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Magic 1278 (official
callsign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assi ...
: 3EE) is a commercial radio station in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Australia owned by
Nine Entertainment Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited is an Australian publicly listed company with holdings in mass media radio and television broadcasting, publishing and digital media. It uses Nine as its corporate branding. The entity is largely a succ ...
, and run under a lease agreement by
Ace Radio Ace Radio Broadcasters is an Australian media company. Formed in 1984, it operates 21 commercial radio stations in Victoria and southern New South Wales, as well as the digital marketing agency Ace Digital and ''The Weekly Advertiser'', a free ...
.


History


1935–1991: 3XY


1935–1967 – Diverse programming

3XY began broadcasting on 8 September 1935, the original licence being held by the inaugural
United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four Elections in Australia, federal elections in that time, usually governing Coalition (Australia), in coalition ...
(and later the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
).
3KZ GOLD104.3 (call sign: 3KKZ) is a radio station broadcasting in Melbourne, Australia. It is part of ARN Media's Gold Network and broadcasts on the 104.3 MHz frequency. History 3KZ 3KZ commenced operations on 8 December 1930. The radio station ...
was licensed to the Industrial Printing Co. Ltd. for and on behalf of the Victorian Labor Party.Walker, R.R., ''The Magic Spark: 50 Years of Radio in Australia'', 1973, The Hawthorn Press, Melbourne However, from commencement, 3XY's programs were provided by Efftee Broadcasters Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of
Efftee Studios Efftee Studios was an early Australian film and theatre production studio, established by F.W. Thring (the name 'Efftee' deriving from his initials, 'FT' for Francis Thring) in 1930. It existed until Thring's death in 1935. Initially Efftee Films ...
, who were the first in Australia to produce
sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...
s.Fitzpatrick, Peter, ''The Two Frank Thrings'', 2012, Monash University Publishing, Clayton, Victoria. Efftee was owned by Frank Thring Sr., father of internationally renowned actor
Frank Thring Francis William Thring IV (11 May 1926 – 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor in radio, stage, television and film; as well as a theatre director. His early career started in London in theatre productions, before he starred i ...
Jr. Frank Thring Sr. died of cancer on 1 July 1936, and Efftee Studios and Efftee Broadcasters were inherited by his second wife, Olive. Nevertheless, Frank Thring Jr., who was only 10 year's old when his father died, often referred to himself as the ''proprietor''. Tom Holt, the father of the future Prime Minister of Australia,
Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until Disappearance of Harold Holt, his disappearance and presumed death in 1967. He held o ...
. was in control of Efftee Studios at this time and Frank Thring Sr. appointed him as the first manager of 3XY. 3XY originally broadcast from studios in the former ballroom at the top of the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, but in the early 1960s, the station moved to purpose-built studios in Faraday Street, Carlton; this was the first of a number of subsequent relocations. Like virtually all broadcasters prior to the introduction of
television in Australia Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisb ...
and the invention of the
transistor radio A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver that uses transistor-based circuitry. Previous portable radios used vacuum tubes, which were bulky, fragile, had a limited lifetime, consumed excessive power and required large heavy batteri ...
, 3XY broadcast a variety of programming styles; theoretically providing something of appeal to all its prospective listeners. The station's original slogan ''The Quality Station'' was taken seriously by management, who tried to produce programs which they often perceived as being superior to similar programs being produced by rival stations. 3XY was the last commercial radio station to come on air in Melbourne until 3MP began broadcasting in 1976, 41 years later. By the time 3XY began broadcasting in 1935, most listeners had established their broadcasting patterns and they often continued to listen to 3XY's rivals, which is usually seen as the reason why 3XY was very low in the ratings for some decades.Australian Broadcasting Control Board, Annual Reports. In the collection of Albert Isaacs, Melbourne.Jones, Colin, ''Something in the Air: A History of Radio in Australia'', Kangaroo Press, 1995. Despite generally low ratings, there were a few popular programs, including the children's session sponsored by
Peters Ice Cream Peters Ice Cream is an Australian ice cream brand, now a subsidiary of European food firm Froneri. It was originally developed by an expatriate American, Frederick (Fred) Augustus Bolles Peters in 1907, using his mother's recipe. History Pete ...
,
One Man's Family ''One Man's Family'' is an American radio soap opera, heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted dramatic serial in the history of American radio. Television version ...
, Raising a Husband, etc. The station also produced some top class live variety programs with artists of the calibre of Stella Lamond; Doug McKenzie;
Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on ra ...
, Max Reddy, Leslie Ross, etc.collection of published radio guides, in the collection of Albert Isaacs, Melbourne
Frank Thring Francis William Thring IV (11 May 1926 – 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor in radio, stage, television and film; as well as a theatre director. His early career started in London in theatre productions, before he starred i ...
Jr. started his career as both a thespian and radio announcer at 3XY in 1941, as a young man of 15. His numerous jobs at the 3XY microphone included being ''Uncle Frankie'' in the children's session. Thring's acting career, whilst mainly centred around the Melbourne theatre scene, also included periods in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
. The late
Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie–winning entertainer, and radio, theatre and television personality and compère. Ne ...
grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy where he became a scout

