BEVERIDGE residents might have heard a new radio station on the air.

It’s on the frequency 88FM and it’s a local station – even though it’s beamed from Sydney.

Ned Kelly FM is one of five new stations along the Hume Highway between Melbourne and Sydney, and several more radio stations, including one at Wandong, will start in the next few months.

Andy Brown, a radio presenter who helped develop the concept, said the radio stations would promote the small towns that were often ignored by passing motorists.

“A lot of these towns are now being bypassed by the highway, and we’d thought it would be nice to use local stations and try to get people off the highway and into towns, which people once used to have to go through,” he said.

The Beveridge station started broadcasting two weeks ago, and directors still have a long way to go to make it a truly local station.

At the moment, programming is done at a Sydney studio and broadcast via a transmitter in Beveridge.

Mr Brown said the station would thrive when residents got involved.

“We’re very keen for people who want to put a show down to come on board and get involved. They can do it live from their own home,” he said.

Would-be announcers also have the option of recording a program and broadcasting it later.

The station also has an emergency warning system.

Emergency service officers are able to break into the broadcasting unit and relay messages to listeners.

“With the terrible fires that occurred (Black Saturday), we thought the ABC tended to treat it as a news story instead of being an actual benefit to the emergency workers out there,” Mr Brown said. “We want to work with the locals and we thought that would be a nice way to show our support.”

While all 20 radio stations will have individualised content, the advertisements will be the same.

“A Beveridge ad will be heard in Gundagai, for example,” Mr Brown said. “You won’t just be driving past and hear ‘come and visit our pub’ and it’s gone. You will have plenty of time to absorb the information before you get there.”

Directors hope to add another station near Broadford, but have not found a place to put a transmitter.

Another radio station that has been through exciting changes is Plenty Valley FM, which covers the Whittlesea, Banyule and Nillumbik municipalities.

For the first time in its history the station has a full-time live breakfast program.

Breakfast presenter Michael Carter will be heard over the airwaves on 88.6FM from 7am to 9am, playing music and talking about local issues.

The station is also preparing for the winter sports season, and will be broadcasting the Northern Football League’s match of the day every Saturday.

A news program will also be broadcast every Friday from 2pm to 3pm.

The volunteer-run station dedicates 30 hours of weekly programming to ethnic radio shows, which can be heard from 6pm to midnight on weekdays.

To get involved with the station phone 9404 2111 or email pvfm@pvfm.org.au or to get involved with Ned Kelly FM phone 9017 4001 or email NedKellyFM@zfmcountrywide.com