Australian Old Time Radio
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Let Us Help
  • What's New ?
  • RADIO
    • 4GR (Gold Radio) >
      • 4GR Advertising & Memorabilia
      • 4GR Audio
      • The Scrapbook
      • The History
      • The People
      • 4GR Top 40
    • Australian Radio History >
      • Bruce Carty Ph.D. Biography
      • First came Recorded Sound
      • Australian Radio Trivia
      • Australian A.M. Radio Timelines
      • Broadcasting Pioneers of Australia
      • Broadcasting Nostalgia in Australia
      • Australia's First Radio Broadcasts
      • Australia's First Licenced Broadcast Station
      • Wireless Institute of Australia
      • A.W.A. Receiver Installation Guide 1926
      • History of Broadcast Station 4CM
      • Experimental Broadcast Station 4RM
      • Early Radio in Britain
      • Early Radio in America
      • Early Radio in New Zealand
      • Radio Receiver Licences
      • Australian Railway Radio Stations
      • Commercial Licences That Never went To Air
      • Early Australian Shortwave Broadcast Stations
      • What makes Radio tick?
      • Radio 2UW Portable Outside Broadcast (1932)
      • Miracle Men of Radio Are Never Heard
      • Australia's First Licenced Television Station
      • A.W.A. Broadcasting Station 9MI (M/V KANIMBLA)
      • Comparison of Early 2GB Program Guides
      • 50 Golden Years of Broadcasting
      • Early Serials & Programs on Australian Radio
      • Australian Antarctic Broadcasting Stations
      • Australian Radio Top 60 Songs for Each Decade >
        • 1930s & 1940s
        • 1950s
        • 1960s & 1970s
        • 1980s & 1990s
      • RAAF RADIO - “The VOICE of the ISLANDS”
      • Australian Military WWII Broadcasting Stations
      • Narrowband A.M. Radio Stations
      • Australian Radio Anecdotes
      • AustralianRadio History Controvercies
      • On This Day >
        • January
        • February
        • March
        • April
        • May
        • June
        • July
        • August
        • September
        • October
        • November
        • December
  • Radio Shows
    • Audio >
      • Advertising
      • Shows
    • Radio Production Houses
    • Resources
    • Memorabilia
    • Radio Listener Clubs >
      • Argonauts Club
      • Howie Wing >
        • Howie Wing (original article)
        • Howie Wing - Kathy Hammel update
        • Howie Wing - Australian style
      • Kellogg's Wild West Club
    • Logs
    • Timeline
  • FEATURES
    • Articles >
      • Australian Transcription History
      • The Centaur on Radio
      • Citation
      • Colonel X
      • George Edwards
      • John Pearce Autobiography
      • Nostalgia Conventions
      • Random House
    • Vale >
      • Geoff. Marshall 1932-2020
      • Reg James
      • Moris Sztajer
      • Ray Barrett
      • Charles 'Bud' Tingwell
      • Graham Kennedy
  • Readers Contributions
    • Allan Black 2UE Parts 1-15
    • Allan Black NBN3 Parts 16-40
    • Allan Black Parts 41 - 49
    • Allan Black Parts 50 -
    • The Parker Sisters
    • Tom Crozier - Working on the Wireless
    • Wendy Borchers - Argonauts
    • Doreen Widdowson - Argonauts Club
    • Marie Evans - Argonauts Club
    • Marie Evans - Charlie Chuckles
    • Rosemary Mason - Argonauts Club
  • Blog
  • Shop

ON THIS DAY - APRIL

APRIL  1.
 
2GB  1957:  2GB launched its’ State-wide current affair program “Evening Monitor” relayed by 2AD, 2BS, 2CA, 2DU, 2KA, 2LF, 2LT, 2MG, 2NM, 2NX, 2PK, 2TM, 2WG, and 2WL.
 
2KM  Kempsey  1969.  Almost lost their licence after broadcasting an April Fool’s Joke regarding the surrender at Trial Bay of 10 Russian war ships and one submarine to Australian authorities.
 
 
APRIL  2.
 
1972:  The last episode of the popular A.B.C. program “The Argonauts Club” is broadcast after more than 31 years.
 
 
APRIL  4.
 
1934:  The first face to appear on Australian television was Actress Janet Gaynor on radio station 4CM in Brisbane.
 
 
APRIL  5.
 
5AB  Adelaide  1924.  Broadcast station launched by J. Chesterfield on behalf of Adelaide Broadcasters Ltd. using 20 watts.  In November 1925 they broadcast Federal election results.  Police were called for crowd control, with 5,000 people outside the Hindley Street studio listening on loud speakers.  Closed on 1-11-1924.  First commercial licence on air in South Australia (20-11-1924) as 5CL, after being given two days notice to reopen.  
 
APRIL 6.
 
1938:  John Logie Baird visited Sydney in 1938 for the World Radio Convention.  He hoped to create interest in starting a television station in Sydney at a cost of £250,000.  He admitted that a high power television transmitter would weigh around 50 tons.  John demonstrated colour television in Australia for the first time while in Sydney.  He used a scanning disc with three sets of holes covered red blue and green, instead of one set of holes.  While in Sydney, John admitted that his television inventions were based on the theoretical designs of Henry Sutton from Ballarat.  Henry designed his telephane system of transmitting moving pictures via telephone lines in 1885.
 
