(1) I can remember in mid-1987 a bunch of Boy George fans picketed radio stations EON FM and 3XY demanding they play his then-new hit single “Everything I Own” which both stations did not have on their playlist nor did they play it.
(2) In 1993 American Top 40 moved to midnight Monday morning on the FOX when it was a hybrid Classic Rock/Top 40 nights format.
Hadn’t Boy George fell from the sky long before 1987? That’s why Lexie Paterson on P: CBH was already dated when she first appeared.
Thanks for that.
Saw this sticker in the wild yesterday
None in fact.
The AU Falcons weren’t released until 1998, a full 9 years after 1197 was switched off at Bundall.
I believe it’s been reallocated as a narrowcast license, and is currently being offered for somewhere south of a million dollars as a HPON.
Technically speaking, Sydney had no more top 40 radio post April 1988. 2SM turned into Trite and Sleezy 1269, 2WS was Hits and Memories, 2UW played classic hits. 2Day FM was starting to play a somewhat cut down version of their AC format. Where I suspect they would have had about 4,000 to 5,000 tracks in their playlist during the 1980 to 1985 period, they by this stage would have no more then about 800 tracks; mostly 60s and 70s with some newer tracks. Their motto was back then, “playing the best of the old and the best of the new”. Announcers included, Chris Kurns, George Moore, Tim Webster, and Greg Diamond with the Top 30 CD Countdown., Triple M just continued with their monotonous album orientated rock.
If ones reception was good enough, you could get 2KA who were back then “Hot Hits” and “Coca Cola Hot Hits Sunday”, but pretty much anywhere east of Parramatta, you were shit out of luck. Family had a place in Leura at the time, so was able to make a few mixed tapes off 2KA, who had Reg Dowton, Brian Sanders, and Jason Bowman. As most of Sydney could not get this station, it really doesn’t count.
Sydney did not get it’s top 40 radio back Until July 1989, when Austereo bought out FOX FM in Melbourne and 2Day FM in Sydney, where both stations formats where trashed into a 100 track rotational top 40 format. Initially there was Mike Hammonds Top 8 at 8, then by December 1989, 2Day FM Started the Hot 30 with Nick Bennett.
From around September 1989 Trite and Sleezy was axed giving way to Sydney’s Music, 2SM. Contrary to most of Sydney who hated 2SM by this stage, I enjoyed their unique blend of 70s 80s and current top 40, they were digging up severl tracks that one never heard in several years. Remember listening to Gareth McCraig during this time, by July 1991 they turned into “The station you grew up with” which was a pure 70s 80s format.
For me, this 2SM format was my dream station, and picked up where 2Day FM left off in 1987. Unfortunately the format did not rate, thus as much as they bought Ken Sparks aboard for trying to save the station, 2SM went into receivership in June 1992, and was taken over by WESGO communications, which eventually was bought out by ARN. From July to October 1992, 2SM had three months of very sleepy and morbit music, when they sunk even lower as Sydney’s hottest country. As time tells it, this station by this stage was permanently doomed.
I would imagine 2WL in Wollongong at around that time would’ve had a music format that was predominantly Top 40 with some classic hits thrown in. As it was transmitting out of Windang, almost right on the coastline, I would imagine its signal would’ve been received quite well along the coastal suburbs of Sydney, from Cronulla to Palm Beach.
Yes, and even in Newcastle, 2WL was easier to get than the Sydney commercials for that reason. I remember getting it in the daytime at Forster too.
2NX ran a similar format too.
Thanks for the update from Sydney. Hit radio in Melbourne died around the same time or maybe a bit later in the year when 3XY went more adult and more downhill in the ratings. 3KZ was Hits and Memories but the only hit I remember them playing was a Stock Aitken and Waterman song by Cliff Richard in 1989. That’s it. The former 3DB became 3TT in April that year and was Classic Hits. 3MP was easy listening since May-June 1986 when 3AK switched from easy listening to Sydney-based talkback.
Then in December 1989, Bay FM started in Geelong. They played quite a bit of pop music after 7PM and 3XY simulcast with them after hors. But after a week they toned down the pop music, although they did play some. 3XY ended up simulcasting with BAY FM 24 hours a day for most if not all of 1990. What’s more you could pick up BAY FM in Melbourne, although it was a bit weak.
That all ended in 1991 when BAY FM switched to easy listening and 3XY had to have its own separate programs. I believe they were required to do this by the ABA (forerunner of the ACMA) but I’m not sure. A few months later it was all over for 3XY.
