It varied over the years.
In the 1920’s X denoted Experimental, A meant Amateur, and Y was assigned for Broadcasting… Z was quickly added to separate the commercial from non-commercial. By the 1930’s the Govt decided they should rule over radio and went around buying the private stations up (they got all except two), and essentially we were left with what @OnAir described… except post WWII X class stations returned to denote stations that were both Commercial and Non-Commercial, and when that disappeared, X came to denote private stations (from the 1970’s).
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@OnAir @TV4 Today (30 June) is the day - Radio 1XX, from Whakatane, is celebrating its 50th birthday. Lucas de Jong, who had worked at 1XX at the time and went on to become a broadcast journalist in New Zealand and overseas, will file an item for TVNZ’s Seven Sharp later this evening. In the meantime, I have left you an audio clip of 1XX’s inaugural broadcast - opened by then Broadcasting Minister, Mr. H.J. Walker.
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“Twelve Forty One Double X” - Now they don’t write jingles like that anymore!
Whakatane was one of those smaller towns that really missed out on local radio for so long, (I think the closest station/s were in Rotorua, right?) No wonder once 1XX started, it’s stayed strong. It’s fantastic to see local radio is still alive and well in some parts of the motu, eh?
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@TV4 Before 1XX went on the air, listeners in the Eastern Bay of Plenty could only pick up the Government owned stations in Tauranga which really didn’t service the Eastern Bay area and its listeners.
In 1969 the idea for a locally owned private radio station came about - mostly in part to what had been happening over the last 3 years through the efforts of the crew of Radio Hauraki in Auckland onboard the TIRI & TIRI II - which became New Zealand’s FIRST privately owned radio station after a 30 year monopoly on broadcasting by the NZBC (New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation).
A private radio company, Radio Whakatane Ltd, was granted a private broadcasting licence for Whakatane by the Broadcasting Authority on 10 November 1970. But the question is, what about a call sign for the station?
- It had to be the number 1 as the Eastern Bay of Plenty is located in the upper North Island.
- It had to include the letter X because the station is privately owned.
- It had to include an additional X as it was chosen by the station.
1XX (pronounced “One Double X”) was founded by the late Ross Niederer, chairman of Radio Whakatane Ltd at the time, and at 10.30am on the morning of Wednesday 30 June 1971, it went on the air for the very first time to the people of the Eastern Bay, broadcasting on 1240 kHz (AM).
Within two hours, an official opening ceremony took place in the 1XX carpark. This was broadcast live on 1XX and was ‘blasted onto the air’ by then Broadcasting Minister, Mr. H.J. Walker. (He used a quarryman’s plunger explosion device to push down which was then followed on air by an explosion sound effect and a 1XX station jingle.)
1XX was the fourth private commercial radio station on the air in New Zealand, behind Auckland’s private radio stations - Radio Hauraki and Radio i - and Hamilton’s Radio Waikato. It became the first private commercial radio station broadcasting in a provincial area of New Zealand. 1XX was City Radio - Country Style!
50 years later, everything’s changed. Today, there are lots and lots of radio stations spread throughout the country. Most stations rely on network radio brands (e.g. More FM, The Breeze, The Hits, Coast etc), but some are ‘live and local’.
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Not quite, but in the “Modern Era,” then yes.
There were dozens of commercial private radio stations in the 1920’s, before the Govt shut all the fun down.
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Me again… gosh, oh well then, Here’s a continuation of the 1920’s stations in use (call signs, frequencies and ownership noted where known). First the 1930’s, which shows the end of the privateer-era, and then the 1940’s which looks austere in comparison (well, there was a war on, after all).
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New in the vault, a 1995 aircheck from Easy Listening i 94.5 in Christchurch, featuring the late Mike Oliver. This was the first of two different incarnations of Easy Listening i in the garden city. The second was on 1593AM between 2003 and 2004.
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New in the vault, a 1996 aircheck from The New Classic Hits 97FM in Auckland, featuring announcer Matt Cullum.
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What ZM sounded like in 1998: From the vault, a scoped aircheck of Waikato’s 89.8 ZM, recorded in December of 1998.
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Hello I’m trying to find out who was the “roving reporter” for 3ZB in 1987?
I thought Martin Stewart or maybe Malcolm someone?
If anyone could help please.
We were discussing this over dinner last night and remember going into Barry Corbett’s office in Kent House in Christchurch and met the crew but we are stuck with this guy
Cheers
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Not Malcolm Harris?
Not my era but have heard of some names down the years.
No I’m pretty sure not. I would expect age to be around 60 give or take a few years
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Thank you for that list.
I still didn’t recognise any name unfortunately.
Maybe it’s me.
This guy would travel around the can’t and West Coast area doing news and magazine type articles. Like he would go somewhere for a flood or a regional news event.
We met him near Hanmer he picked us up hitch hiking
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I meant Canterbury and West Coast
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No problem. Sorry it hasn’t helped jog your memory.
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@anon36025973 I have some ‘before they were famous’ trivia based on the 3ZB staff list… I think.
Mike McRoberts used to work in radio as a journalist and reporter at 3ZB Christchurch before moving into television, beginning with TVNZ’s coverage of the 1990 NBL season as co-host (with Alison Robertson, according to listings in the NZ Listener). Nowadays, he is the co-anchor of Newshub’s 6pm bulletin (with Samantha Hayes) which screens on Three.
Lorelei Mason had worked in the sporting arena as a reporter and commentator, across radio and television, before working in news and current affairs.
Andrew Saville’s media career began many years ago as a member of 3ZB’s accounts/clerical team before becoming one of the veterans of sports broadcasting.
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And in the technical team at 3ZB, Tammy Wells. She is, of course, the long term front person for the very successful Briscoes TV and radio ads.
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