 
APRIL  7.
 
MTR:  In 2010 Melbourne Talkback Radio was launched at an official dinner, although they didn’t go on air until 19th April.  They commenced as a partial relay of 2GB, leasing the 3MP facilities.
 
 
APRIL  8.
 
1948:  Ampex launched the worlds’ first broadcast industry audio tape recorder (model 200).  The first usage was by Bing Crosby Productions for their weekly radio show.
 
 
APRIL  9.
 
1938:  Ray Alllsop from 2YG was the first person in Australia to construct and demonstrate stereo equipment.  He was also the first person in Australia to push for the introduction of FM.
 
APRIL  10.
 
1939:  The periodical “Radio and Hobbies” was launched (previously “Wireless Weekly”).
 
 
APRIL  11.
 
1982:  Hutt River Broadcasters, situated within the unrecognised breakaway Hutt River Province in Western Australia, launched Hutt River Radio on 1062 KHz., lasting  for a few weeks without a licence.
 
 
APRIL  13.
 
3AW  Melbourne  1941:  They broadcast a Community Singing program from the Frankston Plaza Theatre to raise funds for the Red Cross.
 
 
APRIL  14.
 
4VL  Charleville  1954:  Their broadcast of a ball raised £13,000 for Legacy.
 
 
APRIL  15.
 
3YB  Warrnambool  1945:  Put off the air when the station was destroyed by fire.
 
 
2UE  Sydney  2015:  Following the announcement that 2UE would take Macquarie news, the Twitter account @2UENews stated “Apologies for the shit news service these days.  We hope you like the sound of whinging hyenas reading the news”.
 
APRIL  16.
 
6BY  Bunbury  1933.  Their first manager was Rex Saunders from 5CL and 6KG.  Owned by Bunbury Broadcasters, in the Bedford Hall opposite the railway station, with equipment designed, built, and installed by Walter Coxon (6AG, 6AM, 6ML, and 6WF).  The transmitter, installed in a back room, was built by local technician Clarrie Searle, with an 80 feet high directional antenna incorrectly installed, sending a strong signal to Mauritius, but no signal to Perth.  Closed on 31-7-1935 due to the Great Depression.  This callsign was reissued to a station at Bridgetown on 24-1-1953.
 
APRIL  17.
 
2UE Sydney and 3DB Melbourne  1967:  Both stations were the first in Australia to legally broadcast Talkback programs, commencing at midnight.
 
 
APRIL  19.
 

7HT  Hobart  1937.  “The Feature Station”.  Used two wooden masts 120 feet high with 250 watts (500 watts in 1938, 1,000 in the 1950s, and 5,000 watts in September 1969).  The transmitter hut had a bedroom for the technician,  

with a turntable and microphone for emergencies.
 
MTR  Melbourne 2010.  Launched as a partial relay of 2GB, following an official launch party on 7th April.


APRIL  21.
 
1936  9MI:  (First test broadcast).  The M/V Kanimbla was the only ship at the time constructed with a full broadcast radio station.   The “Kanimbla” was granted a broadcast licence by the P.M.G. with the callsign 9MI.  The 15,000 mile delivery voyage from Northern Ireland to Australia included four test broadcasts daily.  The “Kanimbla” was a passenger ship covering Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Mackay.    One hour programs each evening were broadcast on shortwave, with their announcer and singer Eileen Foley.  The 9MI broadcasts were relayed by A.W.A. stations 3BO Bendigo, 2GN Goulburn, 3HA Hamilton, 2AY Albury, 2GF Grafton, 4WK Warwick, 4TO Townsville, and 4CA Cairns.  At the outbreak of WWII in 1939 the 9MI transmitter licence was cancelled and the “Kanimbla” became a troop carrier.
 
APRIL  22.
 
6PM  Fremantle  1937.   Owned  by Whitfords.  Known as the “Cheery Station”.  First licensed only for Fremantle using 100 watts.  Sometimes used the 6AM Perth studios, and also relayed some programs to 6AM.  Started the “Top 8” hit parade in 1938 (the first Australian music chart).  Licensed as a Perth station on 21-8-1941.
 
 
APRIL  25.
 
1965:  The periodical “Electronics Australia” was launched (previously “Radio, Television, and Hobbies”).
 
 
APRIL  26.

 

3TR  Sale  2002:  Moved to F.M.
 
 
APRIL  27.
 
1948  0HI  HEARD ISLAND.  The first Australian Antarctic broadcast station.  Initially used by our first official expedition as part of the Government’s legal process of claiming sovereignty over Heard and MacDonald Islands.  Operated by later expeditions when occasionally good reception conditions occurred from Australia.  They often relayed 2NZ, being the only receivable Australian station.  Closed in 1954 when the Heard Island base was moved to Mawson.
 
APRIL  29.
 
2CR  Orange  1937.  A.B.C., relaying 2BL with some local programs from 0930-1130.  Central Region of N.S.W.  Their 10,000 watt transmitter was at Cumnock.  Officially opened by the Mayor, Dr. W. Matthews, during an opening broadcast from the Strand Palais, with entertainment by Jim Davidson and the A.B.C. Dance Band and Tex Morton. 
 

Bruce Carty Ph.D.