Has 2OO’s launch been mentioned? Midnight on 1 Jan 1979 on AM of course.
23 November 1978, the day radio stations converted to 9kHz spacing. But it was 12.24am, not pm, according to the SMH: The Sydney Morning Herald - Google News Archive Search
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Yeah, I remember sitting in the university library listening to the launch (on earbuds, of course)!
Well 4PM their time, 6PM real time.
96FM also launched at 4PM. First song they played was Steely Dan, which seems a bit trite these days.
It would have all been very exciting I would imagine. Especially with the test broadcasts.
I remember when ZMFM were test broadcasting, playing full albums (from the likes of Toto). It was a great time to concentrate on the sound, audio quality, HI-FI, album tracks… before the ‘personality’ of jocks and commercials took over.
As a radio fan it’s a strange feeling. So much excitement with the launch of a new station, but with a slight twinge of sadness that the test broadcast has ended. Because with the test broadcast we knew that we’d been part of something special, that only a few had bothered to engage in. A pure celebration of audio technology, where the medium got to showcase its true worth.
Once the station launched and all the hoi polloi jumped on board that was great too.
But for those few short weeks of test broadcast, that was something amazing. An exclusive little listening club (that I’m sure wasn’t actually all that little) that was radio, but not as we knew it.
I have some cassette tapes of ZMFM and C93FM test broadcasts. I should dig them out sometime.
It wasn’t uncommon for many station formats to launch at midnight on New Year’s Day.
I recall The Edge launched its Hip Hop & RnB format on January 1 at the stroke of midnight. It was the end of The Edge as “The Hit Music Channel”.
An article from the ‘Adelaide Advertiser’ in February 1990 on one of the most challenging station format/frequency shifts, regarding 5DN’s move from talkback AM to being an FM music station.
And also an ad just prior to the move to FM, which took place on Sunday 16 September 1990.
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WTH is that ad supposed to be depicting 
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Would make for a great Yesterdays news tonight article on Sam Pang Tonight S2.
From the second half of 1988 through to the early 90s. One of the worst periods in Australian radio history.
Not a single CHR station to be seen anywhere.
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3XY still held on with Hot Hits until the end of 1988. Other than that the only real saving grace was the Top 8 at 8 on EON/MMM which was a dramatic shift from the station’s usual rock music format.
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Nothing But Great Rock N Roll.
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Article for Friday 29 May 1992 regarding 2NX FM conversion and ad from the following day (from the Newcastle Herald).
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This is how the ‘Newcastle Herald’ covered the introduction of AM stereo on 1 February 1985.
I had a chuckle at the word ‘minor’ (yes, very minor indeed as it turned out!).
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May be of interest
SBS Viceland
Saturday, 14 June at 9:00pm
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Hi everyone,
Well…good news at last. A few months ago I spoke about the possibility of The Frankster Archives returning. I haven’t had financial help to do so, so I’ve gone it alone, and pleased to say that I now have a new home - over at Youtube!
You’ll find it at:
Four airchecks are up there at the moment but more will be added as time allows. To get things going, there are airchecks up there from Brian Wilshire, Stan Zemanek, Mike Carlton and Clive Robertson - Brian from 1990, Stan from 1991, Mike from 1982, and Clive from 1999. All part of a recently donated cassette collection of airchecks which stretches to almost 600. Biggest transfer project to date - and I’m now 351 tapes in with a little under 250 to go.
So many changes in my life, some good, some bad, but finally it’s all coming together again.
Anyway there it is! The archive is back online!
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That’s great news, and great work!
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This is the best news I’ve heard all year! Well done @Frankster . Just be aware that you might have to edit some of the music in your airchecks for YT as they get flagged for copyright…perhaps you could also use Archive dot org for some of the airchecks as well.
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On an unrelated matter, does anyone know what the first song on FM104- Rock In Stereo was? I’m thinking of doing a triple play next week. I know the first song on 2MMM was ‘Spirit Of Radio’ by Rush (they never play that now, sadly) and it was ‘New Kid In Town’ for 3EON.
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Do you mean 4MMM Brisbane? The first song was Cool Change by the Little River Band according to this article.
https://www.mediaweek.com.au/brisbane-radio-milestones-for-nines-4bc-and-scas-triple-m/
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When 3EON changed to 3MMM in the mid to late 80s, the first song was New Sensation by INXS.
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