I don’t remember any such 100-song top 40 format on FOX FM in 1989. In December 1989 I went to Sydney for a week and 2DAY FM was pretty much like FOX FM. By that stage FOX FM’s slogan was “Good times and great rock’n’roll”.
FOX FM got a top 30 show in January 1991. Melbourne already had a Top 8 at 8 on Triple M for many years (at least since 1985 if not earlier).
Technically you can still listen to Bay FM and K-Rock in Melbourne.
By design the signal strength is reduced in the Melbourne direction, so it’s kinda neither strong nor weak. I’d consider it a “consistently decent” signal.
It’s not uncommon for people in Geelong to listen to Melbourne radio, but I don’t think the reverse is so.
It’s a bit harder now if you live in certain parts of Melbourne as there’s also 3WBC on 94.1 and Golden Days Radio on 95.7 that make BAY FM 93.9 and k-Rock 95.5 harder to tune in.
On most modern radios, that shouldn’t be an issue.
The intentional null towards Melbourne’s north and east (where they can only transmit 2kw) does allow 3WBC and 3GDR to use 94.1 and 95.7 respectively.
Also by design, the Bay and K-Rock signals are vastly better over the other side of the West Gate Bridge as i think some western Melbourne suburbs are part of the Geelong licence area. They can transmit 30kw towards there (normal signal towards Geelong is 56kw).
That’s correct, their licence area includes a few western suburbs of Melbourne, such as Werribee and Laverton.
And, agreed, 94.1 FM’s signal is rather strong to me, but on modern receivers, also hearing 93.9 FM clear is no issue.
Speaking of history, from memory, K-Rock hung on to their Rock/Classic Rock format as long as they could, but switched to a top 40/new music format in the early 2010’s. And even more recently, appear to adding some new and old stuff they wouldn’t normally have in the playlist. It’s kinda a mix of KIIS, Nova, Fox/Hit and JJJ.
Bay FM, these days, I’d describe the playlist as somewhat unique, similar to Smooth FM in many aspects, but don’t be surprised to also hear Metallica, and some rock.
They really need a name change!
my car radio picks up both fine (likewise AM HPON 1341 “3GL” playing classic hits) but the last time I checked with an regular indoor radio it was very average to non-existent. Car radios would have better antennas no doubt.
You can blame the increased amount of electrical noise around these days for the poor AM reception indoors.
Cars do also make for good earthing for AM antennas, which helps, as well as being away from properties.
Car’s have more sensitive receivers than a portable or home receiver, because they are essentially mobile all their life, in less than ideal reception locations & often far away from the transmission site. If the antenna itself doesn’t have an amplifier, more often than not the car radio receiver will have a signal amplifier on the antenna input.
If you’re ever doing coverage planning for a radio station, there’s 2 coverage levels you can plan for, 1 is for a signal strength level capable of clear reception on a in home receiver & 1 for clear reception on a car radio, the coverage most times will be larger at a lower signal strength for the car radio.
By late 1989, 2Day and FOX were part of the same network, so I surmised they would have had exactly the same format. You’re right, I can’t speak for FOX as I’ve never heard the station, but as far as 2Day, they would only have about 100 songs on rotation at any given time.
In the early 80s, it would be a few days to a week when you would hear a track on repeat. When Austereo took it over, the track selection was heavily trimmed, and you’d be hearing the same songs played several times a day for weeks. I don’t know, liberally speaking they would have no more then about 120 to 130 songs on rotation at one time, conservatively speaking probably 80 to 90. It was very irritating to listen to, hence my switch to 2SM, Another annoying thing about 2Day at the time was Keith Williams’s and Malcolm Paul’s overzealous long rants and talking over the music and screaming callers.
I’ve discovered a commercial for 2HD Breakfast show
Question from cranky over in the 6iX thread prompted by Mike Parry’s 40 years on WA radio, which included time at West Coast Radio when Coast FM 97.3 launched.
So, where are they now?
Mike Parry - 6iX on air.
Gordon O’Byrne - passed 2022. YouTube tribute channel
Gareth Cockerel - unknown
Justin James - unknown
Grayton Hardeman - self employed voice artist
I have a real soft spot for Coast FM Mandurah. It was the first commercial FM station (fortuitously) in Bunbury. The station launch had a brilliant accompanying TV commercial that I’d love to track down. And the engineering test broadcasts on 97.3 and 100.5 featured a 1 hour music loop. The only song I remember was ‘Welcome to the Boomtown, David and David’. Never got tired of that song.
Any other Coast FM Mandurah history appreciated.
