That moment when you are flicking around / scanning the AM radio dial and you realise that 2SM is still broadcasting.
I am not sure whether to laugh or cry. I decide cry.
1 Like
If 2SM had an owner who would participate in radio surveys and knew how to properly run a major metropolitan station by adding more local/Sydney-only programing to compete with the mostly networked content of the current 2GB, I believe that 2SM would have the potential to do to MRN in the ratings what 2GB did to 2UE nearly 15 years ago.
I agree.
I also reckon that a “Rock of the 60s” or a “Rock of the 70s” station could work on AM. It’s an era of music that the FM stations ignore (including WS and smooth). It would only rate at a 3 or 4% but would scare WS, Triple M and smooth a little.
Surely 4% is better than 0%.
1 Like
Laws probably does have a decent audience, not that we’ll ever know, and Laws does attract advertising. The rest of 2SM is a wasteland of nothing.
Laws airs in Brisbane on Bay FM.
1 Like
Re the unlikely scenario of Brisbane gaining a 5th commercial FM licence by replacing ABC Newsradio’s Gold Coast translator service on its frequency:
One key issue of Smooth gaining the FM licence is that Nova Entertainment already owns 1.5 stations in the Brisbane market, as they own 50% of 97.3FM with ARN. If Nova Ent sells 50% of 97.3FM to ARN, therefore owning only 1 station (Nova 106.9), then I could see them going for a new FM licence to launch Smooth & give the Brisbane commercial FM stations a much needed shake-up.
If a new commercial FM licence were to be issued in Adelaide, Nova Ent would have to sell off FiveAA to MRN in order to get Smooth onto the FM band there. As for Perth, I would expect a bidding war between ARN & Nova Ent for the 5th commercial FM licence, especially if ARN sells off 50% of Nova 93.7 to Nova Ent.
That said, all of the above scenario is unlikely to happen, as DAB+ is the future of radio in the major capital cities, in which they’re not restricted to the 2-station rule unlike with the FM & AM licences.
I agree. Sydney needs a commercial station that plays a lot of 60s/70s music that is not as soft sounding as you would hear on Magic 2CH or Smooth. If Melbourne (3MP), Brisbane (4KQ), Adelaide (Cruise), Perth (6iX) & Canberra (2CA) have that kind of station, why can’t Sydney have it too? Not even Fun Super Digi, a DAB+ station in Sydney owned by BOG/SRN (owner of 2SM), plays that much 60s/70s music, in which they favour more towards the 80s (much like WS).
3 Likes
Can anyone remember the old studio phone numbers? I know in Brisbane they all started with 3223:
B105 - 3223 0055
MMM - 3223 0123
4KQ - 3223 0693 (still is to this day)
973 - 3223 0973 (still is)
4BH - 3223 0882
I think 4TAB may have had a 3223 number as well. 612 ABC still use 3223 0612 for their ‘cereal box’ number.
Mix and Sea on the Sunshine Coast used to be 545 11 927 and 545 11 919. All now have boring 13 numbers that don’t mean a thing.
At least the ABC keep their main frequencies alive in their phobe numbers even if they don’t use them on air (ie ABC Coffs Coast use 1300 222 923). Triple J’s makes perfect sense 1300 0555 36 (13000 JJJFM).
1 Like
Yes!
I do lament that these days stations don’t advertise a local phone number, it’s usually 13 or 1300 numbers, very un-local sounding!
(these are mostly in the days before 8 digit phone numbers).
Newcastle
2HD - 60 1143
2NX - 62 1341 on AM, then 423 107 as X107 became 423 106 as NXFM
2KO - on FM, 42 1029 (don’t remember what it was on AM).
NEW FM - was 29 1053 then became 297 105, then 674 105 when they moved to 2HD studios at Sandgate.
Sydney
2DAY - 955 0104 became 955 1041 (when 104.1 became the ID frequency rather than just 104). It became 389 something when they moved to Bondi I think.
2MMM - was 9389 1049 in the early 2000s
MIX 106,5 - was 904 1065
2WS - 621 1224 on AM later became 611 1000 on FM
Others
Wave FM - was 965 965 then 275 965
i98 - 26 98 98 (I think).
