2Day FM

Infobox Radio station


name = 2DAY
callsign = 2DAY
slogan = "Sydneys' #1 Hit Music Station"
airdate = August 2 1980
frequency = 104.1 MHz FM
area = Sydney
format = Pop, Rock, Rap
owner = Austereo Today Network
licensee = Today FM Sydney Pty Ltd

"Not to be mixed up with Today FM in Ireland."

2Day FM (call sign: 2DAY) is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia on a frequency of 104.1 MHz, and part of Austereo's Today Network. The station was one of three radio stations (along with Triple M and Triple J) to be granted new FM broadcasting licences in Sydney in 1980, and commenced broadcasting on 2 August of that year. The original owners were well known media personalities John Laws (30%), Mike Willesee (30%), Village (30%) and Graham Kennedy (10%). The station's original programming format was focused towards easy-listening music, but shifted to more pop and rock oriented programming since the late 1980s, with the later addition of rap and dance music to their playlists.

History

The station has always transmitted from the Hampden Road Artarmon tower, jointly owned by television stations Seven, Nine and Ten. It shares an antenna with three other stations, Triple M, WS FM and Mix 106.5, under the collective banner of Sydney FM Facilities. The base broadcast power is 20 kilowatts and is currently delivered by a Harris PT20 solid state transmitter.

It has an alternate transmission facility on the Broadcast Australia tower at Gore Hill, with an output power of 10 kilowatts delivered by an NEC FBN11K20E valve transmitter. Though almost 20 years old it is fed with all-digital input equipment.

Originally the studios were located on the second floor of the Sovereign Inn at 220 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest. The original equipment comprised BMX Pacific Recorder mixing consoles, and CEI cartridge machines.

The station was bought out by radio group Austereo in 1987.

In 1994 2Day FM moved to digital audio playout, incorporating the DCS audio system built by Computer Concepts Ltd, and sold and supported in Australia by Techtel.

In 1995 the station's owner Austereo bought out the Triple M network from Hoyts, and 2Day FM moved its studios and administration to Level 24, Tower 1, Westfield Bondi Junction at 500 Oxford Street, just one floor below the original home of Triple M since 1980. Austereo also took over Level 26 of the same building for group departments.

2Day continued to broadcast from Bondi Junction until October 2005, when both 2Day FM and Triple M moved into new premises at World Square, Goulburn Street Sydney. The new premises included state of the art Klotz Digital equipment, and a street level studio.

The station's programming format in its early days was centred around easy-listening music, until the late 1980s when it shifted to a full on pop oriented format, which it has more or less continued to this day.

Many notable on air staff have graced the air waves of 2Day FM, including George Moore, Gretel Killeen, Keith Williams, Ron E Sparks and Jamie Dunn.

During the 1990s, 2Day FM enjoyed ratings success, especially with its breakfast program "The Morning Crew" (featuring well-known Australian comedian Wendy Harmer and television comedian Peter Moon) which consistently topped its segment in the Sydney radio market for years.

Moon left the breakfast show in 2002 after infighting with Harmer became unbearable for him. He was replaced by yet another Melbourne comedian Greg Fleet, who was poorly received by the Sydney radio listeners.

When Harmer resigned in 2003 the station tried to directly replace her with a clone, Melbourne comedienne Judith Lucy. Judith was given free rein over the new show and installed her two friends, Peter Helliar and Kaz Cooke, to co-host. The show was a dismal failure and saw 2Day receive some of the worst breakfast ratings of its history. Many blame this failure on the fact that a completely Melbournian team were hosting a show in Sydney (although Harmer was originally a Melbourne comic, she had relocated herself to Sydney), and that Lucy and Helliar were unable to carry a show on their own.

From 1995 to 1998, 2Day FM broadcast the highly successful "Martin/Molloy" drive program with Tony Martin and Mick Molloy. This program was networked to over 50 stations around Australia (from the studios of FOX FM in Melbourne), and is considered one of Australia's most successful FM radio shows. Martin and Molloy left the Today network in late 1998 at the top of the ladder, citing the need for a break from the pressures of radio. After a few years absence, currently both Tony Martin and Mick Molloy host shows on the sister Austereo network Triple M.

