Cruise 1323 - The Move To FM

The Move To FM

In 1990, 5DN moved to FM, and changed its on-air identity to Radio 102 FM. The high rating News/Talk/Sport format was dropped, staff were made redundant and the station changed to a Classic Hits music format managed and programmed by the same people who had overseen 5DN.

'Radio 102FM - Sounds Like Adelaide to Me' was not a success in Adelaide. Poor ratings led the station change its position to compete with SAFM, the market dominator at the time. The station then changed to an adult rock format in early 1992, and adopted the on air identifier X102.

X102 failed to derail the dominant SAFM and continued to operate at a financial loss. In 1992 the station was sold to the new owners of AM station 5AD who moved quickly to transfer the high rating 5AD Easy Listening/Hits & Memories format to FM by using the 102.3 MHz frequency. This involved a lengthy simulcast of 5AD on both the AM and FM bands. It also meant 5AD leaving The Advertiser Building in King William Street to move to Radio 102FM's studios at the old 5DN building in Tynte Street.

5AD dominated the ratings during the simulcast period but was eventually instructed to end the simulcast by the regulatory authorities. This left the owners with a 'spare' commercial licence on the AM band but, as the 5AD brand name had moved to FM, the AM station was without an identity. So Radio 1323 was launched with a format featuring old 5DN personalities and a mixture of talk and Easy Listening music.

Soon Radio 1323 was rebranded as 5DN but despite the name change it could and would never retain its former leadership position as South Australia's number one choice for news, talk and sport. Behind the scenes the station was literally a shell of its once proud former self with only a small number of people technically employed by 5DN with the remainder (management, news, technical, sales) employed by 5ADFM.

FIVEaa and 891 ABC Adelaide became the dominant news/talk stations in Adelaide after 5DN converted to FM in 1990 and few listeners were convinced to return to 5DN on 5AD's old frequency.