His first broadcast in a radio, television and theatrical career that spanned nearly 60 years was in the 3XY program ''Scouting Around'', hosted by Tom Jones. In the mid-1950s, Newton presented the 3XY midnight-to-dawn program. He returned to the station in the early 1970s (see below). Because of the lack of listeners, 3XY did not get as much advertising revenue as some of its rivals, but this was, in part, compensated for by the broadcasting of many sponsored religious programs, particularly on Sunday afternoons, as well as sponsored non-English programs, mainly Italian. At the time, 3XY had to comply with an
Australian Broadcasting Control Board The Australian Broadcasting Control Board was an Australian government agency formed in 1949 whose main roles were to regulate commercial radio and television broadcasting. It was also the introducer and regulator for FM broadcasting. The agenc ...
regulation that required anything broadcast in any foreign language to also be translated into English. From the commencement of the 1936
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
season (about seven months after 3XY had first come on air) it became the very first station to broadcast descriptions of
Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
games. 3XY later broadcast games of the
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
. They also broadcast descriptions of Melbourne thoroughbred horse races each Saturday, as well as transmitting some interstate races. On some weeknights, harness races, then known as ''the trots'', were broadcast. Prior to 1967, the station had many prominent announcers, as well as a number of broadcasters who would go on to achieve fame at other stations. These included Frank Avis, Laurie Bennett, Graham Berry, Carl Bleazby, John Boland, John Burls,
Ray Chapman Raymond Johnson Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920) was an American baseball player. He spent his entire career as a shortstop for the Cleveland Indians of the American League. Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by pitch ...
, Peter Charleston, Bern Davis, Col Denovan, Jack Dyer, Keith Eden, Doug Elliot, Peter Evans, Vi Greenhalf, Mary Hardy, Ken Hibbins, Geoff Hiscock, Ken Howard, Tom Jones, Craig Kelly, Maurie Kirby, Wayne Kirby, Paul Konik,
Alwyn Kurts Alwyn Cecil Kurts (28 October 1915 – 4 May 2000) was an Australian drama and comedy actor of radio, television and film, best remembered for his role as gruff Inspector Colin Fox in the TV series ''Homicide''. Biography Kurts' father, Donal ...
, Ray Lawrence, Barry Looms, Bernice (''Binny'') Lum, Alex McNish, Bruce Mansfield, John Magee, Ian Major, Tom Miller, Alf Minister,
Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie–winning entertainer, and radio, theatre and television personality and compère. Ne ...
, Bill Passick, Sir Eric Pearce,
Stan Rofe Stanley Rofe (30 May 193316 May 2003) was an Australian rock'n'roll disc jockey and music news reporter. Often referred to as Stan the Man, he presented the first rock and roll music on Melbourne radio from 1956, on 3KZ, and was a champion o ...
, Bob Rogers, Will Sampson, Dennis Scanlon, Barry Seeber, Wallace Sharland, David Shoreland, Paul Sime, Clyde Simpson, Eric (''Tiny'') Snell, Roy Stenye, Cyril Stokes, John Storr, Jeff Sunderland, Madge Thomas,
Frank Thring Francis William Thring IV (11 May 1926 – 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor in radio, stage, television and film; as well as a theatre director. His early career started in London in theatre productions, before he starred i ...
Jr., Hal Todd, Iven Walker, Mike Walsh, Jeff Warden, Dorothy Wilby, Madge Wister,
Johnny Young Johnny Young (born Johnny Benjamin de Jong, 12 March 1947, Rotterdam, Netherlands) is an Australian singer, composer, record producer, disc jockey, television producer and host. He had a number-one hit with the double-A-sided single, "Step Bac ...
, etc. Between 1954 and 1962, 3XY was Victoria's only 24-hour broadcaster. (In the 1930s, the
Postmaster-General's Department The Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) was a department of the Australian federal government, established at Federation in 1901, whose responsibilities included the provision of postal and telegraphic services throughout Australia. It was ...
issued 24-hour licences to one station in each capital city market except Melbourne. In Melbourne, since 1931, 3AK had been broadcasting almost exclusively in the early-morning hours when other stations were off the air. However, on 1 February 1954, 3AK began broadcasting exclusively during hours of daylight, and concurrently 3DB, 3UZ and 3XY were all given 24-hour licences, but both 3DB and 3UZ had ceased all-night broadcasting within six months. Nevertheless, between 1962 and 1968, the
Australian Broadcasting Control Board The Australian Broadcasting Control Board was an Australian government agency formed in 1949 whose main roles were to regulate commercial radio and television broadcasting. It was also the introducer and regulator for FM broadcasting. The agenc ...
had granted 24-hour licences to all Melbourne commercial stations; 24-hour transmission on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
stations was to follow within a few years.) ''An excellent history of the first 10 years or so of 3XY can be accessed in the following book: Fitzpatrick, Peter, ''The Two Frank Thrings'', 2012, Monash University Publishing, Clayton, Victoria.''


