Listening to the launch of a new radio station can be an exciting thing.
Part of the excitement is the anticipation of what song is going to be played first.
When 3ZM converted to FM they played ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Big song, though interestingly not part of their playlist prior nor after.
Similarly, when 92 MORE FM launched in Christchurch they played Boston’s ‘More than a feeling’… even though it didn’t fit with their ‘Not too heavy Not too soft’ format ~ they didn’t play it again for years to come.
When C93FM closed down (they ran a kind of metronome as a countdown) and relaunched as 93 GOLD, at least they played some music that reflected their brand… the second song they played was Martha & the Vandellas ‘Dancing in the Street’ ~ appropriate for celebrating the launch of a new station…
The first song they played was this one… which was right on message and format…
Plus, they followed it up with “One In a Million” by Euphoria, and then finishing the ‘one’ trifecta with “One” by U2.
In fact, you can listen to it here, credit to @Mechsta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-plzQTi5BA
Meanwhile, I just thought of another ‘first’:
Vega 95.3 Sydney (now Smooth) - “Wavelength” Van Morrison
This is because Vega’s original positioner was “On Your Wavelength”, appropriately enough.
Not sure what the first full song was but B105 opened with a montage of songs related to recent history and especially change and choise. The first clip was Style Council – Walls Come Tumbling Down played to news reports of the Berlin Wall.
Fox FM: Breezin - George Benson
3LO (774 ABC Melbourne): La Boheme - Dame Nellie Melba
KIIS101.1 - Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson (Last Song on Mix 101.1 Bye Bye Bye NSync)
Classic Hits 3TT (previously 3DB): Listen to the Music - the Doobie Brothers (which was also the last song prior to TTFM)
Nova100: Frontier Psychiatrist - the Avalanches
Magic 693 (3EE) – Perry Como, Magic Moments I can’t be certain but this might also have been the last song played before Magic 693 signed off a couple of hours before…
Magic 1278 (3EE) – Olivia Newton-John, Magic
2JJ – Skyhooks, You Just Like Me 'Cause I’m Good In Bed
3MP – Sherbet, Howzat! (also the last song played before 3MP signed off to become talk back station MTR)
B105’s first song was New Sensation by INXS
Nova 106.9 was Push The Button by The Chemical Brothers
2JJJ when converted to FM in 1980 was Gay Guys by Dugites
FM104 Brisbane I think was Cool Change by LRB
Your memory serves you correctly. Perry Como Magic Moments was curtainly the first and last song played on Magic 693 then a classic 693 jingle before the switch over.
