2MMM and 2Day FM officially launched at 4pm on this day in 1980. The launch had been delayed by several weeks due to transmission problems.
4 Likes
Hopefully they do something a bit more memorable to celebrate 40 years on air next year, but I have a feeling they wonāt.
1 Like
The first 35 years of jingles and news sounders from LBC in London:
2 Likes
39 years this month since 4MMM/FM 104 launched .next year the Big 40 for them
3 Likes
I think Fox FM might have been on 1 August as well. EON FM was already a few weeks old by that stage.
2 Likes
3 Likes
For some reason both 2-Day FM and 2MMM had to launch at the same time in Sydney.
According to āThe Ageā, EON-FM was the first commercial FM station in Australia. It started at 12.01am on Friday, 11 July, 1980. Fox-FM, broadcasting from the studios of Channel Ten, Nunawading, followed at 5pm Friday 1 August. Fox seemed to have a heavy focus on news in the early days drawing on the resources of Ten and the ABC for content.
Presenters for the first commercial FM stations in Sydney and Melbourne in August 1980.
6 Likes
3ZZZ that took the 92.3 frequency turned 30 this year in June. There was quite a bit of activity in the community sector in 1989.
2 Likes
The planning of FM frequencies was a bit cryptic.
Sydney had its 2 commercials on 104.1 and 104.9
But what was the reasoning for 92.3 and 101.9 in Melbourne
2 Likes
Donāt forget that there was a lot of Band II television at the time which limited the frequencies available. Sydney had to go up to the high end due to NBN3 and WIN4; around Melbourne you had 3s and 4s as well. The 5s in close proximity to Sydney and Melbourne had gone by then.
92- 94 MHz could be used irrespective of any Band II allocations. 92.9 was already occupied in Sydney, and 2MBS used 92.1 at first (unsure when it converted to 102.5). Iām unsure why 93.7 MHz wasnāt considered for a high powered service in 1980. The frequency was later occupied by 2MWM and then 2LND Koori Radio.
4 Likes
A compilation of British commercial news jingles and sounders from the '00s; some of them sound very American:
According to the ABT Annual Report 1976-77, 2MBS moved to 102.5 by 30th June 1977 after ABHN Newcastle moved from VHF 5 to 5A.
3 Likes
Mike Jeffreys on fox 101.9 is the same Mike we heard on 2ue.
I know Clive Robertson had a go with 2day fm, George Moore was there a while too.
3 Likes
Back in the days when radio programmes were listed in all metropolitan newspapers.Brisbaneās Courier Mail did ,not sure if it still does,donāt read it anymore
2 Likes
The Daily Telegraph dumped the radio programmes from the weekly TV guide about 20 years ago, while the last time I saw the SMH Guide their radio program listings were only for a few stations - some of the ABC stations and what was then the commonly owned 2UE.
1 Like
A look back on Alan Jonesā first 2 weeks on radio back in 1985, when he joined 2UE: https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/alan-jones-first-two-weeks-radio
The Passchendaele Ridge blowtorch. Main TX for the Southern Downs.
Wished I was old enough to understand at the time of VHF Band II on FM, I wouldāve tried for SDQ-4 when being driven around on weekend country drives. What was its audio carrier frequency and wattage?
20kW ( 1/10th of 200kW) on 100.75. It could be received poorly in Brisbane.
2 Likes
Likewise, Iām just that bit too young to remember WIN4 on 100.75. I got my first radio in July 1990 which was just after the switch off I think . Apparently the WIN4 audio carrier was like a local signal into Sydney, and of course many SCG eschewing folk tuned in on their tellies to watch the cricket.
3 Likes
Thanks for your recollection.
National services from there now are on a higher power than 20kW.
SDQ was received well south of the border with NSW towns in a forgotten area for NEN/RTN featuring on the weather bulletins presented from Video Ave, Toowoomba.
2 Likes