1967–1989 – Melbourne's top pop music station

From 1 July 1967, under the direction of General Manager Bob Baeck the station became Melbourne's dominant
music radio Music radio is a radio format in which music is the main broadcast content. After television replaced old time radio's dramatic content, music formats became dominant in many countries. Radio drama and comedy continue, often on public radio. M ...
station and remained so until the mid 1980s, with a
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
music radio Music radio is a radio format in which music is the main broadcast content. After television replaced old time radio's dramatic content, music formats became dominant in many countries. Radio drama and comedy continue, often on public radio. M ...
format, which often topped the ratings. Its sister station during this era was Sydney's
2SM 2SM is an Australian radio station, licensed to and serving Sydney, broadcasting on 1269 kilohertz on the AM band. It is owned and operated by Broadcast Operations Group. The SM call sign is taken from the initials of Saint Mary's. 2SM's prog ...
. Of the many promotions conducted by the station, the most important during the 1970s/80s was ''Rocktober'' held annually during the month of October. 3XY dropped all of its religious programming in the late 1960s under the direction of Program Manager Dick Heming. (Heming received a letter of complaint from a woman who signed herself 'Yours in Christianity' but which concluded: 'I have prayed to the Lord that you be struck dead'.)Griffen-Foley, Bridget, ''Changing Stations - The Story of Australian Commercial Radio'', UNSW Press, 2009, Sydney In the early 1970s, there was a head-on battle for the lucrative Top 40 market between 3XY, by then managed by Rod Muir, and Rhett Walker's 3AK. The fact that 3XY won the battle is reflected in 3AK's rapid change away from its Top 40 format. However, 3XY's fortunes declined in the late 1980s after the advent of FM radio in Australia, a few years earlier. 3XY DJs during this era included: Barry Bissell, Jack Daniels, Greg Evans, Peter Grace, Peter Harrison, Jane Holmes, John Hood, Craig Huggins, Kevin Hillier, Mark Irvine, Peter James, Chris Maxwell, Peter O'Callaghan, John O'Donnell, John Peters,
Stan Rofe Stanley Rofe (30 May 193316 May 2003) was an Australian rock'n'roll disc jockey and music news reporter. Often referred to as Stan the Man, he presented the first rock and roll music on Melbourne radio from 1956, on 3KZ, and was a champion o ...
, Lee Simon, Peter ''Grubby'' Stubbs,
Richard Stubbs Richard Stubbs (born 4 November 1957) is an Australian radio and television presenter, writer and comedian. Career Stubbs was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, where he was school captain. He then completed a Bachelor of Economics degree ...
, Gary Suprain, Paul Turner, Karl van Est. As well as its Top 40 format, in the early 1970s, 3XY also experimented with a ''personality'' format with
Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie–winning entertainer, and radio, theatre and television personality and compère. Ne ...
conducting the breakfast program, and
Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy Order of Australia, AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, radio and television host as well as a personality and actor of theatre, television and film. He wa ...
presenting a morning session from a studio especially constructed at a cost of $10,000 in the bedroom of his house in Frankston, thus saving him from even having to leave home to present the show. He often broadcast whilst in pyjamas. During the late 1970s
Derryn Hinch Derryn Nigel Hinch (born 9 February 1944) is a New Zealand-born media personality, politician, actor, journalist and published author. He is best known for his career in Australia, on Melbourne radio and television. He served as a Senator for ...
presented a current affairs morning program. The
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
continued to have a marked influence at 3XY. In the late 1970s and 80s, the manager of the station was Stanley Guilfoyle, husband of Liberal Senator
Margaret Guilfoyle Dame Margaret Georgina Constance Guilfoyle (; née McCartney; 15 May 192611 November 2020) was an Australian politician who served as a Australian Senate, senator for Victoria (Australia), Victoria from 1971 to 1987, representing the Liberal P ...
.
Magnus Cormack Sir Magnus Cameron Cormack Order of the British Empire, KBE (12 February 1906 – 26 November 1994) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Liberal Party and served multiple terms as a Australian Senate, ...
, a former Liberal senator, served as chairman of the company after his retirement from politics in 1978. The company's articles of association provided that, upon the sale of the company, any proceeds should be "given or transferred to some institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the company". In 1986, the radio licence was sold to businessman Paul Dainty for $15 million. The proceeds were used to establish the Cormack Foundation, which became a major donor to the Victorian Liberals.


