Paul Thompson's SAFM vision from 1980 upends Adelaide radio an air and beyond with Black Thunder and Skyshow

John Vincent, Toni Tenaglia and Adam Hills were part of innovative SAFM vision that made promotions such as Black Thunder part of Adelaide life.
Images courtesy Jim Mortimer

Paul Thompson, previously of 5KA’s renowned rock era, returned to Adelaide to mastermind the radio revolution that became SAFM.  Starting (with Dire Straits “Sultans of swing” starting its album-orientated rock) as Double SA FM from Greenhill Road, Unley, in 1960 with South Australia’s first commercial FM licence, by 1984 it was the first FM station in Australia to go to No.1 rating.

SAFM soared to 29% in late 1987. In survey 4 1988, SAFM registered the highest ever capital city rating figure in Australian radio history – 36.6%.

Thompson’s complete radio vision was listener driven, smart and innovative – making other stations, including cashed-up 5AD, react to it.

Thompson honed his on-air team from the early lineup: John Vincent (who replaced Leon Byner) and his alter ego Ken Noath, David Day, John Dean, Jeff Warden and Ric Jones plus newsreader John Williams.

A competition for local bands produced the jungle that overnight in 1982 changed double SA FM  to 107 SAFM. The station’s promotions – from car stickers and 107 Card to the Skyshow and Black Thunder –  became icons.

The on-air experiments kept flowing: the Morning Zoo, 24-hour rock classic marathons, album countdown and simulcasts such as rock opera Tommy.

The station kickstarted the careers of Australian comedy stars like Adam Hills and Anthony “Lehmo” Lehmann.  SAFM was Adelaide’s highest-rating station in the early 1990s and had been the base for the Austereo national network that merged with Triple M’s Village Roadshow in 1995.

But Thompson went his own way with DMG Radio Australia that bought 5AA in 1996 and started Nova 91.9 in 2004 as part of a new national network.