Yes that seems close. Makes me think of other AM stations in the same markets that are very close. A couple that spring to mind are 4CC-927 and 4RO-990. Also Cruise 1323 and 5AA-1395.
Here in Melbourne until 3GL changed frequency, 3GL Geelong was on 1350, only 27 KHz from 3MP on 1377. Later they were 36 KHz apart.
From 1976 when they went to air until the change to 9KHz spacing in 1978, 3MP on 1380 was only 40 KHz from 3XY on 1420.
While both cases are stations in different locations serving different markets (3MP was aimed at the Mornington Peninsula although it could be picked up around Melbourne, while 3XY was a bit weak by the time it got to Frankston), two stations serving Melbourne were also 40 KHz apart between 1975 and 1977, when 3ZZ was on 1220 and 3KZ was on 1180.
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Two periods for me…
Early to mid 80s when AM was still king and we still had Top 40 AM stations like 2SM
The other was late 80s late 1990s when the FM band started to explode with NEW FM Newcastle starting in 1989 and new stations appearing all the time in regional areas until about 1998, by which the supplementary FM licenses had all been pretty much allocated.
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The 2KY reference was to the top of a rotary dial, not the top end of the spectrum
7SD can sometimes be heard in Mt Waverley, so 3GG converting to FM would make it easier to receive 7SD
isn’t 7SD on FM now?
It’s still on AM as well, the newer 95.7 FM service is meant to complement the pre-existing 540AM service, so not an ‘out and out’ FM conversion like most of the others were.
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I believe the rationale was to continue service to Flinders Island; they decided against having an FM repeater there. I’ve never been to Flinders but there are some mountains on the island which may block an FM link through to Mount Horror (Scottsdale).
I’d venture 3GG would be quite strong on Flinders as well.
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The golden days of radio would have been before TV. However, for me, the best time to be a radio listener was in the mid 70’s (1976-78) when as a kid, there were three hit music stations in Melbourne (3DB, 3KZ & 3MP) and 3XY’s rock music. Also, 3UZ & 3AW played hit music when they weren’t doing racing or talkback respectively, while 3LO played hit music during the breakfast show.
Only two years later, 3KZ and 3MP started playing lots of 60’s music, while 3UZ, 3AW and 3LO went to older or more adult contemporary music. leaving only 3DB and 3XY.
We wouldn’t have three hit music stations again until 2015 when FOX, KIIS and Nova all had hit based formats. For those who don’t like hit music, there are many more other choices now than in the 70’s
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Yes, but like 5RM and 5CC, AM simulcasts continue due to coverage issues.
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I think everyone will have different ideas of this, depending on when they grew up. For me it was during the mid-late 1980s and predominantly listening to 3XY, which was still the preferred choice for many in my age group at the time, although EON was catching up. It was also a turbulent time with lots of movement and reformatting in Melbourne, such as the many changes at 3AK and the rise of commercial FM radio and the changes to 3TT and 3MMM and the advent of Triple J in Melbourne. And radio was never far from the headlines particularly around the time that Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of the Herald Weekly Times and changing media laws had a chain reaction across radio and TV outlets across the country.
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Talking about nearby stations on close frequencies - what about 4QO and 4QD - adjacent markets on the same frequency. An unusual situation in Australia to have synchronised stations.
Before the change to 9KHz spacing the synchronisation wasn’t perfect and a distinct (annoying) whistle could be heard across the broadcast areas. With the change to 10 kHz, it was promoted that the change would produce a signal “without the whistle” so there was obviously a plan in place to fix the synch between the stations.
Was there ever any other potential adjacent transmitters for ABC that could have had the same frequency because the programs were always the same? Could 2ML at Murwillumbah, for example, have been synchronised on the same frequency as 2NR Grafton?
70s to late 1980s
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2EC (then 2BE) were on 765 in both Bega and Batemans Bay, i imagine they’d needed to be synchronised.
There are still a few ABC stations in the WA Pilbara/ North West, 6PU, 6PN, 6TP, 6MN all on 567 though they are low power, but could otherwise interfere with each other at night.
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For me, early 2000s, getting online for the first time and getting to listen to stations from around the world before they worked out geoblocking, while the local stations were not all chasing the exact same formats.
I’d be mainly streaming US stations, and that also was a good time, before all the mergers turning every unique station into the Audacy sludge.
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Forgot I had this.
2GO’s September 1986 frequency change on the AM band got a small mention on Page 10 of the Newcastle Herald on 1st Sept.
I recall the test transmissions on 801 and hearing the old “Stereo 801 2GO” IDs upon changeover.
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Actually a lot of the stations that had a K in their callsigns, a lot of them aligned with the Labor movement, used K as it was the clearest sounding letter, radio wise.
Sky Channel buying 2KY with that callsign was a very happy confidence. Like 2NM getting 98.1 for their supplementary FM license.
https:// youtu.be /ZsC8VOHD_Ps?si=5MzXV9ZQLVfpmtzA&t=1297
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What’s special about that?
The fact that it’s 2NM 981AM and sister station is 98.1 PowerFM.
Does anyone know the story and reason behind the matching numbers for the same market and same ownership?
I have never seen this in any other market.
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Possibly 2NM asked for it.
Quite possibly just a concidence as well, but it also fits in with the spacing for the adjacent Newcastle market, that has a significant overlap.
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