2NM - they always used to mention the area code as well - 065 43 15 88
Power FM Muswellbrook - 411 981
Power FM Nowra - 233 949
ROX FM Port Macquarie - 13 11 90 then became 1300 36 11 90 (because 1300 numbers were cheaper than 13 numbers I think). As they covered both 065 and 066 area codes back in the 90s.
Gold FM Gold Coast - was 925 925 when they first went to FM and were at Bundall, changed to 705 925 when they moved to Southport.
FM 104.7 Canberra - was 257 1047
SEA FM Gosford - was 234 997 (when their original frequency was going to be 99.7), this was quickly changed to 23 1013.
2GO - when on 801 AM, it was 232 801, then on FM 24 4444.
From memory NewFM’s 13 10 09 comes from 100.9 ZZZ FM Lismore.
1 Like
correct. The downfall of the old girl was 10pm the night Billy bought the place - gone was my close mate Dave Freeman who did overnights and in his place was The Heat from 2ZZZ.
The old girl has never sounded the same since.
1 Like
They even used to say the phone number as “thirteen one hundred nine” instead of “thirteen ten oh nine” as they do now.
From what I remember, the 2WS-FM/WSFM phone number was STILL 9611 1000 up until only a few years ago when they changed it!
Up until the launch of KIIS, MixFM Sydney and Melbourne both had three numbers. One local, one for Ant & Becks/Sammy then Rosso and another for Love Song Dedications.
1 Like
I remember the following numbers in Melbourne.
Austereo (late 90s, early 2000s before the national 13 numbers came in)
Fox FM - 1300 36 1019
Triple M - 1300 36 1051
Today network national (mainly Hot 30, sometimes used for other shows) - 1800 15 1100
ARN (in use from the 90s until KIIS launched, but still work - the 13 numbers just forward to these)
Mix - 9414 1011
Gold - 9414 1043
3AW - 9696 1278
Magic - 969 00 693
(These then switched when the stations switched frequencies)
Nova have always used 13 24 10
Vega in Melbourne and Sydney used 13 25 10
How did they all be in 3223? All located in the CBD at the time?
As mentioned in another thread, 3AW used to be 6961278, then 96961278 before adopting Magic 693’s studio telephone number 96900693 when it changed to 693 kHz. Back in the Latrobe Street days the open line number was 329 7592. Not a catchy number at all.
3XY, when it was located at 411 King Street, used to have the number 329 1411 even though its frequency was 1422. Although I do vaguely recall that 3XY or possibly EON at one point had managed to pick up one of the 11xxx numbers which used to be for recorded information services for their studio number.
3DB, when it was located in the basement of the Herald building, was 63 8151.
There was also the incident in the early 2000s when 3AK re-launched as Talk 1116 and had signed up Jeff Kennett for its drive-time show. The station put in full-page newspaper advertisements promoting the show and its talkback number… except that it was wrong and some poor lady in Richmond was getting all sorts of callers coming in. Derryn Hinch, then the morning presenter on 1116 and apparently even then not a huge fan of its management, highlighted the gaffe by calling the lady live on air and later sent her a bunch of flowers Radio Daze
4Bh studio number was 1300000882
Possibly sad, but here are some that hopefully are right (more of a random hit than a good memory, especially as I could never get through for the “we need a cure tour” promotion…I think it was Fox):
EON/3MMM
EON (43 Bank St) - 699 0923
3MMM (43 Bank St) - (9)699 0105
3MMM (Bourke St) - 11 630
3XY - 11 515
FOX - 9536 1019 / 11 505
Community Switch - 9536 1000
So it was both of them that did the 11 numbers. I couldn’t remember if it was one or the other.
To continue the discussion about the lack of FM frequencies in SEQ and 95.7 for News Radio on the Gold Coast etc.
Does anyone know the rational for ABC simulcasting local radio on AM and FM in so many markets.
For example (and there are lots!!) why have an FM station on 94.5 in the Richmond Tweed area when there is 2NR running 50kW. Alternatively, why keep the AM stations in these type of markets going? What possible use could there be to have 400w 2ML on 720 at Murwillumbah - already a relay of 2NR and available on 94.5 FM? Same thing for the 200w 2GM at Gympie when there is a 20kW FM station on 95.3?
The reception maps seem to explain it - to some extent. The ABC seem to really underestimate just how good their transmitters are, which means stations that can easily cover areas are shown as fringe reception and extra transmitters put in or kept on.