1985 seems a very late start. What radio did the locals have before then, just local ABC (5LN) and any fortuitous coverage they could get from Adelaide?
Although I know it had a local TV translator from GTS4 (Channel 8) and ABC
EDIT: Wikipedia and even the ABC website says ABC Local Radio Eyre Peninsula (Port Lincoln) opened in 1987 but ABC radio 5LN (Port Lincoln) dates back to the 1950s.
2CS Coffs Harbour didnāt start up until December 1985. Although they already had the youth run community station 2CHY that had been running for two years and the signal from 2MC Kempsey was quite strong in town. 2MC even had a studio in Coffs as well for a few years. 2GF Grafton would have been heard in the northern parts of the Coffs Council area quite well.
6MM Mandurah a late starter in the 80ās too. Finally getting an FM spot it deserved from the start but was denied due to Bunbury VHF TV 3 & 5 congesting the FM band.
Yes, 5LN opened Nov 1950
I donāt know why ABC doesnāt mention that on its own website. Maybe 5LN was just a translator station and didnāt set up its own studios etc until the 1980s?
Even in the 90s, there was a ROX FM office in Coffs (which I assume was a 2MC office too).
Though probably not a studio as such.
5LN started out as just a translator for 5CK.
Wow Iām gob smacked that Coffs Harbour didnāt have a station before that!
4HI is the latest AM station I recall launching in Qld anyway in 1981.
Several re branded in the 80s though - 4NA to 4SS and 4AY to 4RR
And I think 4CC Gladstone used to be 4CD before that?
And there were a few AM frequncy shuffles in the 80s too.
4LM Mt Isa was 1368 and moved to 666.
And 4GC Charters Towers was 1170 before moving to 828.
Donāt know why either moved when it was post 10 khz spacing.
Mobbs had his own afternoon show for quite some time, didnāt he? And who could forget Daryl āthe A-holeā Reader (yes that was his on-air name). The glory days of what was then a glorious regional radio station
I too would love to hear some stuff from their earlier days if anyone cares to share it. Being under the age of two when 3GL switched bands, I donāt have memories of them until the mid-90s, so missed that period
Radio stations have changed frequencies over the years for many reasons but I thought I would research which stations have stayed on the same frequency for the longest. This is what I came up with.
AM band: 2LM Lismore NSW. Commenced broadcasting in September 1936 on 900kHz and has stayed on that frequency ever since.
FM band: 2ABC Sydney NSW. Commenced broadcasting in January 1976 on 92.9MHz and has stayed on that frequency ever since.
2CH may have been on 1170 for longer; Wikipedia reckons 1935. Interestingly they started on 1210 kHz in 1932.
This SMH article from 1935 reckons they moved to 1190. Iām not sure whether this is correct.
There are other reliable sources mentioning 1190 kHz so I think it is correct. Not sure when they moved from 1190 to 1170.
2CH moved to 1170 sometime in the early 1950ās
Iād have to check but I think 3UZ, approaching its 95th anniversary, has always been on 930/927 so technically I guess it counts as a change to align to 9kHz.
2VM Moree has been on 1530khz itās entire life since it commemced broadcadting in the late 1950ās
Australian radio dial 1931. 2CH was on 1210 2SM was on 1270,
Yeah if you donāt factor in the change from 10kHz to 9kHz, then we have a winner. 2CA and 2SM would be up there too.
Hereās a listing of Australian and NZ radio stations from August 1935, just prior to the dial re-shuffle on 1 September which saw a lot of stations shift position
Source: Listener In
Notice a couple on odd offsets like 665 kHz (2FC/2RN) and 1415 kHz (2KO), among others. I suppose wavelength rather than frequency was king back then.
