Bob Peters was also heard on 2UW in 1983 as part of the revamped line-up for the relaunch as “Hit Radio 11, The Amazing AM” (following the end of New 2UW after 1981-1982).
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Even a few years ago, they still have the “617954” sung, with a V/O “don’t forget the 42” at the end.
@Zampakid has the TV ad uploaded, which includes part of the jingle.
Off-Topic, you don’t see many local TV ads on Wollongong TV these days like we used to.
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Yes I know @Radiohead it does feel more than normal or perhaps we notice it more these days? There was a big lift in population during the baby boomer time and a lot of talented people we grew up with so maybe that is why we notice. I feel they had more scope to be different in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
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The radio ad was classic with a lengthy jingle, something about ‘maxi home is great for teens’ and such. It obviously ran into the 2000s as well. Thanks for sharing anyway.
I will have another look through the files I copied off Wolfie and see if I have anything; there isn’t much Wollongong radio, though, and most of it is IDs for the purposes of claiming the DX catch.
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It’s just so sad that radio can no longer afford to be live and local. My local cafe in Surry Hills was live and local this morning, employing about six people. I have also taken my cat to the vet on Crown St. It was live and local, with two vets and two vet assistants working until 4pm.
I will no doubt end up at a pub this afternoon and I suspect it will also be employing Sydney siders and be live and local.
It’s a pity that the radio stations cannot are not all live and local today. I am fairly sure that smooth (with its considerable success), will be prerecorded as will many others.
I am thinking of starting up a GoFundMe. For every $400 we raise we could fund a live and local person behind the microphone of our music stations - for a five hour shift on the weekend.
It’s not quite right that my local nightclub can afford to hire a DJ when they are open, but Nine, ARN, Nova and SCA radio stations across this nation cannot.
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and who remembers those radio ads starring Wallace Fairweather who craps on and on and on to unsuspecting people about NRMA Car Insurance? Some people hated these ads calling them “aural torture” while others loved them, there was even a Wallace Fairweather Fan Club! There is no audio of any of these ads on the internet.
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True indeed. I’m not sure I believe the big operators when they say it’s not viable to be more live and local… It wouldn’t be the first time big business has cried poor to squeeze extra profits. Companies do it all the time. Of course the free market fanboys will quite rightly point out it’s their right to do so, but it also wouldn’t be the first time an industry has hastened its own demise either through short-sightened profit gouging.
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The first rule of business is to penny-pinch where you can get away with it; that is how the market works I’m afraid (and one of its drawbacks). You see it even more egregiously in the construction and road construction industry. There the stakes are higher. Radio is seen as a rather more frivolous pursuit by many and the average Jane doesn’t care if it’s voicetracked, so long as it ‘seems’ local to her. We can cry foul all we want but it isn’t 1982 anymore.
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In stark contrast, Melbourne community radio stations 3RRR and 3PBS are still live and local 24/7. Unlike other community radio stations they do not automate or take Community Radio Satellite programming overnight, instead they have live and local programming with real DJs. That’s the way it should be.
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Yes, my comments above were obviously pertinent to commercial radio only. Having live DJs around the clock is simply not realistic, though, for small stations like Braidwood FM. The often icy overnight climate doesn’t help either. Stations with huge resources like 3RRR/3PBS/FBI and the rest are a different kettle of fish.
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As much as we complain about networking, radio is miles better nowadays in Australia than it was pre-Nova. It was dreadful, there was no hit music during the day, only at night (and much too safe) with only 2 FM stations to choose from in Brisbane (a monopoly).
Now with the addition of Smooth, KIIS and a better Hit and Pure Gold network, and DAB+, there is something for everyone and the Australian radio industry is up there with the best in the world. It’s miles better than NZ and probably as good or better than the UK radio industry, especially with the number and choice of digital stations and community radio being on DAB+.
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Although I do have to say that in the 80s there was hit music 24/7 on the likes of 2SM, 3XY and Stereo 10. And I mean 24/7 as in the drive shift and all weekend.
There was a gap in the 90s and it took Nova to fix it in 2001.
I would dare say there was more music variety in Sydney in 1985 than in 2022, although much of it was in AM mono (and for the lucky few AM stereo).
