A radio memory · Australia · 1971 onward
Room
to Move.
Before the library was searchable, a voice on the ABC could open a door. For Martin, Room to Move was one of those doors: a programme that made the musical world suddenly larger.
01 / The opening
A programme with room in it
Room to Move began on ABC radio in 1971, presented by Chris Winter. It emerged at a time when commercial radio was dominated by the Top 40, and the programme made space for music that did not fit that narrow frame: adventurous records, whole albums, B-sides and music that asked the listener to stay with it.
ABC sources describe Winter's work as a major part of the musical education of young Australians in the 1970s. The programme later connected directly with the creation of Double J, where Winter became a foundation presenter in 1975.
The historical outline is based on ABC Double J's obituary for Chris Winter, ABC's 40-year history of triple j, and academic research on Australian radio.
Three rooms · one musical doorway
02 / Martin remembers
The first reggae lesson
For me, this was not just a programme that played unusual records. It was an education. Room to Move was where I first heard reggae: Toots and the Maytals. The presenter explained the thing that made the music different—the emphasis falling on the offbeat—and suddenly I understood it. The penny dropped.
That moment is still a model for what good broadcasting can do. It can give you a sound, but it can also give you a way of hearing.
A suburban bedroom · around fourteen or fifteen
03 / The widening
A wider musical world
Room to Move opened a much wider discovery process: reggae, progressive rock, experimental music, soul, folk and the strange corners of popular music. It made listening feel like an active form of exploration rather than a search for the next familiar hit.
This page is a personal account of the programme’s place in Martin’s musical life, supported by surviving ABC records. It is not a complete broadcast archive.
04 / The archive
What survives
There is no single complete public archive of every episode and playlist, so the tribute needs to distinguish between documented history, surviving listings and personal memory. The available record is still rich: ABC retrospectives, images of Chris Winter, Double J histories, academic work and listeners remembering the programme as a gateway into music beyond the mainstream.