Nights on 2Day FM have also been controversial. In 1997 night announcer David Rymer, host of the then "Top 30 Countdown", was castigated in the media for a poorly thought-out on air stunt in which he called a top ranking HSC student, pretending to be from the Board of Studies. He told the girl her results were incorrect and that her marks had been adjusted. He played the segment to air after receiving verbal permission to do so from the girl's mother, however her father was a lawyer and took legal action. The media pounced, and Rymer was suspended until further notice. He returned to the show a month later but was soon moved to day shifts on sister station Triple M to make way for the new networked night show "Ugly Phil's Hot 30", hosted by Phil O'Neil and his then wife Jackie O. The new show was not without its controversy either, with complaints about obscenity and foul language. Phil and Jackie divorced in 2001 and the show disintegrated, culminating in O'Neil's resignation in 2002. Phil moved to the UK to present breakfast on Kerrang! 105.2, and was replaced by Brisbane based Kyle Sandilands, while Jackie O remained as co-host.

2Day FM started 2005 with a number of changes, the most significant of which was moving the night show team of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O to breakfast, and employing young unknown Craig Lowe as the host of the nightly networked show "Lowie's Hot30". Lowie stepped down as host of the Hot30 in November 2006, with Tim Lee announced as his replacement in February 2007.

In recent years the station has lost much of its share of the radio market to newcomer Nova 96.9, which has been accused by Austereo of having a format too similar to that of 2Day FM. One of the measures the station has carried out to address its falling ratings is shifting two popular hosts Jackie O and Kyle Sandilands (former hosts of the popular night program "Hot30 Countdown") to the breakfast shift.

At the start of 2005 The Austereo Today Networks across Australia relaunched with a brand new logo. In the February 2006, 2DayFM was the number one FM station in Sydney as was "The Kyle and Jackie O Show", with 10 per cent of the fiercely competitive Sydney audience. Survey 7 2006 still puts 2Day FM well ahead of its other FM rivals. Each week 947,000 people tune into this Radio Station.

The target audience is aged between 18-39.

Current key staff (As Of May 2008)

*CEO - Michael Anderson
*General Manager - Helen Davies
*Program/Content Director - Derek Bargwanna
*Digital Content Radio Director- Jamie Angel
*Sales Director - Direct - Jenny Parkes
*Music Director/Operations Manager - Jaime Chaux
*Sales Director - ANS - Emma Jayne Owens
*Technology Manager - Aaron Alphonso
*News Director - Steve Speziale
*Finance Manager - Danielle Owens

On air staff (Weekdays) As of September 2008

¹While Australian Idol is on, it will be broadcasted live on FOX FM. Meanwhile, American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest will immediately follow Australian Idol.

Notable past on-air staff

* Keith Williams
* Ron E Sparks [http://www.wsfm.com.au/ARNClassic/djschedules/djprofiles.asp?SessionId=48]
* David Rymer
* George Moore
* Gretel Killeen
* Jamie Dunn [http://www.zinc96.com.au/]
* Paul Holmes [http://www.wsfm.com.au/ARNClassic/djschedules/djprofiles.asp?SessionId=49]
* Tony Martin
* Mick Molloy
* Craig "Lowie" Lowe
* Wendy Harmer
* Peter Helliar
* Judith Lucy
* Bob Hughes
* Dave Norman
* Grant Goldman
* John Bond
* Clive Robertson
* Mike Jefferies
* Graham Kennedy

Notable past admin staff

*Cathy O'Connor - Was General Manager for some years, now Network General Manager for DMG Radio Australia
*Brad March - Was program director for some years then became CEO of Austereo. Resigned in 2003 and is now with the Australian Radio Network.
*Noel McGurgan - Was General Manager from around 1984 to 1988

External links

* [http://www.1radio.com.au/nsw/sydney/2_day_fm 1Radio - Click & listen to 2Day FM]
* [http://www.2dayfm.com.au 2Day FM's official website]
* [http://au.myspace.com/2day_fm MySpace]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990208011025/http://www.2dayfm.com.au 2Day FM official website in 1999]