AFAIK the commercial FM licences for Melbourne were issued late in 1979? I guess Sydney would have been similar
EDIT: It was December 1979 when Melbourne FM Radio Pty Ltd was granted the licence for what became EON FM. One of the shareholders in the venture was entertainer Smacka Fitzgibbon who died suddenly the next day.
Wow. So that only took eight months to get to air. I am sure that Nova took a lot longer.
Speaking of taking a while to get to air, the NEW FM licence was originally issued in late 1986 (I think).
It was originally scheduled to go to air on 1 January 1988, but was delayed due to (unsuccessful) appeals by other applicants. I think there were 10 or so different consortiums that originally applied for the licence. I recall a rival consortium had planned to call the station NRG FM.
I only found out that the frequency was to be 105.3 just a few days before test transmissions started in April 1989. There was never any mention of this in previous âNewcastle Heraldâ articles on the whole process.
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Down the M1 at Gosford, they had several frequency changes before 2CFM (Coast Rock FM) got to air in (I think) September 1990. The original proposed frequency of 100.5 had to be changed due to likely Channel 9 TV reception issues, and was moved to 99.7. It was changed again to 101.3 (not sure why).
Probably a guess out of left field but maybe it might have had something to do with WIN4 in Wollongong. As far as I know they were still transmitting on Channel 4 in 1990 in addition to the UHF transmission. I could be wrong.
According to my online research, WIN vacated the VHF-4 frequency on 31st March 1991.
Channel 4 occupied 94-101 MHz inclusive (vision 95.25; sound 100.75). So 99.7/100.5 had the potential to cause interference to WIN4. 101.3 was just outside this frequency block.
Also because of WIN4, 2JJJ in Canberra was originally going to be broadcasting on 100.7, but then changed to 101.5 just before it went to air in August 1990.
(moving from the news themes thread)
iâve read about operation london bridge but i am not able to find too much on an australian procedures. Iâd imagine the ABC would have a tight process in place where as someone like nove it might be a bit more loose
Over the last decade I have watched the amount of radios diminish in most of my friendâs lives and houses.
I recently replaced a stereo that had a CD player and radio with an expensive sound bar thatâs connected to the TV and bluetooth. I partly made the decision to dump the radio in the lounge room as I had stropped listening to FM on the weekend - most stations had no live announcers so whatâs the point? I now listen to ad-free Foxtel music or Spotify at home.
My only radio is now the clock radio next to the bed and I only have this on for the five seconds it takes me to wake up.
My portable Walkmans and radios were ditched years ago.
Last weekend, I asked my nephew which radio station he listened to and he replied that he did not own a radio.
The world is changing and changing fast. It sounds weird but at the moment I suspect the car is saving the radio industry.
Pretty fair commentâŚalthough not so much car travelling south of the border in Mexico and when I am driving the MP3 player rules supreme.
I wake up to the clock radio on 828 ABC Gippsland and last no longer than the news followed by the early edition of AM.
But you can listen to radio online or on a phone app.
Possibly the only radio I listen to now is also the ABC on an app when I walk from the train to work.
I totally agree J Bar, but my nephew never listens to any radio in Sydney. I was shocked and then though about how much less I listen to the radio as well.
But not every station streams online, particularly in regional areas.
Iâm sure youâre right. The car is saving radio at the moment. When I analysed my radio listening I will occasionally have DAB/FM radio on at home on the weekends - but never the mainstream FM stations. I listen to DAB only or the peripheral FMâs like Breeze, Rebel and 99.7 (community). The same goes in the car.
While at work I stream BBC Radio 2, Absolute, Magic or Radio Caroline for most of the day.
Anecdotally radio is holding up better in the UK than Australia. I have friends and family there who still listen at breakfast and during the day at home, as well as in the car.
I canât help but feel the Australian operators are to blame. Theyâve abandoned the position they held as leaders in providing the best music options. Instead theyâve focused on talk/comedy/sport content that might appeal to advertisers more than it actually appeals to the listener. You just canât hear great music for any great length of time on commercial FM radio anymore. There are always frequent interruptions by LOTS of commercials, talk, sport etc. Itâs particularly unlistenable in the breakfast shows where you get 1 song about every 20 minutes and just wall to wall talking, screeching, unfunny banter, MASSIVE amounts of commercials.
If you listen to a commercial breakfast show in the UK (like Magic or Absolute) youâll immediately notice how much more music they play, and how much less advertising there is. Magic UK plays 2 songs in a row even in the peak morning breakfast show with Ronan Keating. Absolute Radio does the same, 2 songs in a row and far less adverts.
Radio is dying in Australia because of the programming.
If you listen to a commercial breakfast show in the UK (like Magic or Absolute) youâll immediately notice how much more music they play, and how much less advertising there is.
If you listen to community radio like SWR999 the breakfast show has this format. It is my go to breakfast show.
so true. i have a pocket am/fm radio for when i go to the footy and a JBL speaker with DAB built in for BBQâs at the park, but i have no radios plugged in at all - all my âradioâ listening is though the amazon alexa devices i have in my house
My wifeâs grandfather died a few weeks ago and we were clearing out his house and found a decent hifi with radio, tape, record and CD players built in. Ive grabbed it as no one else wanted it (and a record player is something iâve wanted) but when you canât give a radio away it says alot
and yet with the decline in radio listening, they are STILL putting more & more radio signals on the air!!!
If youâre talking about DAB radio - then yes. But thatâs basically terrestrial radioâs only hope for survival, because of the format choice and the less cluttered (i.e. talk) output.
no - talking about normal radio AM/FM