Wow.
Own an AM station - get an FM station for free.
Bargain!
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I think they had to pay a $10,000 fee for the S.39 licences.
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Yes itâs incredible when you think about it. I wonder if the early non-metro stations like Sea FM and New FM were also free?
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This was at a time when commercial licences were handed out on a merit-based system, not a financial one and licencees had to front up to the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal to justify getting their licences renewed every few years.
But FM radio was hardly a guaranteed return on investment at the time. Licencees at the time were pouring a lot of money into what was seen largely as a niche medium - with 99 per cent of listeners still tuning into AM radio - and who knew how much money was to be made from it.
On another history topic, 411 King Street, West Melbourne, the building that housed the 3XY studios in the 1980s, is being demolished.
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I wish radio still sounded like that 
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There are oases in the swampâŚlike Braidwood FM on a Tuesday night. Though Iâm not up to Rock In Stereo standard just yetâŚ
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A treasure in my record collection. The front and backside of Doug Mulray and Ken Sterling, 2MMM-FM. 1983.
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Happy New Nothing this year though?
No planned relaunches or refreshes today on radio (or TV) that I know of?
Hopefully weâll wake up later this morning and get a nice surprise somewhere!
what relaunches etc have we had on New Yearâs Day?
The only ones I can think of are
3AK Beautiful Music -> The New 3AK (1986)
3KZ -> KZFM (1990)
5KA -> KAFM (1990)
There must have been others but I canât think of anyâŚ?
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Not a relaunch, but 2 Double 0 (now i98) in Wollongong went to air for the first time on New Yearâs Day of 1979.
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On TV, I think Channel Seven launched their current ribbon logo on New Yearâs Day 2000?
None for radio that I can think of however.
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IIRC The Edge launched Hip Hop & RnB on New Years Day. I canât remember what year though.
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I remembered it was 2006, 15 years ago today in fact.
Radioinfo article from that time:
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Memorable days.
What happened to Ken Sterling after finishing his work with Doug on Triple M?
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I love a station relaunch! Whether successful or not, they are fascinating. The launches that build on a stations audience always have more chance of success as they do not alienate former listeners. When 2SM launched as LiteâNâEasy it was always going to be a challenge - as they pissed off their former audience and started from a rating of 0%. Below is a little case study from 40 years ago today - in 1981.
At the end of 1980 the radio ratings for Sydneyâs music stations (excluding 2CH as it was aimed at the older demographics with its Beautiful Music format) were as follows:
1st place - 2SM and 2WS tied on 11.6% shares.
2nd place was 2UW on 8.6%
3rd place was the new FM station Triple M on 2.6%
4th place was the second FM station, 2DayFM on 2%
The launch of three new commercial stations (2WS, Triple M and 2DayFM) in the last two years led to the belief that music stations would now lead the market on a 10 - 11% share.
Former leader, 2SM was trying to compete in the more competitive marketplace and was playing album music in a bid to ward off the new more adult sounding stations - 2WS, MMM and 2DayFM.
On New Years Day 1981, Ian Lane (former stations manager of 5KA) relaunched 2UW as The New 2UW. The New 2UW had a simple rainbow logo and a âBetter Music and Less Commercialsâ positioner. It recruited Rik Melbourne for breakfast and Ron E Sparks for mornings.
Its new sound was sleek and its programming was kept simple:
- Fewer ads (8 minutes per hour) meant that there was less clutter. The station seemed desperate to play music.
- The hottest songs were repeated every two hours and every song was a present or past Top 40 hit. It was unashamed pop music, it was summer and it was fun.
- 60 second news updates were proof that this station was all about the music.
- High energy competitions would be heard every hour including âThe Perfect 11 Girlsâ who asked people on the street what radio station they listened to - answer The New 2UW and they gave you cash. Slap a 2UW bumper sticker on your car and win cash. Live in a glass caravan that travelled around the city and you won cash. It was the first Big Brother.
The result was a success. In survey 1 of 1981, Sydney had made the switch to 1107 - as far as the music stations were concerned:
1st place was 2UW on 15.9% (almost doubling its audience)
2nd place (and equal again) was 2SM and 2WS on 8.5%
3rd place was Triple M on 5.2%
4th place was 2DayFM on 2.4%
Thanks to Mediaspiers who had previously posted historical ratings on this site and to the Sydney Morning Heraldâs archives - so worth the $25 for the week.
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Thatâs quite a drop, for both stations. Did 2SM recover at all or was it all downhill from there?
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By 1984 2SM was achieving over a 10% share. They moved back to Top 40 music with their More Music (1982), The Power (1983) and Rock of the 80s (1984 - 1985) positioners.
The New 2UW lost some of their spark when they become a âsafeâ station - too scared to play new music until it was a hit. 2SM saw the gap and gave Devo, Duran Duran, Laurie Anderson and the like airplay before 2UW would play them. â
2UW ultimately relaunched as Magic 11 in 1984 - going after an older audience - and spectacularly failing. The launch of Magic 11 handed a large chuck of under 25 year olds straight over to 2SM.
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Heard a 4BRZ on 90.1 today - very brief.
I heard an ad for a business in the Wide Bay area - so not sure if it was Stanthorpe (near the NSW/QLD border) or Collinsville (near Proserpine)⌠they are both roughly a similar distance away from Wide Bay.
Didnât pick up any other stations to help identify which it was.
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