South Australia’s second oldest radio station is celebrating a major milestone this month. Monday, 16 September marks the 90th anniversary of the day Murray Bridge’s 5MU transmitters were switched on for the first time. Pioneering radio engineer Frank Miller made this moment possible by broadcasting from a modest shack on the corner of Thomas Street and Eleanor Terrace in 1934.

5MU’s current lineup of Adam Connelly, Jennie Lenman, Chris Guscott, and Jacquie Irvine-Creaser (see photo abpve) will celebrate the anniversary with special programming, playing archival audio and talking to some of the past stars of 5MU. The celebrations will begin at 6 am with a special edition of “Adam and Jennie.”

Breakfast Host and Content Director Adam Connelly said the celebration is as much about the community as it is about the station.

“The wonderful Mel Dzelde told me that 5MU listeners are the best in the world. She was right. We love broadcasting to the Murraylands, Hills, and South Coast, and it’s been a love affair for 90 years,” Adam Connelly said.

General Manager Dave Shearer said it is a privilege to work with a hardworking team that always has the community top of mind. “The importance of regional radio is more significant and powerful than ever,” Dave Shearer said.

“We’d be nothing without our listeners and advertisers who have continued to support us through the years. Thank you from everyone at the station.”

The anniversary has been marked by Premier Peter Malinauskas, who has conveyed birthday wishes in an online video.

“It’s a big history, it’s a proud history, but most importantly, the communities that you service—in the Adelaide Hills, the South Coast, and the Murraylands—have been the beneficiaries of your hard work, including in some very challenging times. So well done, keep up the great work, and hopefully, 5MU is around for another 90 years,” Peter Malinauskas said.

The celebration will continue through the end of the year with an event at the Murray Bridge Golf Club in November, which is expected to sell out.

(below) Former 5MU announcers Keith McCarten, Anne Wills, the late Mel Dee Dzelde and her husband Chris Dzelde.

Jeff ‘Sundo’ Sunderland and Anne ‘Willsy’ Wills