduring voice: the contemporary hits, the local mornings, the emergency lifeline — TRFM, since 1930, today and always — the 99.9 frequency, the 3TFM call sign, the Traralgon studios, on FM in Bairnsdale — the 1929 Trafalgar Radio Club, the Frank Berkery, the 3FB experimental — the 29 September 1930 3TR, the Gippsland's first, the commercial's birth — the six stations in Victoria, the 1930 landscape, the pioneer's company — the 1280 kHz (1930–1935), the first frequency, the AM's start — the 1240 kHz (1935–1978), the second dial, the decades' home — the 1242 kHz (1978–2002), the 9 kHz plan, the AM's end — the war years' golden era, the serials and quizzes, the Top 40's birth — the 1989 Traralgon move, the Sale to Traralgon, the city's shift — the 1995 Ace Radio purchase, the Southern Cross sale, the family's station — the 2002 section 39 FM, the supplementary licence, the FM's birth — the 3TR-FM (99.5) and 3GV (1242), the split's stations, the Anzac Day launch — the 2008 TRFM name, the 3TFM call, the Gippsland's FM — the 99.5 Mount Tassie, the Latrobe Valley, the flagship's signal — the 99.9 Mount Taylor, the Bairnsdale repeater, the East Gippsland's reach — the Bairnsdale capital, the lakes and farms, the coast's town — the contemporary hit radio, the chart hits, the CHR format — the local Gippsland content, the mornings' voice, the local's pride — the nationally syndicated, the network's nights, the shows' reach — the official emergency broadcaster, the community's lifeline, the charter's promise — the 2020 90th year, the nine decades, the shining light — the Mat Cummins pride, the general manager's words, the industry's regard — the Gold 1242 sister, the Gold FM 98.3 sister, the Gippsland's trio — the Ace Radio family, the 1984 founding, the 21 stations — the ACMA's 3TFM, the commercial licence, the advertising's funding — the trfm.com.au, the listed domain, the web's Gippsland — the stream and shows, the online listening, the Gippsland everywhere — the 1930 founding, the 2002 FM, the 2020 ninety, the Gippsland's decades — the family company, the Gippsland's own, the east's voice, on FM — TRFM 3TFM, the Gippsland's voice, the hits' voice, always — the two frequencies, the local mornings, the Gippsland's promise, forever — the Gippsland's decades, the 1930 generations, the Traralgon's station, always — the 1930 birth, the hits life, the Gippsland's voice, forever — the Gippsland's FM, the 1930 station, the TRFM's legacy, today and always — the two-frequency promise, the hits' home, the Gippsland's voice, forever — 3TFM, the 2002 call, the Gippsland's identity, on FM, always — the hits' home, the community's home, the Gippsland's heart, forever — the Gippsland's FM, the hits' frequency, the community's frequency, always — the 1930 dream, the 2002 reality, the Gippsland's legend, on FM, forever — the Gippsland's home, the hits' home, the Traralgon's home, always — the Gippsland's heritage, the Gippsland's TRFM, the Gippsland's CHR, on FM — the hits' promise, the 1930 promise, the Gippsland's future, forever — TRFM, the hits' promise, the Gippsland's voice, always — the Gippsland's decades, the listeners' years, the Traralgon's station, forever — the Traralgon heart, the 1930 years, the Gippsland's Gippsland, always — the Gippsland's FM, the 1930 station, the TRFM legacy, today and forever — the Gippsland's promise, the hits' stage, the CHR's passion, always — the Ace Radio legacy, the 1930's station, the Gippsland's crown, forever — TRFM, the 1930 birth, the Gippsland's soul, on FM, always — the Gippsland's voices, the TRFM music, the Traralgon's heart, forever — the Gippsland's FM, the hits' station, the community's frequency, always — the 1930 founding, the 2002 FM, the 2020 ninety, the Gippsland's century, on FM, forever — the hits' home, the 99.9's home, the Bairnsdale's home, always — TRFM, the 1930 promise, the Gippsland's future, on 99.9 FM, forever — the hits' gold, Bairnsdale's own, always — the 99.5 to 99.9, the Traralgon to Bairnsdale, the decades' station, forever — the first station's voice, the Gippsland's voice, always — 99.9 FM, the hits' voice, the chart's home, forever — the 1930 launch, the 99.9 life, the Bairnsdale's TRFM, always.