History of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia/Topical/Publications/Australian Radio History/On this day/April

1 April
2GB Sydney 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.

2 April
1972: The last episode of the popular A.B.C. program “The Argonauts Club” is broadcast after more than 31 years.

3 April
1947: Letter to the Editor “When I hear some of these broadcasting women gurgling out advertisements or talks to housewives, I say, yes, there is no doubt about it, a woman’s place is in the home”. (In 1950 4BC, 4KQ, and 4BK sacked all their female announcers).

4 April
1934: The first face to appear on Australian television was Actress Janet Gaynor on radio 4CM-TV in Brisbane.

5 April
5AB Adelaide  1924. Broadcast station launched by J. Chesterfield on behalf of Adelaide Broadcasters Ltd. using 20 watts. 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. 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. First commercial licence in South Australia (20-11-1924) as 5CL, after being given two days notice to reopen. Photo is their technical room.

6 April
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.

7 April
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.

8 April
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.

9 April
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.

10 April
1939: The periodical “Radio and Hobbies” was launched (previously “Wireless Weekly”).

11 April
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.

12 April
1947: Letter to the Editor “Is there any truth in the belief that radio serials are so bad that they may drive some people to suicide? It seems that a large portion of radio time is taken up with absolutely rotten radio serials”. (2UW dropped all serials in 1964 and received over 50,000 phone calls complaining).

13 April
3AW Melbourne  1941:  They broadcast a Community Singing program from the Frankston Plaza Theatre to raise much needed WWII funds for the Red Cross.

14 April
4VL Charleville  1954:  Their broadcast of a ball raised £13,000 for Legacy.

15 April
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”.

16 April
6BY Bunbury  1933. Launched by their first manager, 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.

17 April
2UE Sydney and 3DB Melbourne 1967:  Both stations were the first in Australia to legally broadcast Talkback programs, commencing at midnight.

18 April
1932: Letter to the Editor “Most of the music one hears on 2BL and 2FC resembles two cats snarling at each other in a kerosene tin. It is remarkable that receivers do not break into pieces when some of that classical rot comes on”.

19 April
7HT Hobart  1937. Launched as “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.

20 April
1927: Letter to the Editor “I strongly object to the broadcast of advertisements for batteries, piano players, and tea etc. on 3LO and 3AR. I think it is a downright insult to my intelligence”.

21 April
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.

22 April
6PM Fremantle  1937. Launched 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.

23 April
1927: Letter to the Editor “There are far too many records and cricket descriptions on 3AR and a total lack of musical talent”.

24 April
1927: Letter to the Editor “A new wireless set that dispenses with large batteries and accumulators has been developed. Now how about one that dispenses with bad programs?”

25 April
1965: The periodical “Electronics Australia” was launched (previously “Radio, Television, and Hobbies”).

26 April
3TR Sale  2002:  Moved to F.M.

27 April
1948 0HI  HEARD ISLAND. The first of five Australian Antarctic broadcast stations. 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. Photo is the radio hut, with Big Ben, Australia’s highest mountain, in the background.

28 April
1948: A Letter to the Editor in the Kalgoorlie Miner newspaper stated “It’s a pity the recent fire at Kalgoorlie was not at radio station 6GF instead of 6KG. The programmes from 6GF are far from satisfactory”.

29 April
2CR Orange  1937. Launched by the 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.

30 April
1939 Letter to the Editor “I am a constant ‘listener-in’ to 2BL and I write to say that, with one exception, your programmes are excellent. The exception is ’news items’ with murders, suicides, accidents, deaths etc., with all the harrowing details making up the major portion of 2BL news. Do Sydney papers not publish anything else but this of news? If so, why not broadcast it?