All 3 of Perth's ABC AM stations will be moving to FM in 2026.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-12/abc-radio-stations-in-perth-will-move-to-fm-in-2026/106121114

AM (medium wave) has always been a problem in Perth due to the difficulty of getting a good ground plane in the sandy soil. So coverage has always been sub-optimal.

They must have plenty of unused space in the FM band there.

Unlike in Sydney where the band is chockers from end to end.

The ABC move in WA requires the Community station that I volunteer at moves to 88.9 to make space for ABC on 102.5 100Kw which is moving their AM 720 which is currently on 60Kw to FM band.

It is unknown as to HOW ACMA allocated 102.5 to KCR over 20 years ago as its in the middle of the FM band and the policy is that low powered stations occupy the upper and lower ends of the FM spectrum leaving the mid section. for stations over 2Kw.
This I believe is so to allow auto tuning receivers to FIND low powered stations which they can never do IF located adjacent to a high powered station.

The Perth spectrum does NOT have many vacant slots so its now quite hard to secure a FM licence in the Perth RA1 plan.

The implications of the ABC going to 102.5 has also meant that 2 country stations up the coast being Lancelin and Green Head (I think) need to move OFF 102.5 as the ABC will flood them on 102.5 100 KW.

KCR had 16 weeks OFF the FM band due to mismanagement by the local Council kicking KCR of the their old tower which KCR had used since 2016 with Council staff utterly unaware of the ACMA regulatory requirements to re-locate a transmitter. KCR was given 2 weeks to find another spot which was impossible as negotiations with other likely looking tower owners taking weeks and weeks and then failing to produce another site.
KCR kept going by hiring a EWP to hold the array aloft so the tower could be bowled over..the hire fee of that was around $22K and Council gave KCR 6 months to find another site which did not happen so we went silent for 16 weeks until we found another nearby site that had a unused pair of dipoles which we could use.

Whilst that was going on the Frequency change reared up and that has complicated things even more as KCR needs a 4 week minimum Simulcast on 102.5 with a recorded loop advising KCR listeners that KCR has MOVED to 88.9 so we needed another site to do that and found a solution nearby whilst our new approved location has antennas mounted on a 30M tower and a weather proof A/C free standing cabinet is set up to take the transmission gear.

Whilst KCR was silent on the FM band the Lancelin station running only 200 watts was often clearly heard in Perth at times so one could only imagine what 100Kw would do to them.

6WF used to broadcast on short wave in the 19m band, and it was received here at good strength. I listened to cricket matches which were not broadcast here. Not sure which frequency was used, it was either 15415 or 15425, can't remember.