ABC Radio Sydney

ABC Radio Sydney (official call sign: 2BL, formerly 2SB) is an ABC radio station in Sydney, Australia. It is the flagship station in the ABC Local Radio network and broadcasts on 702 kHz on the AM dial. The station transmits with a power (CMF) of 3,110V, which is equivalent to 50 kW (the maximum permissible in Australia) from a site 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of the Sydney CBD.^[3]

2BL

Broadcast area	Sydney and Blue Mountains
Frequency	702 kHz
Branding	ABC Radio Sydney
Programming
Format	Talk
Ownership
Owner	Australian Broadcasting Corporation
History
First air date	13 November 1923; 101 years ago (1923-11-13)[1][2]
Former call signs	2SB
Links
Website	www.abc.net.au/radio/sydney/

History

ABC Radio Sydney is the first public radio station in Australia opened in Sydney at 8:00pm on 13 November 1923.^[1] Its first callsign was 2SB where 2 denotes the State of New South Wales and SB stood for Sydney Broadcasters Limited.^[4] The callsign was changed to 2BL when Broadcasters Limited took over the business.^[5] In May 1928 the Sydney Broadcasting Company was formed to take over stations 2BL and 2FC.^[6]

A year later a consortium of entertainment companies founded the Australian Broadcasting Company Limited (ABC) to supply programme material to 2BL, 2FC and similar "A-class" stations in other capital cities.^[7] 2BL became one of the inaugural stations, along with sister station 2FC, in the government-owned Australian Broadcasting Commission (also ABC) network when it was founded in 1932. In 1946, it became the flagship of the National Programme, forerunner of Radio National. It also began carrying parliamentary broadcasts. In 1963, it swapped formats with 2FC and assumed that station's old role as flagship of the Interstate Programme, which eventually evolved into Local Radio. However, it continued to air parliament until 1988.

The 2BL callsign was gradually phased out in 1999 as the station was renamed to 702 ABC Sydney, before another name change in 2017 which saw the station simply become known as ABC Radio Sydney.^[8][9][10]

In the second radio ratings survey of 2012, Nielsen Media Research recorded ABC Radio Sydney's share of the local radio market as the second largest at 10.3%, behind commercial talk station 2GB.^[11]

Most ABC Local Radio stations in New South Wales simulcast ABC Radio Sydney's programming when not airing local shows for their areas. The exception is 999 ABC Broken Hill, which relays ABC Radio Adelaide due to Broken Hill being on Central Time.

In November 2023, ABC Radio Sydney celebrated its 100th birthday.^[12] The station marked the occasion by removing the time signal pips which had long been heard at the top of each hour before the hourly ABC News bulletin.^[13]

On 6 May 2024, ABC Radio Sydney commenced broadcasting from the ABC's new facility at 6 & 8 Parramatta Square in Parramatta after relocating from the ABC's Ultimo headquarters.^[14] Mornings with Sarah Macdonald was the first program to broadcast from Parramatta after the facility was officially opened by Kim Williams, David Anderson and Andrew Charlton.^[14][15]

Programs

Daily scheduling

• Breakfast, with Craig Reucassel – 5:30am to 8:00am
• AM, with Sabra Lane – 8:00am to 8:30am
• Mornings, with TBC – 8:30am to 11:00am
• Conversations, with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski (Radio National) – 11:00am to 12:00pm
• The World Today, with Andy Park – 12:00pm to 12:30pm
• Afternoons, with James Valentine – 12:30pm to 3:30pm
• Drive, with Chris Bath – 3:30pm to 6:30pm
• PM, with Samantha Donovan – 6:30pm to 7:00pm
• Evenings, with Renee Krosch – 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• Nightlife, with Philip Clark (Monday to Thursday) and Suzanne Hill (Friday to Sunday) – 10:00pm to 2:00am
• Overnights, with Trevor Chappell (Monday to Thursday from Melbourne) and Rod Quinn (Friday to Sunday from Sydney) – 2:00am to 5:30am

Other programs

• Thank God it's Friday is broadcast every Friday with Charlie Pickering and features a roundup of the week's events, featuring various Australian comedians. TGIF is also available as a podcast.

• Norman the Quiz, the pet-name for what used to be simply known as "The Quiz", is hosted by Renee Krosch every Monday to Thursday evening. It is broadcast to all of New South Wales and the ACT
• The Mighty Challenge is a quiz broadcast at midnight (local time) by Phillip Clark.
• "Bludging on the Blindside" with Rampaging Roy Slaven and HG Nelson, broadcast Saturdays during National Rugby League season from noon to 2:00pm.
• Grandstand is the ABC's sport program, which is generally broadcast from 12 noon on a Saturday and Sunday
• Weekends, with TBC
• Speaking Out (Radio National), with Larissa Behrendt^[16]

Former presenters

• Deborah Cameron
• Mike Carlton
• Angela Catterns
• Andrew Daddo
• Dom Knight
• Julie McCrossin
• Andrew Olle
• James O'Loghlin
• Clive Robertson
• Adam Spencer
• Virginia Trioli
• Sally Loane
• David Dale
• Frank Crook
• Ray Taylor
• John Doyle
• John Hall
• Margaret Throsby
• Bruce Menzies
• Simon Marnie
• Sarah Macdonald

External links and references

1. O'Brien, James; Champness, Lawrence (22 November 2013). "90th Anniversary of the station that became 702 ABC Sydney". 702 ABC Sydney. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1923_in_radio
3. Australian Communications and Media Authority. "Apparatus Licence [Licensee 1103909, Australian Broadcasting Corporation]". Retrieved 14 September 2020.
4. The station never used the callsign 2BS, although this is quoted in a reputedly reputable source – Changing Stations. The Story of Australian Commercial Radio Griffen-Foley, Bridget, Sydney, 2009. (The callsign 2BS was later used by the local Bathurst station).
5. "Personalities Of The Exhibition". The Daily News. Vol. LV, no. 19, 069. Western Australia. 2 May 1936. p. 15. Retrieved 9 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia. Assertions that the change was due to confusion of the sounds FC and SB are implausible.
6. "New Broadcasting Company". The Recorder (Port Pirie). No. 9, 055. South Australia. 17 May 1928. p. 1. Retrieved 1 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Broadcasting". Singleton Argus. New South Wales, Australia. 7 June 1929. p. 8. Retrieved 1 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Chapman, Heather (8 November 1999). "All change at 2BL". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 65. Retrieved 6 May 2024. Staff at 2BL, now dubbed ABC 702 Sydney...
9. Fyfe, Melissa (16 December 1999). "Hello LO, a sound farewell". The Age. p. 3. Retrieved 6 May 2024. The 75-year-old station is the only one in the ABC network to keep its original name. 2BL is now 702 ABC Sydney...
10. "ABC Local Radio rebranding for 2017". radioinfo. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2024. Updated names for ABC Radio in capital cities include... ABC Radio Sydney (previously 702 ABC Sydney)
11. Radio Survey #2 2012
12. Patterson, Sarah (24 November 2023). "High profile guests reminisce as ABC Radio Sydney celebrates 100 years". Radio Today. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
13. Saxon, Peter (27 November 2023). "As the ABC celebrated 100 years on air, the pips were silenced, not with a beep but a whimper". radioinfo. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
14. "ABC Radio Sydney launches from new Parramatta studios". radioinfo. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
15. Knox, David (6 May 2024). "ABC Parramatta opens for broadcasting". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
16. "Speaking Out, with Larissa Behrendts". Australia: ABC Radio. Retrieved 14 September 2020.

• 702 ABC Sydney
• ABC Online