4ZZZ on this day in December

December 8th Dec 1975
It’s our 40th birthday!!

14 Dec 1988
On this day in 1988, at 4.17am – Executive members of the UQ Student Council and four security guards served immediate eviction notice on graveyard announcers Mark Solway and Stefan Armbruster. 4ZZZ had been taken off air. Within hours we were making emergency broadcasts direct from Mt Cootha and later in the day the Student Union was occupied by protesting students and supporters. 4ZZZ was ultimately let back on air but this was the beginning of the end to the station’s long-time relationship with the University of Queensland.

9 November, 1989
A member of the new East German government was asked at a press conference when the new East German travel law comes into force. He answered: “Well, as far as I can see, … straightaway, immediately.” Thousands of East Berliners  went to the border crossings. At Bornholmer Strasse the people demanded to open the border and at 10.30 pm the border was opened there. That moment meant the end of the Berlin Wall.

Dec 15, 1978
On this day in 1978 at midday, 4ZZZ starts goes full power and starts broadcasting full time from Mt Cootha with call sign of 102.1MHz. Apparently the station did its darned best to get Joh Bjelke Petersen to open the station at lunchtime but sadly he declined the offer. So it was John Woods who began Mt Cootha transmission at 102.1mhz at approx. 4 kilowatts effective radiated power. Phone calls started coming in from all over the place particularly the north and south coasts, Toowoomba and even Maryborough. The calls were usually to report good reception in those areas even with transistor radios.

December 17, 1997
On this day in 1997, The Queensland Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) handed their report to 4ZZZ on the investigation into police violence and harassment at the Cybernana Market Day of 1996. The report found “the evidence cannot establish wrong doing on the part of any particular officer”. In summary the CJC report did not recognise any improper actions by the police and it contained a list of stringent recommendations for future Market Days. However, 4ZZZ still stands by its claims that police used excessive force, had completely disregarded an agreement with 4ZZZ and that this was part of the ongoing harassment of 4ZZZ events.

2005
17 December 2005
On this day in 2005 4ZZZ through a massive market day party to celebrate our 30th birthday party at the RNA Showgrounds. On the bill were Anal Cookie, Aniki, Avalon Drive, Casionova, Community Cervix, David McCormack & The Polaroids, Dick Nasty, DJ Punksi, Doch, Ed Kuepper & Jeffrey Wegner, Flamingo Crash, Frosty n Frazor, Gazoonga Attack, Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side, Giants Of Science, Heavy Weight Champion, Hot Rubber Glove, Iron On, Kieron C, Kooii, Monster Zoku Onsomb!, MouthGuard, Odd Harmonic, Prussia, Rob Balboa & Crew, Screamfeeder, Sekiden, Speaker Wrath, Steve Towson & The Conscripts, Symbiotek, The Disables, The French Horns, The Golden Circles, The Goodfellas, The Jungeletts, The Mean Streaks, The Red Paintings, The Serenity, The Zebras, Toxic Lipstick and Turnpike.

30th Dec 1977
On this day, 4ZZZ began its test transmissions from the Mt Cootha site, where it still broadcasts from today, albeit with a newer transmitter. According to the station at the time “Though still only on 1KW power, the switchboard is jammed with calls from Mooloolaba to Tweed Heads and Stradbroke to Toowoomba, all in stereo”.

Heather Anderson
December.docx

Reference
Radical Times