MIX 102.3

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Mix 102.3 is a commercial radio station in Adelaide South Australia. Format: Adult Contemporary Music.

The station is owned by the Australian Radio Network, ARN, which is a 50/50 joint venture between Clear Channel Communications of the U.S., and APN News & Media.

[edit] History:

The station began its life as Radio 5AD, an AM station owned by Advertiser Newspapers Ltd, publishers of the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper. In 1993 5AD took over the FM frequency of 102.3 Mhz, which had first been allocated to another Adelaide station, 5DN.

During its early years, 5AD broadcast a wide range of programs, from orchestral concerts to comedies, serials and sporting events. Some programs, such as the comedy "Yes, What?" were produced in Adelaide for broadcast by other network stations around Australia. Children's programs included "Search for the Golden Boomerang", and the 5AD Children's club.

Television was introduced to Australia in 1956, bringing major changes to radio programing, signaling the end of the kind of block programming 5AD and other stations had been playing. 5AD moved to music based programming, using a number of marketing slogans: "5AD, Action Radio", "Power Radio 5AD, Where Your Friends Are", among others.

5AD personalities of the 1960s and 1970s included Bob Francis, Alec Macaskill, Keith Conlon, Barry Ion who also voiced the hilarious Peter Plus character, Tony Pilkington, John Vincent, Bob Byrne, Dean Jaensch, Jeff Sunderland, Kevin Crease, and many others.

In the early 1980s 5AD was the number one radio station in Adelaide, spearheaded by the Bazz & Pilko breakfast show, rating at above 30% of the total Adelaide audience. At as top 40 station with its slogan "Rhythm of the City", 5AD was upstoppable as the clear market leader in Adelaide radio. 5AD won all dayparts, including mornings with Peter Butler, afternoons with Sam Angelsy and the popular night show for teenagers "Dial a Hit" hosted by Steve Mill and Di Stapleton. This all changed though when in 1983 Bazz & Pilko defected to rival 5KA and ratings plummeted. Taking stock of its situation, 5AD was then forced into a change of direction to survive.

In the mid 1980s, 5AD moved to an Easy Listening format, first as "Easy Listening 5AD, then today's easy listening 5AD then Adelaide's Best Place to Relax".

It became 5AD FM 102.3 in July 1993, with 5DN returning to the Adelaide airwaves after a 4 year absence on the old 5AD 1323 AM frequency. 5AD-FM and its associated AM station, 5DN, were taken over by the Australian Radio Network in the late 1990s, and 5AD's on air ID was changed to Mix 102.3 in the early 2000s.