Wow … what a blast from the past ! This 2UW relaunch for 1984 new year quickly became known as “Tragic 11” due to its massive fail within a couple of surveys. Don’t mention it even now to Ron E Sparx who oversaw this as PD … I blame the US consultants they were using !
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I just learned sadly that the great Gordon O’Byrne (“Googy”) has passed away last week. A long time fixture of Perth and then Sydney radio. I first listened to the Googy on 2SM late 1970s and then on 2UW when he came across to UW with Ron E Sparx and also Trevor Sinclair at that time. Vale and RIP Goog.
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I have somebody wanting to know when 531 3GG ceased broadcasting in AM stereo. Can anyone answer this for me, please? Thanks.
Good question. I last listened to 1242 3TR in AM stereo in 2000. They turned the stereo pilot off not long after that. Can’t recall 531 3GG.
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From my limited knowledge of the topic, most Australian stations ceased the practice in the late 90s/early 2000s? There was a list floating around somewhere of which stations still had stereo circa 2002ish - maybe a dozen in total nationwide still were then.
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Check out this old ad for 2uw. From 13:22 within the youtube video of an old news bulletin from 1970. This old new bulletin is worth watching in its entirety.
7 National News: August 16, 1970 (Sydney/ATN) | bulletin + commercials | 7NEWS Vault - YouTube
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Wow that was very cool. Love the clipped English accents of the newsreaders back then. Very reminiscent of the great Roger Climpson also on 7NEWS for many years. Interesting connection here is that Barrie Freedman who was reading 7 news in this clip was himself on 2UW mornings 9-12 in 1964 when New 2UW first launched. Lawsy came along later from 69 … in the ad naturally he is puffing along merrily.
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An Eagle FM Southern Tablelands aircheck from early 1997, received at Bombala. This was not long after the station first went to air.
Uploaded by @dxnerd
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Thanks for posting. My first reception of Eagle FM was from Exeter NSW in 1997 (I recall hearing promos on 2GN in late 1996, hinting at the arrival of the new FM station). Arriving home in Oatley that afternoon, I quickly tried my cheap Sanyo boombox for any sign of Eagle FM. Lo and behold, it was there in perfect stereo! I then couldn’t work out- as an 10 and a half year old- why reception suddenly disappeared the following day.
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Believe it or not I distinctly remember watching this segment (I was only 7-8 at the time). The use of ‘Sing Hallelujah’ was the thing that stuck in my memory.
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The station sounds very different now with its more modern CHR format.
Some of that music in that air check would fit on XL / GN Fm.
An aircheck of 96fm Perth from 1987, uploaded by @dxnerd.
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The classic 96 FM logo is reminiscent of flavoured milk branding…or is it just me?
Thanks for linking…I always forget after I upload them. This particular aircheck was recorded by the veteran Perth DXer Tony Mann.
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And congratulations to 96fm for getting back on top of the ratings in Perth in today’s survey.
That is also very 1980s, for an original FM broadcaster with original branding to be #1 overall again.
If only stations like FM104 and 2MMM could be like that again.
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The format GN had at the time was an automated oldies one.
They had Jeff Norman on breakfast then voice tracked after midday. It sounded a lot like 2CH with what appeared to be mostly 50’s - 70’s easy music.
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I read somewhere on aus.radio.broadcast that the format only lasted less than 12 months due to negative reaction from locals before it adopted the “Good Time Oldies” format that 2CA had by the end of 1997/beginning of 1998. From what I recall back then, 2GN appeared to have run an identical log to that of 2CA in the evenings. At that time, the IDs in the evenings were “1368 2GN & Snowy Mountains 2XL”, in which the latter adopted the oldies format after Snow FM went to air in February 1998.
By mid 1999, 2GN & 2XL changed their format from “Good Time Oldies” to “Hits & Memories”, as reported by AMT at that time.
Forever Jurassic.
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Hear, hear! FM104 could easily emulate what 96FM have done if only SCA had a brain.
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Love this! , does anyone have air checks for the former dmg regional stations prior to StarFm branding?
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