Sydney: 2UE

2UE was the first “B”-class (the predecessor to commercial) radio station in Australia when it launched on 26 January 1925.  The station’s original call-sign was 2EU, after the station’s owner Electrical Utilities, but it was later directed to change to 2UE.  Apparently, over the air the callsign “2EU” came across as sounding like “who are you?”  The original broadcast frequency was 1025 kHz, changing to 950 kHz in 1935 and then 954 kHz in 1978.

In 1958, with the advent of television threatening radio, 2UE  was the first station in Australia to adopt the “Top 40” music format which had been successful in the United States.  The format led to 2UE publishing Australia’s first Top 40 chart each week. 

The Top 40 concept was later adopted by other stations around Australia, including 3UZ Melbourne, 5AD Adelaide, 4BC Brisbane and 6KY Perth.

In later decades 2UE adopted more a talk-based format but it was in 1986 that 2UE, and its Melbourne counterpart 3AK, launched another bold initiative in radio – network talk-back.

In June 1986, 2UE and 3AK adopted a single on-air branding – CBC – with much of their schedule in simulcast with each other, with some exceptions for prime shifts such as breakfast where each station had its own program.  It was a bold experiment given that radio audiences are particularly parochial and many talk-back topics do not travel well outside of their home cities.  Melbourne listeners also took umbrage to their 3AK being run by Sydney interests and being dominated by Sydney-based talent, and the ratings reflected that.  The ratings were not as dire in Sydney, but still lagged well behind the top-rating stations at the time.

As a result CBC, in its initial format, was short-lived.  2UE and 3AK later went their separate ways while still maintaining elements of the talk-back format.  Both stations adopted the branding ‘Newsradio’, but 3AK soon ditched the talk format entirely.

2UE continued to present a talk-back format and, with top-rating names like Alan Jones and John Laws starting each weekday, the station built up its ratings to become a dominant force in Sydney radio for many years.

The eventual move of Alan Jones to rival station 2GB, and the retirement of Laws, has seen 2UE lose a lot of its ratings shine and is now sitting well down the ratings ladder.

2UE is now owned by Fairfax Media, the company that also owns talk-back stations 3AW Melbourne, 4BC Brisbane and 6PR Perth and music stations 4BH Brisbane, 96FM Perth and Magic 1278 (3EE) Melbourne.

Website: 2UE

Hobart: 7HT, 7TAB

7HT was Hobart’s second commercial radio station when it launched in 1937.  For the next 53 years, 7HT and its older rival 7HO would be the only commercial radio stations in Hobart.

7HT in 1988, above, and a few years later, in 1992:

With the arrival of commercial FM radio into the city in 1990, top-rating local station 7HO chose to convert to FM to rival newcomer 7TTT.  7HT chose to stay on the AM band and, along with its Northern Tasmanian partner 7EX, it converted to a talk and racing format with the new branding 7TAB:

A more sophisticated look followed in 1994:

As a result of the change 7HT changed its licence from a commercial radio station to a narrowcast licence devoted to racing.  This led to the licencing of a new commercial radio station in Hobart, 7XXX on 107.3 MHz which commenced operation in 1998.

7TAB is now known as TOTE Sports Radio with 1080 kHz in Hobart the primary transmitter and FM transmitter sites across Tasmania, including Launceston where 7EX is now on 90.1 MHz (call-sign: 7EXX).  TOTE Sports Radio broadcasts a combination of local programming and program content relayed from Sport 927 (3UZ) in Melbourne.

Melbourne: 3UZ

When radio began in Australia there were two classes of radio stations - ‘A’ class stations, which were funded by licence fees and limited advertising, and ‘B’ class stations which were funded entirely by advertising.

3UZ was Melbourne’s first ‘B’ class radio station when it launched in March 1925.  The original broadcast frequency was 930 kHz.

3UZ was the radio station that ‘discovered’ a young talent by the name of Graham Kennedy who later went on to embrace the new medium of television from the mid-1950s.

The station was also one of the first in Melbourne to adopt a dominant Top 40 format after the introduction of television and won many ratings surveys in the 1960s and early ‘70s.

Through the ‘70s and early ‘80s The Greater 3UZ rated well with a talkback line-up, headed by popular personalities including Bert Newton, Don Lane and Tony Barber, and racing coverage that commanded a much larger audience than what it does now.

But by 1983 3UZ took the controversial step of removing all horse racing coverage and adopted a music format: 

The new format was not a huge hit and, in 1985, the station went another direction with a country music format, again with little success.

By 1988, 3UZ was bought out by the Victorian racing industry and the station resumed exclusive coverage of horse racing, supplemented by morning and drive-time news and talk-back programs.

With a format based heavily on racing and sporting discussion, 3UZ was re-branded 3UZ Good Sports and, in 1996, later changed to Sport 927 which continues today.

With a strong signal on the 927 kHz frequency, 3UZ can be heard across much of Victoria but its regional coverage is also boosted by re-transmission sites across the State including Shepparton (1260 kHz), Bendigo (945 kHz), Ballarat (1314 kHz), Mildura (1359 kHz) and medium and low-powered FM sites in other areas.

Website: Sport 927