Radio Sunshine

Radio Sunshine is the national radio station of Niue, owned by the Broadcasting Corporation of Niue. The station broadcasts in English and Niuean,[1] over 594 kHz AM and 88.6 MHz FM, from 06:00 to 21:30.[2]

History

The station started operating in the early 1960s (year unknown) under the callsign ZK2ZN. The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation supplied equipment and made a programme schedule to cater to local tastes. The sole studio had a half Gates mixer, two AKG microphones, a receiver from a Japanese boat and one reel-to-reel tape recorder. Very few households received radio signals at the time, prompting Radio Sunshine to sign a contract with Japanese company National to supply several hundred receivers at wholesale prices in 1967.[3] After 1972, the government built its own transmitter.[4]

On 6 February 1984, the station moved from 837 to 594 kHz, improving reception in the outer villages.[4] The station relayed WVUV, inherited from a "lazy habit" of some of its employees, as the station was heard clearly after 9:10pm, its closing time.[4]

The station moved to 88.0 MHz FM in November 2015 in order to be received on cars imported from Japan.[5]

References

  1. ^ The Far East and Australasia 2003. 2002. p. 1059. ISBN 1-85743-133-2.
  2. ^ Stanley, David (1999). Tonga-Samoa Handbook. p. 284. ISBN 1-56691-174-5.
  3. ^ "RNZI Mailbox Radio Sunshine AM & FM Niue". Radio Heritage Foundation.
  4. ^ a b c "Radio Sunshine – Niue". New Zealand Radio DX League.
  5. ^ "BCN to launch 3 new channels". TV Niue. 16 November 2015. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2026.