It’s a similar story around the country whereby SCA owned stations that were first on the air in 1980 and were top rating by the late 80s are now often the lowest or 2nd lowest rating commercial FM station - FOX being an exception.
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Hi Radiohead - you have made me think:
There are now 2 more commercial radio licences than in 1981 - Nova and smooth.
But several of the stations in 2019 barely make use their licences - 2SM, MSR and Sky Sports are examples.
In the area of talk back - Sydney had more choice in 1981 - 2UE, 2KY, 2BL, 2KY, 2GB and 2FC. Nowadays we have 2GB and 702 (I am not counting 2SM, Sky and MSR as they really only offer static)
What’s interesting is the amount of non networked programming. Take the drive shift. In 1981 the following stations were broadcasting live in Sydney and for Sydney - 2UE, 2GB, 2BL, 2CH, 2KY, 2UW, 2WS, 2FC, 2DayFM, Triple M and JJJ. Basically every station.
Yet in 2019 - which Sydney stations and live an exclusively local in Drive? 2GB, WSFM, 2CH and 702.
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It seems FM had a slower start in Sydney than perhaps in say Brisbane/Adelaide/Perth? Or perhaps it’s because there were initially 2 FM stations there and also Triple J.
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Yes it’s interesting to compare the number of commercial stations in the 80s vs today.
Let’s look at Brisbane, there are now actually only the same number of commercial stations playing music today than there were in the mid-80s! Despite 2 new licences since then.
Today we have 5 - Nova, Hit, 97.3, Triple M and 4KQ.
In the mid 80s there were 5! - FM104, 4BK, 4KQ, 4BH, and Radio 10
2 commercial stations are now a waste of a commercial licence - 4TAB and MSR. Both so niche they should be narrowcast licences.
If not for DAB and overflow stations like River, Rebel and Breeze providing extra choice it would be tragic.
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I think that is reflected in today’s dominance of FM for music coupled with the existence of streaming and compressed music. And digital radio.
Cassette players back then just aren’t as attractive as an option compared to the likes of Spotify nowadays.
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Hmm I think it’s more a reflection of the Australian regulator’s failure to allocate more FM licences to commercial operators and their protectionism. The fact places like Brisbane have only four commercial FM stations is criminal. Of course the AM stations fall over. It’s a complete joke. Compare cities the sane size in NZ and North America…
Even Sydney having only six is absurd. A city that size in North America would have 20.
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Is this because we have community radio? Its quite big in Sydney. For higher power community stations. 92.1,93.7,94.5,98.5,102.5,103.2,107.3. Then there are suburbans too. I prefer music on the low power suburban stations so not complaining just an observation in Sydney.
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I think that’s part of it for sure. But they seem to live with closer spacing of stations in the US and are better at jamming more in to the available space. They still have college and community stations but fewer high powered ones.
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I think commercial radio are pretty happy community take up most of the fm space. Not really competition. They want to keep the numbers down. Buts these issues are caused mostly around govt regulations limiting competition. They let the operators maximise profit. There is less of a focus of commercial radio fostering new talent its more on profit, for most people who love radio they work in community radio and volunteer. (dont get me wrong there are still great people in radio, its more how they run it these days compared to the past, just my observations from an outsider, like hardly any local shifts)
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Anyone remember Radio 2, the ill-fated narrowband radio network which was right at the top of the AM radio dial and could not be picked up by many receivers?
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Yep I do. Shame it didn’t succeed. It provided some diversity, especially for regional areas.
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Vaguely. One wonders whether Radio 2 might’ve still been around in some form or another to this day, if they managed to win the commercial FM licences on offer during the Early 2000s.
If @tvcl (or anyone else for that matter) happens to have any Radio 2 airchecks, it’d be great to hear them! 
If I recall correctly they weren’t hoping to gain the FM licences (probably not financially able) however they did state they were hoping to be granted DAB space even though they were off-band operators. Once that was ruled out they didn’t last much longer. However they were able to broadcast on Foxtel at the time, I’m guessing because they had a nation-wide licence.
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Triple M Melbourne’s Hot Breakfast debuted 10 years ago, on September 7, 2009.
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well done Eddie, Luke, Wil and Rosie!
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Yes, well done to the 3MMM Hot Breakfast team!
It’s a bit of a rarity for an FM breakfast show to last that long in pretty much its original form at the one station.
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A memo from 2UE’s Rod Spargo on the protocol for the death of QEII or the PM in 1983. I wonder what the plan would be in 2019.
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I just found this flashback! It was December 1981 and Charlie Foxx was hosting the “2SM Christmas Party”.
Most if it was prerecorded interviews with Australian musicians - made to sound like it was live in the studio. A few things stand out including that this would not have been a ratings period but so much effort went into this show, the fact it was only heard on 2SM and not networked and the More Music 2SM jingles.
Most of all it showcases a time when radio supported and promoted Australian music. There are interviews with INXS, Cold Chisel, The Church, Moving Pictures, Mental as Anything, Cheetah and Richard Clapton…and that was just the beginning.
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Can anyone explain how or where the “orange circle” came from stations like Magic Port Lincoln, HitzFM Bundaberg and River94.9 (their previous logo had the orange circle over the frequency).
Were the stations all part of one network? I know they’re all owned by Grant Broadcasters, but were they once linked together like the PowerFM stations?