1989–1991 – The temporary end of the 3XY callsign

After losing the ratings and financial battle with FM rivals Eon FM and Fox FM, the 3XY licence was bought in late 1989 by the parent company of Bay FM, a
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
based station which was then just about to come on air. When Bay FM commenced broadcasting in December 1989, 3XY briefly simulcast the BAY-FM overnight programs, retaining its
rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
format during the day. However, once new studios in
Corio Bay Corio Bay is one of numerous internal bays in the southwest corner of Australia's Port Phillip, and is the bay on which abuts the City of Geelong. The nearby suburb of Corio takes its name from Corio Bay. Etymology When Hamilton Hume and Will ...
were completed, Bay FM and 3XY began full-time simulcasting, 3XY breaking only for coverage of
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
(AFL) games, which they were contracted to cover. After a period of 12 months, the then-
Australian Broadcasting Authority The Australian Broadcasting Authority was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radio communications and telecommunications. The Authority took over the functions of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal ...
demanded that the two stations begin separate programming. While the two stations remained in their Corio studios, Bay FM relaunched with an
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
format, with 3XY retaining its soft rock format. In 1991, 3XY was sold to AWA, owners of 2CH Sydney and other stations, who almost immediately shut the station down and re-opened it seven months later as 3EE. 3XY's transmitter was turned off at 1.00 pm on 23 September 1991. The final on-air program as 3XY was a one-hour pre-recorded special, commissioned by AWA and produced and presented by music historian Glenn A Baker. It was a tribute showcasing the music of 1976 when 3XY was number one in the radio ratings. Roxanne Bennett was the last 'live' announcer on 3XY, finishing her shift at 12 noon that day with
Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...
's song '' I'll Be Gone'' the final song played before the one hour pre-recorded special was aired. The last song to be ever aired on 3XY, was
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
's ''
It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the first track of the group's second album ''T.N.T. (album), T.N.T.'', released only in Australia and New Zealand on 8 December 1975, ...
'', at the end of the pre-recorded special. AWA formally applied for a change of callsign from 3XY to 3EE and a change of frequency from 1422 kHz to 693 kHz. Both requests were granted by the
Australian Broadcasting Authority The Australian Broadcasting Authority was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radio communications and telecommunications. The Authority took over the functions of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal ...
. Although it was a relaunch of the 3XY licence that had existed since 1935 and not the issuing of a new licence, AWA chose to promote the forthcoming 3EE as a "completely new" station. A new licence for the 1422 kHz frequency was purchased at auction in 1994 by the Greek Media Group. Initially the licence was for a specified period of three years, and was then to be subject to a five yearly auction cycle. This rule was removed, and the station was effectively permitted to continue on a permanent basis. The new station adopted the 3XY call-sign. It is a narrowcast
Greek language Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...
commercial station, with no connection to the station of 1935–91.


1992–1993: 3EE

The "new" station 3EE began official transmission at 7.00am Friday 2 July 1992. Promoted as ''The Breeze'', the station had a mix of easy listening music, personality talk and Saturday AFL football. Some programs garnered a loyal following but overall the station failed to gain a commercially viable audience in its target demographic of people aged 40+. AWA had a three-year strategy to grow the 3EE audience, but in 1993 the company decided to exit the commercial broadcasting sector and concentrate on its core business of electronics design and manufacture. AWA sold 3EE to Wesgo, owner of another Melbourne station, 3MP, based in Frankston, an outer south-eastern suburb. A few months later in 1994, AWA sold 3EE's sister station in Sydney 2CH, bringing to an end AWA's 70 years in radio broadcasting.


