2MBS-FM After the Frequency Change. [1 minutes, 40 seconds - 983 kB]
Radio station 2MBS-FM was Australia's first fully licenced FM radio station, commencing transmission on 15th December 1974. In the late 1970s, the broadcast frequency was changed from 92.1 to 102.5 MHz.
2SER Inaugural Broadcast. [57 seconds - 1.1 MB]
Radio station 2SER-FM is jointly owned by Macquarie University and University of Technology, Sydney. This inaugural broadcast was transmitted on 1st October 1979 on a frequency of 107.5 MHz. The station later moved to 107.3 MHz.
2WS Inaugural Broadcast. [1 minute, 47 seconds - 1 MB]
2WS was started specifically to service the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Its inaugural broadcast was at 12:24 am (matching the frequency of 1224 kHz) on 23rd November 1978.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's conversion of 2JJ to 2JJJ-FM
2JJ began broadcasting on 1st September 1974. It was the ABC's youth-oriented station.
In 1980, to coincide with the launch of commercial FM radio, the ABC's 2JJ on the AM band became 2JJJ (known as Triple J) on the FM band.
1980 saw the birth of commercial FM radio in Australia. The proposed date for the start of commercial FM radio stations 2DAY and 2MMM in Sydney was 11th July 1980, but technical difficulties delayed the launch until 1st August. These are some of the many test transmissions that took place before the official launch.
NOVA 96.9 - Inaugural Broadcast. [28 minutes, 20 seconds - 16.2 MB]
On 25th March 2001 another company was granted an FM licence in Sydney. The official call sign was 2SYD-FM, but they were only ever known as Nova 969.
MIX 106.5 - 3 excerpts from the first day of transmission. [3 minutes, 7 seconds - 1.8 MB]
On 30th April 1994, AM radio station 2UW converted to FM as 2MIX-FM, known as MIX 106.5. Despite several attempts to discover when the official opening was going to be, they started without any great fanfare. This recording is 3 excerpts from the first day of transmission.
Star FM (Gosford) - Inaugural Broadcast. [29 minutes, 29 seconds - 16.8 MB]
On 16th March 2004 a new FM station was launched in Gosford, just north of Sydney. Its official call sign was 2GOS-FM, but on air they called themselves Star-FM.
Radio Stations Going Off Air
2JJ being switched off. [2 minutes, 28 seconds - 1.1 MB] Shortly after the official launch of 2JJJ on the FM band in 1980, the old 2JJ on the AM band was switched off forever. This was recorded from AM.
2UW ceased transmission. [40 seconds - 397 kB] On 30th April 1994, 2UW converted to FM, completely changing their call sign to MIX 106.5. Not long after that, after existing since 13th February 1925, 2UW was no more. This is the recorded message that was played on 2UW's frequency after the launch of their FM service.