HIT 105

Hit 105
City Brisbane, Queensland
Broadcast area Brisbane Gold Coast Ipswich Sunshine Coast Tweed Heads
Branding Hit 105
Slogan Hits & Old School
Frequency 105.3 MHz FM (also on DAB+)
First air date 29 September 1930 (1930-09-29) (4BK AM)
26 February 1990 (1990-02-26) (B105 FM)
Format Top 40 (CHR)
Language(s) English
ERP 12,000 watts
HAAT 365 m[1]
Transmitter coordinates 27°27′47″S 152°56′54″E / 27.46306°S 152.94833°E / -27.46306; 152.94833
Former callsigns 4BK (1930-1990)
Former frequencies 1290 kHz (1930-1935)
1300 kHz (1935-1978)
1296 kHz (1978-1990)
Affiliations Hit Network
Owner Southern Cross Austereo
(Today FM Brisbane Pty Ltd)
Sister stations 4MMM
Website Official website

Hit 105 (call sign: 4BBB) is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting on 105.3 MHz in Brisbane, Australia. It is part of Southern Cross Austereo's Hit Network. Hit 105's primary audience is 10 to 24 age group. The station was previously branded as B-105 FM following its conversion from AM to FM. This lasted until a co-branding as "Hit 105.3 B 105", then as "Hit B 105" and finally dropped the "B" reference to its present brand identity "hit 105". The B had referred to Brisbane.

The station shares branding with SCA's Perth (Hit 92.9) and Adelaide (Hit 107) stations.

History

The station now known as Hit 105 began life as 4BK, commencing transmission on 1930 on the AM band, initially on the frequency 1290 kHz before changing to 1300 kHz on 1 Sep 1935 (to accord with the new Australian 10 kHz channel spacing raster). Again the implementation by Australia of the 9 kHz channel spacing raster developed by the ITU and formalised in the 1975 Geneva Plan necessitated 4BK moving to 1296 kHz on 23 November 1978.

In 1988, the Austereo group purchased the station from Hoyts, intending to use it as a vehicle to bid for an FM conversion licence. Austereo won the FM licence, and in February 1990, the station changed its callsign to 4BBB (not used on-air except during test broadcasts, unlike the previous AM callsign) and commenced broadcasting on a frequency of 105.3 MHz with the on-air name B105.

Between March 1990 until 2006 it was the highest rating station in Brisbane, except in one ratings survey in 1994, beaten by AM station 4KQ.

In April 2011 the Austereo Group was purchased by Southern Cross Media for more than $700 million, and is now operated under the name Southern Cross Austereo.

On Friday 6 March 2015, B105 rebranded as Hit 105.[2]

Studios

The 4BK studio complex, an AM radio facility was located at 16 Campbell Street Bowen Hills. When the FM conversion license was granted, the Austereo group converted the premises to an FM facility and began broadcasting as B105 FM in 1990.

The B105 studio complex remained at the Bowen Hills location until July 2000, when Austereo relocated B105 and sister station Triple M into new combined premises at 309 North Quay, Brisbane.[3] The new complex was the first in Australia to use the now defunct Klotz Digital audio system, which was revolutionary at the time however was replaced during a 2016 studio upgrade with Axia Fusion.

Transmission

4BBB (Hit 105)'s FM transmission has always emanated from the TVQ Ten tower at Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane. The station originally used two Harris HT10 tube transmitters in an A/B failsafe configuration to deliver the service. In 2002 a new solid state Harris Z10CD transmitter was installed at the newly created TX Australia facility, located under the TVQ Ten tower. The existing HT10 transmitter now serves as a backup facility located at the BTQ Seven tower, 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away from Channel Ten on Mount Coot-tha. Hit 105's service is licensed for 12Kw Effective Radiated Power at the antenna, and operates its transmitters at 5Kw base power.

Hit 105 and Southern Cross Austereo's DAB services all emanate from the TVQ Ten tower on combined equipment used by all radio broadcasters in Brisbane.

Current On Air Line Up

Former HIT 105 announcers

Digital radio

Hit 105 is simulcast on Digital Radio in Brisbane.

Southern Cross Austereo also operates Buddha Radio, Loveland, Stardust and Radar Radio on DAB+ in Brisbane.

External links

References

  1. ↑ HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
  2. ↑ http://www.radiotoday.com.au/news/whats-new/6456-hit105-arrives.html
  3. ↑ Wilson, Bob (2 June 2000). "Office interiors on the boil.". The Courier-Mail. p. 45.
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