There was also a 2005 countdown from memory. This one was used as part of transition from modern rock to jack format. Will be curious what happens to Perth’s format after this 1000 countdown..
Yes, there was indeed an ‘Essential 2005’ countdown being held. 
Full list below:
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Amazing that about 95 songs in that top 100 is still in high rotation 21 years later.
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I recall when 4IP used to do 500 Song countdowns there were entries like White Christmas from Bing Crosby that probably should even make the list now but never will.
I also remember an MMM countdown from 2002 or 2003, with ‘Dancing On The Jetty’ by INXS in last position. Yes that Essential 2005 ushered in Barry The Monkey and that’s why there are plenty of WTFs in the list.
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And Fox moving to the ‘Gold’ format lead to Hitz FM becoming the juggernaut it was. The very real possibility of Hitz getting a permanent licence because the commercials had mostly abandoned their younger listeners lead to Fox going back to the Top 40 format, with some Dance & R&B on the playlist lest a non-profit community station moved into their turf…
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Thanks for sharing. The 2005 countdown was definitely the last chance saloon for much of the modern alt rock stuff like P.O.D , 28 days , Three Days Grace etc which had been part of the previous format
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FOX FM also had 1989 songs in a row over the Christmas-new year period of 1988-89. Not sure if it was a countdown though.
I’m still angry about this…
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Somehow I stumbled across some interesting reading on 3AK and it’s failed attempt to go FM… it seems like it gave up it’s option very late in the piece (even after 3KZ went to FM)… obviously due to financial troubles at the time.
The following excerpts from ‘The Age’ from around the time 3KZ converted (1 Jan 1990).
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Would have been interesting to see what format 3AK would have taken to FM. 3AK was talkback at that time so it was not known if they’d have taken that to FM or do a big reset to a music format on FM (something which 5DN did later with poor results!)
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And we probably would also have ended up with News Radio on 1503 and probably SEN 1026.
Would have been potential for 3AK to do easy listening/beautiful music on 101.1. Would have probably killed off 3MP 
When i did work experience at 3AK in 1987, in the record library they were listening to tapes from an FM station in the US doing easy listening and wondering if it would ever work here. I think the station was WLTW??
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Sun FM rocked back in the day. Brendan Barnes had one of the deepest voices in Radio.
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Near the start of FM broadcasting in Australia 60 Minutes here did a report on the variety of FM station formats in New York. They sampled all the music formats, many of which we still don’t have as main stream stations, like jazz, R and B, adult contemp, top 40 like 99X etc. As well at the time WCBS FM was an all news station “in touch with the world” and a bit of a revelation that there was a station with all news 24 hours a day.
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Yes, most of the FM conversions were initially successful, with 3KZ, 4BK, and 5KA all increasing their ratings initially upon conversion. 3KZ’s $31.5 mil appeared to be worth the investment at first, but ratings then dipped…
And by the time the Sydney FM conversion auctioned were eventually held in 1991, 2UW and 2WS only paid about $8-$9 mil each, a bargain by comparison (nb. the Sydney FM conversion auctions were already the last to be held, but were further delayed because 2WS challenged the process in the courts as the initial process would mean it would have a restricted FM signal since it’s licence area was Western Sydney).
So it was a surprise to me that DMG paid $155 mil for the 5th commercial Sydney FM licence in 2000.
Edit: And this classic from 1991, 2WS on FM was to be from Prospect in Sydney’s west and 2WS would have to pay to fix the Channel Nine issue!
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It was reasonable to expect that the 2 commercial FM licences offered for Sydney and Melbourne would be the last to be offered so that probably upped the bidding knowing there wasn’t going to be any more?
Yes, $60 mil or even $80 mil I could understand, but that figure was just enormous.
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Where would 3KND have been on the dial in that scenario when it launched in 2003?
Probably 1116?
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