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Thanks @hatdj 
That brought back some awesome memories 
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A brilliant listen! Amazing how good regional radio sounded back then. If 4AK sounded like that today I’d definitely listen.
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…anyone else annoyed by the no space between “&Great” above? 
…
Just imagine a radio industry where all regionals had their own identity, own logos and own logs 24/7. Imagine the variety for listeners in 2020 with online streaming.
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TV used to be like that pre aggregation (1987). All had their own identities, logos style etc.
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The first stage of regional TV aggregation actually happened in 1989, with Canberra & Wollongong the first submarkets to undertake it in March, followed by Central West & Riverina in December.
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Though the networking had started before that - huge parts of the country were covered by networks - Southern Cross, Prime/MidState, etc. that were already merging branding and operations.
I would expect that had aggregation not occurred - you probably would just see two or three national “networks” of individual regional stations. With common branding, centralised news, etc.
It’s off topic for ‘History’ but I really wish we had a middle ground between ‘community’ radio and ‘commercial’ - let a station be fully commercial, but require it be fully local. It’s a shame that in many markets the only competition and only localism comes from a community station pushing the bounds of what’s allowed.
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I did a bit of digging on the SMH and Trove. Wilshire was on 2CA doing Midnight to Dawn from at least December 1971. It seems he mostly did the overnight show, but also did other shifts on 2CA until April 1974. His brother Jim was also on 2CA in the early 1970s.
Wilshire started in the newsroom at 2UE, and my vague memory is that he read the then top rating 30 minutes Midday news. The earliest listing in the SMH for an on-air talk back shift for Wilshire on 2UE is 28 November 1977, where he was filling-in on the night program for the holidays.
In January 1978, Donnie Sutherland was let go from his Saturday night music show with Wilshire taking over, extending the open line show to seven nights a week. Ian-Parry Okeden was doing Sunday to Friday.
Wilshire quit 2UE in May 1979. At the time he was working seven days a week, reading news on weekdays and doing the open line show on Saturday and Sunday nights, the SMH reported. Wilshire joined 2GB in June 1979, replacing John Pearce on the night program. 2GB legend Dita Cobb had filled-in for three weeks until Wilshire arrived.
Wilshire would be back on 2CA for a few months in early 1988 when the station went all talk as Canberra Newstalk 2CA and took slabs of 2GB programming. This coincided with the launch of sister station FM104.
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Did Pearce do Saturday night then? I remember him in 90s on sat night 6pm to midnight and Sunday night 6pm to 9pm for ask the Oracle.
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Finally got around to organising some of my tapes, so here is Eagle FM from May 2004
Youtube
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Not too different to what they do now really. Apart from a live announcer on a weekend. Also interesting to note the promo for Kyle & Jackie O - would they still have been on hot30 at this point? I know they started breakfast in 2005.
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Labrat and Alexis were hosting Hot30 in 2004, Kyle and Jackie were on 2Day drive at this stage
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Back in the year 2000, Eagle FM was quite different playing some 80s hits such as “Shattered Dreams - Johnny Hates Jazz”
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That was only 13 years ago then, so no different to them playing mid-late 00s hits today.
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I also have some of the Sunday morning from that weekend. I’ll try and upload that today.
Edit. Here it is
I was surprised with Fine Young Cannables and George Michael in this morning shift going through it again
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Yeah I remember Eagle FM playing Suzanne Vega’s ‘Luka’ in the late 90s; I actually recorded it as well. All those tapes are long gone though 
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It’s true, commercial music radio stations don’t move with or retain the music tastes/catalogue of their ageing listeners. Their music log evolves to serve & target a particular demographic. A music station that once appealed to a 18 year old, not likely to still be appealing to a 70 year old etc, at least where there’s plenty of radio station choices, eg metro & large regional centres.
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But if you head back to 40s/50s the whole family would listen to the same channel. A bit like TV channels I guess.
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back when commercial radio stations in the regional areas had local sports cancellation information on days of inclement weather.
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