“We were pumping this stuff out with two speakers, but people didn’t have the radios to pick it up” - great succinct summary of the failure of AM stereo there.
Amazing that Adelaide had no FM competition for so long, I guess I’m so used to the Melbourne and Sydney examples where two commercials FMs started within basically weeks of each other. Were there community/national stations on FM there in the 80s?
Yes, there was, including ABC-FM, 5EBI & 5MMM (the community one that later became 5DDD). There was also 5PBA in the north-eastern suburbs.
Adelaide got its 2nd commercial FM station on New Year’s Day 1990, when 5KA converted to FM as KAFM (now Triple M). Later that year, 5DN converted to FM, which was a disaster, considering that it was a news/talk station on AM, sending its listeners to 5AA & 5AN (ABC).
I think 3DFM- then known as 5MMM- were broadcasting in the early 80s and possibly even before that. 5MMM was received in Sydney via E-skip in about 1983.
As is often the case, @TV-Expert beats me to it!
And all except 5MMM (5DDD) changed frequencies in the 80s too.
5ABC moved from 92.1 to 103.9
5EBI from 92.9 to 103 1
5SSA from 107.5 to 107.1 (in 1989 - the other changes were before that I think - not sure when though).
5SSA also had their Foothills translator on air from at least the early 90s (possibly earlier). Originally on 91.1, it was also moved - to 90.3 - in the early 00s to accommodate Nova 91.9.
So ALOT happened on the Adelaide FM radio dial in the 80s and 90s.
Adelaide Foothills translator for SA FM went to air in October 1987
Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth all to wait for the first AM-FM conversions in 1990 to get a choice of commercial FM.
Even Canberra had 2 commercial FMs before them, from 1988
Yes you’d think that would have been a bummer with only 1 FM station in Brisbane, but it wasn’t. We had FM104 so I was more than happy. People in Perth were probably quite ok with 96FM too as it was also one of the best.
Worth noting that community station 4ZZZ had a pretty high profile in the 80s in Brisbane too and was an alternative for many.
Totally agree that more isn’t necessarily better.
Quality is very important.
That’s what we had back then, quality radio, not now with more stations but mostly chock full of automation errors etc.
Ratings certainly indicated that audiences liked the sole FM commercial stations as they were
I’ve certainly heard a bit about 4ZZZ back then too, it does sound like it was a fairly pioneering station (though obviously nothing of the ratings juggernaut that FM104 was)
Yes it was quite a pioneering station. Very alternative of course but still quite engaged with the community in things like the Spring Hill Fair. The station eventually had quite an acrimonious relationship with the University of Queensland and also the Bjelke-Peterson state government.
I recall hearing a lot of music from local bands like The Saints and The Go-Betweens.
They also started doing a Hot 100 countdown on New Years Day way back in the mid 1970s.
Is there a chance anyone has some of the ratings from the capital cities in 1980 when the new FM stations went to air?
From what I can remember 2SM and 4IP were already struggling. 2SM was trying to cope with 2WS (and in 1981 from a resurgent New 2UW). I think 4IP was up against a strong 4BK a the time.
Have been looking at some old u tune clips and FB sites relating to radio history. Seems to be almost nothing on the Goulburn Valleys first FM Station Sun FM. Originally 107.7 then 96.9 (now HIT) Back in its day it was a great station to listen to. Does anybody have any footage or recordings?
Initial coverage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy as heard on WCCO, a CBS Radio affiliate in Minnesota:
The rest of that afternoon’s coverage:
There is a hole in Nine’s ‘eulogy’ to Alan Jones.
In March 1985.
In December that year he was taken off the morning show, reduced to news commentaries during Gary O’Callaghan’s breakfast and other programs for the first half of 1986.
In June that year Jones started doing 10:00am to 11:00am during the CBC era. The format was axed in December 1986, and in 1987 Jones returned to the morning show, 8:30am to 12:00pm, with Philip Adams on breakfast. Jones moved to breakfast in 1988.
Source: SMH
I think Nine’s report last night described him as an “instant hit” when he started on radio. Those of us who remember the disaster that was CBC know different. Overton was at 2UE in 1985 so probably should’ve known that.
When was his first number one survey?
Not sure who broadcast it on TV but coverage of the 1994 Central Coast 1st Grade Grand Final with commentary from 2CCC:
Also a video on the B105 Production Department:
Most likely NBN on TV.
Webstreams weren’t a thing back then of course.
