Save it Stream it: The Hitz FM Melbourne tape drive

It was 30 years ago – this week – that Hitz FM Melbourne came into being. And from 1992 to 2001 people used to ‘tape Hitz off the radio’. But those cassettes are being lost.

Today – we do something about it.
Welcome to the Hitz FM Melbourne tape drive.

WHY the Hitz FM Melbourne tape drive?

Over the years, I’ve heard from people who’ve found the occasional ‘Hitz tape’ somewhere at home. And I’ve happily digitised them, cleaned the audio, and shared them with you here.

But there must be more out there, and every day we wait they’re at risk of damage or being thrown out.

We need to take action.
Now.

How you can help

1. Share this page.

Simple as that.

Please help me contact more Hitz fans by clicking one of the blue ‘share’ buttons at the bottom of this post.

There were tens of thousands of Hitz fans back in the 90s. Many of them used to tape the station. We just need to find them.

2. Think about friends who loved Hitz in the 90s

There’s a chance they have an old tape or two. Maybe in a shoebox. Maybe at their parents’ house. Just hit that blue ’email share’ button (at the bottom of this post) so you can contact your Hitz-loving mates.

3. Have a look for tapes yourself

Could there be an old Hitz tape in your ‘dump everything’ cupboard? What about that old tape deck – is there a cassette in it?

Don’t worry if you don’t have a tape deck any more – contact me and we’ll sort something out.

4. Contact me with any ideas/leads you have

Easy – just click here to shoot me an email. Think long and hard about any fans of the station or leads that might get us closer to more Hitz tapes.

5. Finally – start listening to the collection here

• Here’s a link to Hitz stories on this site, with streaming audio.
  
• Here’s my Youtube channel with a mix of audio and videos
  
• Here’s a link to my ‘HearThisAt’ page with 15 Hitz recordings (so far)
  and many more to come.
  
  Many run 2 hours.
  Some run 5 hours – or even 8 hours.
  
  
  
  NOTE: I’ve still got many more recordings to digitise, it just takes time.

So, how will YOU spread the word?

Let’s find more tapes, so there’s even more classic Hitz broadcasts to stream.

Author: Gabe McGrath

Gabe McGrath is a radio creative and freelance writer. He helped set up 89.9 Hitz FM Melbourne in the 90s. This youth radio station caused a sensation and 30 years later many a 90s kid will smile when 'Hitz' is mentioned. Gabe is working on a book about that era and now blogs about Hitz Melbourne. GabeMcGrath.com includes tonnes of streaming audio recordings, photos, stories and behind-the-scenes info. View all posts by Gabe McGrath