26 January 2025
Australia’s oldest commercial radio station still operating is 100 years old. 2UE officially opened in Sydney on 26 January 1925.
Not only is 2UE the first non-ABC station to turn 100, it is also known for two other Australian firsts: a full Top 40 format and a modern radio news service.
In 1958, 2UE published Australia’s first top 40 charts, positioning themselves as Sydney’s Top 40 station. They were the first station in the nation to fully adopt a Top 40 format, while other stations only had a weekly Top 40 program or limited timeslots. Printed charts in the late 1950s & 1960s were headed: “2UE Official Top 40. Compiled from public survey, record sales and music sales”.
2UE’s switch to a music-based Top 40 format in 1958 came in response to the arrival of television. Dramas, serials and quiz shows were moving over to TV, along with their sponsors. 2UE acted quickly to adopt a new sound, with DJs playing popular music. John Laws, Bob Rogers and Tony Withers were among the first of these new music DJs on 2UE. There was also Pat Barton hosting a daily Top 40 program.
The number one song on the very first Top 40 chart (2 March 1958) was Pat Boone’s April Love. Throughout the ’60s The Beatles had 63 singles in the 2UE Top 40, with 26 of them reaching #1. A Beatles song was never far away when listening to 2UE, especially when they came to Sydney in 1964.
During the first few decades of radio in Australia, the normal practice regarding News was for stations to broadcast longer bulletins, a few times a day. Then in 1957, 2UE broke away from the pack with shorter bulletins at the top of each hour (half-hourly in breakfast), 24 hours a day. Even before then, 2UE began producing news with its own journalists, rather than using stories from a newspaper office. Later, two-way radios were introduced for on-the-spot news reporting.
2UE was the station of the ‘King of the Corn Flakes’ Gary O’Callaghan and the aforementioned John Laws. In its early years, 2UE broadcast live and recorded music, dramas, serials, quiz shows and cricket broadcasts, moving later to news and talkback with big name personalities, Rugby League and horse racing.
Today, 2UE is part of the ACE Radio Network’s ‘Classic Hits’ network that also includes Magic 1278 Melbourne and 4BH Brisbane, as well as Melbourne ‘Easy Music’ station 3MP.
As 2UE celebrates its centenary, tune-in to hear short daily segments featuring historical facts and audio. In Sydney, 2UE is on 954 AM and stereo DAB, and you can listen from anywhere via the 2UE website or the LiSTNR app.
To dig a little deeper into 2UE’s history, check out what Jen Seyderhelm published in radiotoday: radioinfo.com.au/news/2ue-turns-100-with-all-the-bells-and-whistles
You can also go to 2UE’s own 100 Years page: www.2ue.com.au/shows/100-years-of-2ue
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