1993–2017: Magic 693/1278


Magic 693

3MP and 3EE
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
their programs until the ABA ordered that they cease the practice and recommence two separate formats. As from December 1993, 3EE used the marketing name of ''Magic 693'', whilst retaining its official call-sign 3EE. It had a 1940s, 1950s and 1960s music format, while 3MP maintained its more mainstream
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
format on 1377.
Southern Cross Broadcasting Southern Cross Broadcasting (Australia) Limited was a diversified Australian media company, that owned and operated a variety of media businesses, primarily in radio and television. History Tony Bell was managing director of the business betwe ...
, which also owned Melbourne radio stations 3AK and 3AW, bought the 3MP and 3EE licences, and in accordance with media ownership laws which restrict any organisation from owning more than two radio stations in one region, they chose to keep 3AW and 3EE (''Magic 693''), while selling off the lower rating 3AK and 3MP licences.


Magic 1278

From 1 May 2006, Magic 693 became Magic 1278 after switching frequencies with 3AW. The change was suggested by 3AW's then Midnight-to-Dawn host Keith McGowan. By doing so, it placed 3AW between
Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...
and
ABC Radio Melbourne ABC Radio Melbourne (official List of radio station callsigns in Victoria, callsign: 3LO) is an ABC Local Radio station in Melbourne, Australia. It began transmission on 13 October 1924 and was Melbourne's second licensed radio station after Radi ...
, meaning that Melbourne's three major talk stations were together on the AM radio dial. On 13 April 2015, the station's entire on air line-up, and most of the programming and production team, was made redundant, as the result of the merger of
Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media (communication), media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The ...
's radio assets and the
Macquarie Radio Network Nine Radio (formerly Macquarie Media Limited) is an Australian media company, owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and headquartered in North Sydney. The company operates radio stations nationally in the capital cities of Sydney, Melbou ...
. Immediately, a new music format was introduced that focused on the classic hits of the 1960s and 1970s. In November 2015, it was announced that the station would begin networking programming into
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
on sister station Magic 882. The last song to be played on Magic 1278 was ''
Thank You for the Music "Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album, '' The Album'' (1977), and was released as a double-A sided single with "Eagle" in May 1978 in limited territories ...
'' by
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
.


2017–2018: Talking Lifestyle

On 27 February 2017, Macquarie Radio Network relaunched 3EE as Talking Lifestyle. The launch of Talking Lifestyle into the Melbourne and Brisbane market followed 18 months of development by Macquarie Media and a soft launch in the Sydney market in September 2016 through
2UE 2UE is an all-music radio station in Sydney owned by Nine Entertainment and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio. It currently broadcasts from its studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales. History 1920s 2EU Electrical Utilities applied to the P ...
. The Brisbane outlet was 4BH. Presenters for the station broadcast from either Sydney or Melbourne. The on-air line-up included Ed Phillips,
Catriona Rowntree Catriona Rowntree (born 19 July 1971) is an Australian television and radio presenter. Rowntree is a long-standing presenter on the Nine Network's '' Getaway'' program. Career Rowntree studied journalism at Macleay College in Sydney, after w ...
, Nick Bennett, Dee Dee Dunleavy and Sabina Read.


2018–2020: Macquarie Sports Radio

On Wednesday 4 April 2018, the three Talking Lifestyle branded stations relaunched with a new
sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comed ...
format under the name Macquarie Sports Radio with coverage of the
2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
. 1278 did broadcast
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...
matches as well as a selection of interstate NRL matches broadcast by the Continuous Call Team


2020–2021: Magic 1278 (second incarnation)

On 21 January 2020, Nine Entertainment announced the Macquarie Sports Radio brand would be abandoned and the station – along with its interstate sister stations
2UE 2UE is an all-music radio station in Sydney owned by Nine Entertainment and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio. It currently broadcasts from its studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales. History 1920s 2EU Electrical Utilities applied to the P ...
and 4BH – would return to an all-music format "built around the best of the '50s, '60s and '70s" with a "soft launch" on 2 February 2020.


Nine Radio leases Magic 1278 to Ace Radio

On 28 October 2021, Nine Radio and
Ace Radio Ace Radio Broadcasters is an Australian media company. Formed in 1984, it operates 21 commercial radio stations in Victoria and southern New South Wales, as well as the digital marketing agency Ace Digital and ''The Weekly Advertiser'', a free ...
entered into a deal for Ace to manage the radio station, along with sister stations 2UE and 4BH, from early 2022. Ace Radio took control of the station on 14 January 2022. The station relaunched with a new presenter line-up, logo and imaging on this date.


References


External links


Magic 1278 official siteMagic 693/3AW Change-over3XY publicity from ''Broadcast Year Book and Radio Listeners Annual 1946-47'', courtesy The Radio Heritage Foundation
{{Nine Radio Nine Radio Oldies radio stations in Australia Radio stations in Melbourne Radio stations established in 1935 Rock radio stations in Australia 1935 establishments in Australia