Mix 102.3

Mix 102.3

Broadcast area	Adelaide
Slogan	Adelaide's Best Music Mix
Frequency	102.3 MHz FM
Format	Hot Adult Contemporary
Owner	Australian Radio Network

Mix 102.3 (call sign: 5ADD) is a commercial radio station in Adelaide, Australia, owned by The Australian Radio Network (ARN).

Mix 102.3 plays current hits and a variety of 70s, 80s and 90s music (Hot Adult Contemporary), primarily targeted at the 25-54 age group, the group most valued by advertisers. Adelaide's Mix 102.3 is part of the Mix Network with sister stations in other major Australian cities - Mix 106.5 Sydney, Mix 101.1 Melbourne, 97.3 FM Brisbane and Mix 106.3 Canberra.

History

The station known as Mix 102.3 began its life as Radio 5AD, an AM station owned by Advertiser Newspapers Ltd, publishers of the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper.

During its early years, 5AD broadcast a wide range of programs, from orchestral concerts to comedies, serials and sporting events. Some programs, such as the comedy "Yes, What?" were produced in Adelaide for broadcast by other network stations around Australia. Children's programs included "Search for the Golden Boomerang", and the 5AD Children's club.

Television was introduced to Australia in 1956, bringing major changes to radio programming, signalling the end of the kind of block programming 5AD and other stations had been playing. 5AD moved to music based programming, using a number of marketing slogans: "5AD, Action Radio", "Power Radio 5AD, Where Your Friends Are", among others.

5AD personalities of the 1960s and 1970s included Bob Francis, Alec Macaskill, Keith Conlon, Barry Ion who also voiced the hilarious Peter Plus character, Tony Pilkington, Malcolm T. Elliott, Sam Galea, Ken Dickins, John Vincent, Bob Byrne, Dean Jaensch, Jeff Sunderland, Kevin Crease, and many others.^[1]

In the early 1980s 5AD was the number one radio station in Adelaide, spearheaded by the Bazz and Pilko breakfast show, rating at above 30% of the total Adelaide audience. Bob Francis spearheaded the station into ratigns records in the late 1970s and 1980s as general manager. He took over the role after his mronig show ended in 1976. He continued his success until stepping down to present the night show for radio 5AA As a top 40 station with its slogan "Rhythm of the City", 5AD was unstoppable as the clear market leader in Adelaide radio. 5AD won all day parts, including mornings with Peter Butler, afternoons with Sam Angelsea and the popular night show for teenagers "Dial a Hit" hosted by Steve Mill and Di Stapleton. But the station's ratings collapsed when its star breakfast duo of Bazz and Pilko defected to rival station 5KA. In the mid 1980s, 5AD moved to an Easy Listening format, first as "Easy Listening 5AD, then today's easy listening 5AD then Adelaide's Best Place to Relax". Throughout the mid-1990s 5AD was again the number one station in Adelaide, with its breakfast show "Sundo & Keith" number one for a record 50 consecutive surveys.^{[citation needed]}

It became 5AD FM 102.3 in July 1993, with 5DN returning to the Adelaide airwaves after a 4 year absence on the old 5AD 1323 AM frequency. 5AD-FM and its associated AM station, 5DN, were taken over by the Australian Radio Network in the late 1990s, and 5AD's on air ID was changed to Mix 102.3 in the early 2000s.^[2]

At the end of 2007, the former breakfast team of Kym, Ali & Dzelde defected to rival Triple M Adelaide. A new breakfast show was announced consisting of John Riddell, Jodie Blewett & Jason 'Snowy' Carter.

External links

• Website: http://www.mix1023.com.au

References

1. ^ Walker, R.R. "The Magic Spark - 50 Years of Australian Radio", The Hawthorn Press, 1973.
2. ^ Mac, Wayne. "Don't Touch That Dial - Hits 'n' Memories of Australian Radio", WDJM, 2005.