Radio History

Yep- the 80s surely was the halcyon decade for the jingle- and on TV ads as well.

I do remember the 2UE jingle from the 90s, though. In my (very young) mind it firmly established the station as the news/talk powerhouse it was during that time.

“Radio Active, the source of the power, is Radio Active…TT-OOO-YEW-EEEE!”

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There’s activity in the air… there’s activity down below…

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If you listened to 2UE too much, would that have given you Radio Active poisoning?

Sorry, couldn’t resist! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Full credit to whoever originally made a comment to that effect on a YouTube upload of the ad many years ago. I believe the late Ken Sparkes also made a comment on that same upload saying that it was the best Australian radio jingle ever, and I’d probably have to agree! :slight_smile:

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My favourite jungles are probably the one made for the original Rocktober, late 70s to mid 80s for 4IP, 2SM, 3XY, 2NX et al

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Especially when it was ‘Triple your music… (long pause) Triple M’

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The source of the power… I wonder when 2GB became the power station?

All I remember from them in the 80s was the ‘Sundown Rundown’.

Now it’s 2UE that’s run down.

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The first incarnation of that jingle was launched in 2011, if I’m not mistaken.

Ratings wise, I think 2GB officially became the unbeatable #1 Sydney radio station in 2004? Although I’m sure 2GB were starting to enjoying some ratings success from the moment Alan Jones joined the station around Early 2002-ish.

During the mid-late 80s Jams jingles were everywhere…

The official countdown (interlude) Magic 11.
It’s a good, good morning (same interlude) with the morning team… on ZMFM.
Continuous (more music) Christchurch 93, 93FM.
Stereo Teeeeeeeeeennnnnnn.

I suppose it was no different to hearing Ray Mcgregor’s voice everywhere in the early 90s.

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What station in Australia has gone through the most number of format changes?

Surely it would have to be one that’s gone ‘Country’ at some stage…

Yes, from Survey 4 of 2004 onwards.

That’s correct. At that time, 2UE was still rating competitively against 2GB.

2SM in Sydney would be a contender.

If you include a station that converted from AM to FM, then 2UW/Mix 106.5/KIIS in Sydney would be another close contender, along with 3DB/3TT/TTFM/Mix 101.1/KIIS in Melbourne.

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That’s a tough one considering some commercial stations are over 80 years old.
In Brisbane 4BH springs to mind. Top 40, Beautiful music (instrumental), Easy Listening, News/Talk (New 882), Soft AC, Oldies (Magic), Talk/infomercial, Sport…

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40 years old, but still has be one of the best TV spots for a radio station (and yes it was originally an American concept)

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Yes 4BH would certainly be up there (although interestingly I don’t think they ever resorted to country… unlike 4KQ and 4BC).

I like the fact you mentioned the soft AC phase… a relatively short-lived format in the greater scheme of things and not one that would immediately spring to mind when one thinks of BH.

But interestingly, that was the time when I probably found myself listening to them (while flicking around).

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We were none the wiser back then…

Same as all the TV promos and jingles…

‘Still the One’
‘Brian told me’
‘This is our finest hour, TVO eyewitness news’

Nothing original. Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people’s ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable, most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are often taken by surprise.

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Not just the Aussies doing the copying (well licensing to be precise)

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Were you a ‘card carrying’ listener of any stations?

I certainly had a Triple M card… was their’s called “Fantastic Plastic”? I have a feeling that might have been 2SM.

The cards were quite the marketing gimmick of the 80s… but were they around before and after? Before I was too young to care and after the 80s I was too sophisticated to bother :stuck_out_tongue:

What vintage would this have been?

And why was a News/Talk station even bothering with AM Stereo?

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It’s promoting AM Stereo so it’s mid 80s or thereabouts.

Why are they doing it? It would have been part of an industry wide push (AM wide at least) that all stations had signed up to to try to counter the impact of FM.

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