& N. Tait (theatrical entrepreneurs), Buckley & Nunn (a department store) and the Herald and Weekly Times Ltd (a newspaper company).

The station began transmission with an outside broadcast of a performance of La Bohème featuring Dame Nellie Melba from His Majesty's Theatre.

[2] The station initially operated on longwave on 174 kHz (1720 metres) using 5,000 watts from a site in what is today Maidstone (and was then considered Braybrook).

In its early days the station was involved in programs, such as Kindergarten of the Air, giving children in regional areas greater social awareness and preparation for school.

ABC Radio Melbourne provides a mix of local and national news, talkback, current affairs and sports programming.

ABC Radio Melbourne is an official Emergency Services Broadcaster, a role it notably filled during the Black Saturday bushfires and recovery in 2009.