Skip to content

NZ On Air

Plains FM

Plains FM (later Plains Media) has broadcast on 96.9FM from Christchurch’s Ara campus since 29 February 1988, serving Canterbury as one of New Zealand’s twelve community access radio stations. Governed by the Canterbury Communications Trust and part-funded by NZ On Air, it produces over 100 programmes a week in 15 languages, representing communities largely absent from mainstream media. In April 2025, after 37 years, the station rebranded as Plains Media to reflect its expanded reach across digital platforms.

CRY TV

CRY TV was New Zealand’s first dedicated music television channel, broadcasting on UHF 56 from the Port Hills above Christchurch between July 1993 and April 1997. Founded by Christian Birch and Chris Clarkson, it pre-dated Auckland’s MAX TV by three months and launched the careers of Petra Bagust, Jason Fa’afoi, Francesca Rudkin, D’Arcy Waldegrave, and Dave Yetton (Jean-Paul Sartre Experience), who met Jason Fa’afoi at the station and went on to form The Stereo Bus.