the first commercial broadcasters, originally known as "b" class stations were on the air as early as 1925. many were sponsored by newspapers in australia, by theatrical interests, by amateur radio enthusiasts and radio retailers, and by retailers generally. almost all australians were within reach of a station by 1930s, and the number of stations remained relatively stable through the post-war era. however, in the 1970s, the labor government under prime minister gough whitlam commenced a broadcasting renaissance so that by the 1990s there were 50 different radio services available for groups based on tastes, languages, religion, or geography. the broadcasting system was largely deregulated in 1992, except that there were limits on foreign ownership and on monopolistic control. by 2000, 99 percent of australians owned at least one television set, and averaged 20 hours a week watching it.