When Woolloongabba was Wattle Scented

Saturday, January 28, 2012

ABC Local Radio Brisbane's New Digs 2012.....and Old 4QG Digs 1948.

ABC Local Radio Brisbane are now broadcasting from their brand new studios at Southbank so that's a big southside shout-out "Welcome one and all". Spencer Howson's morning show started broadcasting last Friday with a few minor glitches and a real first-world problem for a world-class radio studio. The blinds of the floor to ceiling windows are automated and were shut tight; so no early morning studio views until the overide switch is installed.



The new studio is very flash, lots of flat screens and some very nice looking, armless, ergonomic chairs of which I understand were the subject of at least one meeting, devoted entirely to the subject of chairs (sweetie, is this an episode of Ab Fab?). All jokes aside its great to see ABC Brisbane home at last after the last 7 years being scattered across the city in various locations.


The photo above is of the control room of radio 4QG (Queensland Government) taken in 1948 and is a stark contrast to the ABC's new premises. In the complicated family tree of public radio broadcasting in Australia, the grandfather of ABC Radio 612 was 4QG (Queensland Government).  The orignal studios were located in Alice Street and the transmission tower was situated atop the State Government Insuance Office on the corner of Elizabeth and George Streets.



A new transmission tower was commissioned in 1942 situated at Bald Hills (see unfortunately captioned image below) after it was decided all the city based transmission facilities; there were towers at the G.P.O. and atop the relatively new Courier-Mail building in Queen Street, were vulnerable if the city ever suffered a bombing attack from Japanese aerial forces.


The rest of the ABC Local Radio team start broadcasting in the coming weeks, settling in at the new digs, taking their place in the next chapter of Brisbane radio history. Welcome home folks! Enjoy the studio views and keep those CD's tidy.



Attributions:

Digital Images by Spencer Howson @SpencerHowson via Twitterpic

Photogrpahic Imgages: State Library of Queensland, Wikimedia Commons.


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