1ZM (New Zealand)
| City | Auckland |
|---|---|
| Frequency |
97.4 MHz (from 1989) 1251 KHz (1978 - 1989) |
| First air date | 1920s |
| Language(s) | English language |
| Transmitter coordinates | 36°50′49″S 174°45′54″E / 36.847°S 174.765°ECoordinates: 36°50′49″S 174°45′54″E / 36.847°S 174.765°E |
| Former callsigns | 1ZM, 1ZD, 1YD, 1ZM |
| Owner |
Radio New Zealand (until 1996) The Radio Network (after 1996) |
1ZM was a radio station in Auckland, New Zealand operated by Radio New Zealand and was originally part of the ZM group of stations and later became the very first Classic Hits station. Today this station is owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment and is host station of The Hits network.
The ZM name derives from the original 1ZM radio station founded by W.W. (Bill) Rodgers in the late 1920s in Manurewa, then a farming village south of Auckland, The letter Z meant a privately owned (later commercial) station, and the M stood for Manurewa. The original station broadcast on 1250AM.
The station was later acquired by the NZ Government owned Radio New Zealand (which at the time was known as the National Broadcasting Board) and moved 26 km north to Auckland City, where it shared space in the 1941 Art Deco Broadcasting House studios of 1ZB. In April 1944 1ZM was handed over to the US AFRS military broadcasting service to provide entertainment for US troops on R & R leave in Auckland, as part of the AES Mosquito Network. The American programming, drawn from all three US radio networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) and played without commercial advertisements, proved popular not only with US troops but also with Aucklanders who appreciated the lively style of presentation and the latest American hits. After the war 1ZM was returned to the government broadcasting department, New Zealand Broadcasting Service (NZBS) and its successor, but still state-owned, New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC).
As part of a reshuffle of frequencies and callsigns 1ZM was renamed, first 1ZD and then 1YD, in line with the Wellington metro station 2YD which had opened in 1937. 1ZM /1YD was turned into a low-power non-commercial metro music station, broadcasting retro hits and oldies from 5 pm to 10 pm weeknights, and from 10 am to 10 pm weekends. Later, to help meet demand for advertising in the single State owned commercial station 1ZB, 1YD was authorised to carry low-level commercials read live at the microphone, and by the 1960s transmitter time in Auckland was leased in the mornings to a private commercial operator Radio i, which later secured its own AM channel.
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