100 Years of ZB: The Early Days

ZB has been a staple of New Zealand’s airwaves for a century, but it didn’t always have the sound you’re familiar with. Before it was Newstalk ZB, your home for news and sport, it was 1ZB – a music and lifestyle station.  

1ZB was officially born on August 9th, 1926 – an independently-run counterpart for the Auckland ‘A’ station run by the Radio Broadcasting Service. 

In a sharp contrast to its current status, 1ZB struggled for the first decade of its life, hampered by government rules and regulations – it wasn’t until 1934 that they were able to broadcast for more than a few hours a week (though they were still capped at 24). 

LISTEN BELOW TO THE FIRST EPISODE OF THE 100 YEARS OF ZB PODCAST - HOSTED BY MIKE HOSKING

In the midst of its struggles, the station was purchased by Reverend Colin Scrimgeour, otherwise known as Uncle Scrim, and Thomas Garland, Uncle Tom, but relief came in 1935 with the election of the first Labour Government. 

It purchased all of the ‘B’ stations, creating the National Commercial Broadcasting Service, and 1ZB was the first to return to the air.  

On October 26th, 1936, 1ZB and the format it would be known for, for the next fifty years went live.  

Uncle Scrim continued to host his Friendly Road Choir, but he was joined on the station by another household name: Maud Ruby Basham, otherwise known as Aunt Daisy. She was a staple of the station, hosting her morning variety show from 1936 until shortly before her passing in the 1960s. 

Commercial radio was still fairly new so 1ZB originally struggled to lock in clients and sell ad spots, but by 1939 it was making £30 a day – roughly $5000 in today’s currency. 

And then September 1st, 1939 came – World War II.  

1ZB was forced to shift gears, programmes adjusted and events cancelled to ensure nothing broadcast could aid the Axis Powers.  

Instead, the station became a source of comfort for those back home, and in October 1940, it launched a telephone appeal that raised £75,000 – equivalent to more than $6 million today. 

It helped keep New Zealand’s spirits high right throughout the war, broadcasting key news and even messages from soldiers overseas. 

For the four decades following World War II, 1ZB was known as the “all-rounder” station, with a variety of personalities, shows, and sounds ensuring there was something for every listener. 

The announcers and hosts are what set live radio apart from vinyl, CDs, and these days, streaming, and 1ZB had an iconic cast of voices. The station’s original breakfast host was Phil Shone, a prankster who became somewhat infamous for the 1949 wasp prank that led to sealed doors and jammed police phone lines. 

Jocelyn Parr, known as Marina on-air, was incredibly popular, hosting shows like ‘The Shopping Reporter’s Session’, ‘The Home Life Session’, and ‘The Women’s Hour’. 

And when Phil hung up his headphones in 1961, Merv Smith took over the breakfast slot along with his sidekick, McHairy the Scottish Spider.  

Although these days we tend to keep to our studios, 1ZB did not, with many of its broadcasts instead coming from the famous ZB Theatre at Central Auckland’s Broadcasting House.  

The 1ZB of the 60s and 70s was defined by gameshows, hosted at the aforementioned ZB Theatre, and serial radio dramas such as ‘Coronets of England’ and ‘Fred and Maggie Everybody’. 

Even though 1ZB was a lifestyle, music, and comedy station, the seeds of the news juggernaut it would become were present, as it covered news and major events – including the 1946 Election.  

It covered everything from tragedies to war updates, royal visits, The Beatles, and Sir Edmund Hillary’s history-making summit of Everest. 1ZB also kept listeners up to date on some of the nation’s most turbulent times, including the 1981 Springbok Tour and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985. 

Despite making it fifty years, sailing was not entirely smooth for 1ZB – ratings were sliding, Merv Smith jumped ship to head a competitor, and the audience was growing tired of the “all-rounder station”. 

Changes had to be made, and it was this new direction that would set 1ZB on its path to becoming a powerhouse. 

Archival audio from the collections at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.