3MBS
| City | Melbourne, Victoria |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Fine Music - Classically Melbourne |
| Frequency | 103.5 MHz |
| First air date | July 1, 1975 |
| Format | Classical, Jazz |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°50′11″S 145°20′50″E / 37.8364°S 145.3472°ECoordinates: 37°50′11″S 145°20′50″E / 37.8364°S 145.3472°E |
| Owner | Music Broadcasting Society of Victoria Limited (Music Broadcasting Society of Victoria Limited) |
| Website | www |
3MBS was the first FM (frequency modulation) radio station in Victoria, Australia, and began transmitting to Melbourne and surrounding areas on 1 July 1975. Since then it has operated successfully as a non-profit community-based organisation broadcasting classical and jazz music. 3MBS also led the way for the introduction of community radio in Australia back in 1968.
It is a part of the national Australian Fine Music Network. [1]
The increasing popularity of rock music through the late '50s and '60s led to a reduction in the amount of classical music played on the ABC and commercial radio stations in Australia. Up until the early 1950s most radio stations employed orchestras to play music which included classical music. By the 1960s, only the ABC supported its own orchestra. But even the ABC had dramatically reduced the amount of classical music on air.
A music fan and radio engineer, Brian Cabena, was unhappy about being unable to listen to the music he liked on the radio - and he did something about it. After much unsuccessful lobbying of radio stations, he turned his attention to the government. He argued that if the existing stations were not willing to program for classical music fans, the government should license new stations that would.
In 1968, Cabena wrote a letter to The Age calling a meeting of anyone interested in pursuing the idea of a listener-run classical music radio station. 200 people turned up and the Music Broadcasting Society (MBS) of Victoria was born. The group spent years lobbying the government for what they called "listener controlled" radio.
The government rejected their approaches. The initial response from the government was that the AM band was full and the existing stations catered for the majority of listener needs. But Brian Cabena was persistent and eventually convinced the government that the FM band would work for metropolitan-wide broadcasting.
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