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'The Garage 96.1' to feature Flying Nuns

Isaac Gunson

A new Christchurch radio station is about to become one of the first to consistently play music signed by The Flying Nuns record label.

The Garage is the newest of the annual New Zealand Broadcasting School stations, broadcasting on 96.1 FM.

With the genre of alternate 80s the station will become the first station in New Zealand to consistently play music signed by The Flying Nuns record label.

Despite other stations giving 'George' by the Headless Chickens and 'Heavenly Pop Hit' by the Chills a lot of airtime, these songs barely scratch the surface of what the Flying Nuns Records has to offer, according to Garage Station Manager Matthew Pledger.

"There's a huge back catalog of music from bands like The Bats, The Chills, The Clean ... that really have had no commercial radio play," Pledger says.

Being an indie record label, The Flying Nuns' music has largely gone under the radar in mainstream media.

24 second-year radio students at the Broadcasting School run the station from the ground up, including advertising, on-air talent and programming.

"It's a pretty unique experience where 24 students in the second year, and 24 students in the first year who also help out, get to run Garage," Pledger says.

The Garage 96.1 hits Canterbury airwaves on Monday May 6.