LONG-TIME owner Ron Camplin says he plans to "smell the roses" and enjoy time with his family after finalising the sale of local radio stations 2BS and B-Rock.
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And while he says there are bound to be changes in the operation and programming of the stations, Mr Camplin is confident the new owners "will continue to serve this community" as he and his wife Stephanie have done in the past.
Mr Camplin, 87, explained the sale in a letter published in the Western Advocate on Wednesday.
The most immediate change has been the quick switch from Ray Hadley to radio veteran John Laws in the morning - a switch so quick that website Radioinfo said it caught Mr Hadley by surprise.
The website said Mr Hadley was unaware that he was no longer being heard on 2BS for about the first half hour of his show on Monday morning as he continued to mention Bathurst Broadcasters in his network acknowledgement.
Mr Laws, meanwhile, welcomed listeners on 2BS to the program in his opening comments, saying he was back in his "old stamping ground ... Bathurst".
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The new owners of Bathurst Broadcasters, which holds the licences for 2BS 95.1FM and B-Rock 99.3FM, are Bill and Pam Caralis, who own the Super Network, which Mr Camplin describes as "the largest network of regional stations in Central NSW".
The Super Network bills itself as the "home of the John Laws Morning Show".
It includes 2DU and Zoo FM in Dubbo and 2EL in Orange, as well as AM and FM stations in Broken Hill, Moree, Newcastle and Young, among others.
"Stephanie and I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the people of Bathurst for their loyal listening and support over the past 50 years of our ownership of 2BS and B-Rock in this vibrant and magnificent city," Mr Camplin said in the letter in Wednesday's Advocate.
He said he and his wife "will maintain our links with our regional council, the university and will continue our support for the many projects commenced and maintained under our stewardship of the radio stations".
Mr Camplin, named one of Bathurst's inaugural Living Legends during the city's bicentenary celebrations in 2015, got his start in the offices of radio station 2CH in Sydney before he was 16 and has been in the industry for almost 71 years.
He has been inducted into the Commercial Radio Australia Hall of Fame and was instrumental in the creation of what is now known as the Charles Sturt Foundation, which offers and distributes scholarships.
The sale of Bathurst's commercial radio stations follows the sale of the city's daily newspaper.
Nine Entertainment announced in late April that former Fairfax executive Antony Catalano and Thorney Investment Group had made a successful offer for Nine's Australian Community Media, which includes the Western Advocate.
Mr Catalano and Thorney will assume ownership of Australian Community Media on June 30.
