2CH Sydney

More Church Themed Programming On Sunday’s Please?

2CH could simulcast “Spotlight” or “Don’t Tell” in DAB+ on a Sunday night.

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Yet they still Play Classic Country Songs, The Last Major Metro Commercial Station in Australia to do so.

Don’t Tell - is that hosted by George Pell?

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Gearge was a special guest star.

Sort of like Heather Locklear on Melrose Place.

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The religious programming at 2CH isn’t going anywhere soon - they’re advertising for a “Religious Producer” (or should that be a religious producer?)
http://radiotoday.com.au/job/religious-producer/

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Rather unfortunate really. I am trying hard to listen to 2CH but really struggle with all the frivolous talkback in the evenings and don’t listen before 9 on a Sunday morning or after 6 on Sunday nights.

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Yeah the religious stuff would turn me off as well. I don’t really get it either. How come 2CH is stuck with this licence condition?

Surely it’s the only commercial radio station in the country with this kind of format restriction?

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Didn’t 2CH used to be owned by the NSW Council of Churches, hence the callsign? I guess it’s a legacy thing from when they originally sold off the station many years ago.

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Well 2sm I think was run by the Catholic Church. They have moved on. Maybe they get funds from the churches to maintain their shows.

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Yes but 2SM used to be owned by the Catholic Church, and the “K” stations (KQ, KA and KY) we’re once owned by the Labor party. It’s still highly unusual - or rather unique - that conditions would be attached to a format once sold. I don’t think there’s another example of this in Australia?

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Yeah i am aware of only community radio. Though 2gb has religious shows on sunday nights. Need to check if 3aw does. Slightly off topic but its interesting how society and therefore radio was more religious in the past. Ironically more radio stations called the horse racing in the past. 2ch is a bit of time warp although but no horse racing . Nothing wrong with religion though.

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Correct me if I’m wrong on this, but weren’t radio stations once actually required to air a bit of religious programming each week? I’d guess most would’ve chosen Catholic-themed religious programming given that was the main religion followed in this country for many years (although probably to a lesser extent these days than in the past).

In any case, I’m sure there’s an interesting backstory as to why the NSW Council of Churches still has some input into the content of 2CH.

I always thought it was odd how 2GB & 2CH seemed to air similarly themed programming on Sunday nights when both stations were under common ownership.

One would imagine that many radio stations ended their racing coverage (except of course for the Melbourne Cup and perhaps other races of significance) because others like 2KY had transitioned into fully fledged racing radio stations.

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decades ago actually

Not 2UE in the 1970s, they broadcast the service from St Stephen’s in Macquarie St, which was originally a Presbyterian Church then later became a Uniting Church, iirc.

I think it was a hangover from 2GB having had a long-standing Sunday night Christian talkback program starting from the 2GBNewstalk87 days, first with Fred Nile then with Gordon Moyes. Moyes who ran Wesley Mission convinced the Uniting Church to buy 2GB which by that time 2GB was sinking as Laws had long gone back to 2UE, iirc. Eventually the Uniting Church sold 2GB and Moyes was soon replaced by John Singleton’s buddy Bill Crews.

The religion on 2CH has always been Protestant, because the members of The NSW Council of Churches are all Protestant churches.

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3AW doesnt have any religious programming, its best left to the religious community stations anyway.

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Even if the “Classic Hits” format was only on-air for half the survey, would you say that 2CH experiencing ratings growth across the board during Survey #1 2019 is a very promising sign for the recently ailing station @crankymedia? :slight_smile:

For what it’s worth, I think the station management would be very happy with the results - particularly the healthy growth at breakfast/evenings + Tim Webster scoring nearly 5% of the audience (Bob Rogers got around the same just before he stepped down from weekday radio, right?) between 9am and midday.

Now realistically, unless either station were to have a major screwup I don’t expect 2CH to be outrating Smooth 95.3 or even WSFM anytime soon. But if the revitalised 2CH can eventually get around 5-6% on a regular basis, I think that will be seen as being relatively successful for an AM (and in stereo on DAB) music station in Sydney during 2019.

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Excellent news to 2CH in today’s results.

Especially considering there is never any advertising for the station apart from hearing it inside every Sydney taxi.

Well done Cherie & team. It’s proof that investing money & local announcers into a station can pay off!

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When you think about 2CH is Sydney’s last remaining local commercial station. Sydney’s own 2CH.

Today’s results show that its all about the music- even if the music is heard predominantly on AM.

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Very promising and never ailing, only went through a period without much love as Singo lost interest when he was forced to sell.

There are great radio brains within 2CH and Eon overall, I’ve always been confident they’ll be on the rise.

Even more so if they increase DAB+ penetration by getting the radios to their target audience.

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