Radio Templeton – Station H.U.G.H.

Radio Templeton may not have been the first FM Stereo station in New Zealand, nor was it technically a very good one, but it was definitely the catalyst in the introduction of FM Stereo in New Zealand.

Radio Templeton was initially inspired by Mark Nichol with whom I worked at the New Zealand Post Office Telegraph and Data Maintenance Depot in Liverpool St, Auckland. (Also known as the Telegraph Technicians Maintenance Disco through some creative late night signwriting)

Mark was bemoaning the lack of FM stereo radio in New Zealand as he had just returned from a holiday in Australia. With assistance from friends Paul Burton and Christopher Smith Radio Templeton was created.

They say timing is everything. There was a strong and vocal group of FM enthusiasts looking for a vehicle to persuade the government to introduce Stereo FM radio. We were entering the run up to the 1981 elections and the National Government was already feeling under pressure with sliding popularity. Muldoon’s style of politics was becoming increasingly unpopular.

The purpose of this website is to record a small bit of New Zealand broadcasting history and to hopefully gather more information about other pirate FM broadcasts.

If you have any information about eary FM broadcasts both pirate and legal please contact me on webmaster@radiotempleton.co.nz

Charles Graves