DAB is great - until the loop starts again.
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You only needed one: FM 104, Rock In Stereo.
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I would have to disagree with you on the above points.
Yes there is more choice, of stations with KIIS and Smooth, and dab+ but I think the quality has decreased. Playlists are far to safe and with the two station policy you have duplicates of the same formats playing the same songs. Cost cutting is seeing more networking and voicetracked shifts.
NZ has more variety of formats and the playlists are nowhere as safe as here.
I don’t think the Australian radio industry should be controlled by two operators like it is in NZ, but the two station limit per operator should be scrapped. If it was changed to three to four stations per operator we would not have the situation in Brisbane with 4KQ, and more choices of formats.
Personally the UK is my favorite radio market, with BBC radio 1 a standout for me. This is the sound that Nova / Cada / Triple J should take.
Also I have noticed that stations such as Capital have live dj’s 24-7 something that is now rare on Australian AC / CHR stations.
If we did not have the cost cutting, and programmers who were more adventurous with their competitions, and the end of the same safe playlists, Australian radio would be far superior then it is today.
Re NRMA Wallace Fairweather ads of the mid to late 90’s they were brilliant. I have not heard any ads that come close today. Maybe National tile???
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I’m actually surprised that the BBC Radio 1 format was never copied here. I’d guarantee if Triple J adopted that format they’d be rating better.
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The original Nova was very close if not a copy of BBC Radio 1.
Examples of this are:
News Beat, …. Takeover. which is all heard on BBC R1 to this day.
The original Nova did Chillout Anthems early Sunday morning after their Saturday night dance music show, this is done on BBC R1 as well.
Music wise the music Nova played back then was very close to BBC R1 too. In 2002 after coming back from a trip from the UK Nova was playing quite a few UK dance tracks that The Edge 96.1 and 2day fm would not touch.
Today Nova is more a cross between Capital / Heart fm UK, then BBC R1.
Re Triple J taking the exact same format as BBC R1, I don’t think it would work. BBC R1 play quite a bit of mainstream pop that would alienate the core Triple J listeners.
The current BBC format would be split 50% pop / mainstream and 50% alternative music.
Dance and Hip Hop make up the biggest chunk of this with alternative rock making up the smallest chunk of their more alternative playlist. If you compare this with Triple J alt / indie rock is still a big core of their playlist.
This is why BBC R1 is my favorite station and Triple J is not.
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Exactly. FM104 was all I needed, and Stereo 10 providing the hit music 24/7. Both live and local. Older formats were covered very well with 4KQ, 4BH, 4BK and 4BC. Radio in Brisbane in 1985 was better than today. I think @lovemusic is not old enough to have experienced it.
I agree with @Ant5476 that the number of stations may have increased but the quality and originality have drastically reduced. I also think operators should be allowed 3 or 4 stations as this would immediately boost format variety. Eg ARN would have kept 4KQ and had different formats on 97.3 and 94.9
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The playlists are 1000% better now than they were pre-2001 across FM and DAB. Anyone would remember that there was no dance, r&b and very little pop music, which is why Nova was so successful when it launched in 2001-2005 across the metros. The only FM formats in existence before Nova were soft AC, AC, classic hits and rock, and it was dreadful radio.
I’m not sure what you mean about NZ radio playlists being less safe than Australian radio? Listening to Edge FM puts you to sleep and ZM is a very average and safe pop station. There is no incentive in NZ to innovate and be creative as all the independents have been bought out and the 90% of all commercial radio is owned by just 2 companies, so it’s effectively a cosy duopoly, similar to Australia on FM before Nova. Nova, KIIS and 2Day/ Fox are miles ahead of their NZ counterparts IMO. Even Coast and Gold are terrible compared to Smooth and Pure Gold, and 2UE here.
I’m talking about FM not AM. Yes, there was top 40 on AM in the 80s but the younger generation went to FM for their music and my point was, radio as a whole, including FM and DAB is far better today than it was 25 years ago, in Australia.
Global network all their announcers across their stations in the UK, of out London. I don’t even know if they have local breakfast shows anymore? Workday, drive and evenings are all networked across their suite of stations in the UK. Ditto Bauer.