Yes I think Radio 10 is the one that springs to mind that abandoned its call sign exclusively.
If I recall correctly 4GY identified on air exclusively as Radio 56 for a year or two in the mid-80s and rarely (if ever) mentioned 4GY. It might have been around 1984.
As others have mentioned, Radio 97 was another.
4SB was just “Ten 71” for a time but I think that was after 4GY/2MW.
2LT I think was called Radio 90 for a while in the 1980s.
I wonder if Channel 9 would have taken any action had they called themselves Radio 9?
I know Brisbane had Radio 10, but that was in the TV-0 era.
There’s also still Radio531 Port Macquarie… but I’d say that’s due to the lack of creativity - not quite radio history
Speaking of callsigns, 2EL 1080AM Orange was previously 2GZ (before they moved to FM).
Where did 2EL come from?
EL = Easy Listening, when AMI bought a swag of leftover AM licences they created the Easy Listening network and where possible they used the xEL callsign. E.g. 1071 in Central Victoria was 3CV but became 3EL when 3CV essentially converted to form a new station on FM 91.9.
Same with 6EL in Bunbury - also originally an Easy Mix (AMI Radio owned I think?) station.
yep, same. I don’t know who AMI is/was but they must have got all these leftover AM licences for a song and IIRC just ran automated easy music playlists on them. (Although as an exemption I think 6EL was a new station? I don’t think it was a re-badging of a heritage one?)
They may have had actual announcers but I am not sure. Eventually the stations became “Easy Mix” and then I guess at some point the network got broken up and stations sold off to Caralis, Grants, etc. That’s about the extent of my little knowledge of those stations.
EDIT: Apparently AMI was owned by Ray Gamble and broken up in 2005, and one of the off-shoot owners selling its stations in 2007 while being under investigation by ACMA. https://radioinfo.com.au/news/stuart-simson-bails-out-regional-radio/
Also 4EL Cairns.
In 2005, Cairns’ 4EL had an easy listening program overnight that sounded like 3MP at the time, and even if it wasn’t from there, sounded similar I assumed that other EL stations like 3EL did likewise.
4KZ still broadcast the ‘easy mix’ overnight but I think it’s their own automation…they were never part of the EL network iirc.
Mackay also had 4EL on 1026. From memory they use to call it The Easy Mix 1026.
Though i think it’s official callsign was 4AA, since Cairns took 4EL.
Yes, it might of been mate. I just remember them calling it The Easy Mix.
Also went into TV interests too because they were the last owners of MTN9 before WIN took that over.
The then-ABA was looking into it in an investigation in 1998 because of the somewhat tangled relationship between AMI and what had just become DMG Radio (who had done a swap of MTN and 2RG/Star FM between them a year or two earlier), including in Mildura where they shared facilities by the looks of it.
The AMI Radio company eventually fell under Grant Broadcasters’ purview after the split-up, thus is under ARN now. The company name is still attached in the ACMA database to the licence of Zinc 96 on the Sunshine Coast/Gympie. Certainly at the time of the split described, AMI were probably most referred to as “the owners of Hot 91” in contemporary reports, so the Sunshine Coast were probably their most important market by then.
News report of KZFM’s first radio ratings since moving to FM band. (1990)
Interesting! So the top 4 stations in Melbourne in 1990 were music stations? Strange how things have changed nowadays with talk dominating Melbourne. I guess there are fewer talk stations these days and more music stations comparatively? What was 3AK’s format during this survey?
Easy Listening, or Lite and Easy or something of that nature. Though there may have been some talk thrown in. IIRC Philip Adams was still being relayed at late night from 2UE (a remnant of the CBC days). Keith McGowan did overnights. They may have tried relaying John Laws from 2UE sometime around this era but like most things at 3AK at the time, i think that was delightfully short lived.
This was the logo in 1988, it may have changed by 1990.
3AK then became Radio Italia in June 1990
When did 1503AM shift to 1116AM?