The Wireless

A history of student radio: Episode two

08:21 am on 15 January 2015

Radio New Zealand's Music 101 take a four-part journey through 45 years of student radio in New Zealand - the stars and bands who got their breaks, the politics, the music, the piracy and the No. 8 wire mentality.

Wednesday Night Jam, Radio Active 1985 - Rhys B collection courtesy of AudioCulture Photo: Wednesday Night Jam, Radio Active 1985 - Rhys B collection courtesy of AudioCulture

Broadcasters who would go on to become household names recall their youthful antics in student radio, the “taste barons” attempt to limit the playing of Joy Division, and the station managers negotiate with their student associations amid the volatile political climate of the mid-1980s.