SEN Track would be much better as just a digital station and 2CH listeners being given the 1539AM spot as well as the digital option. They will have plenty of listeners who don’t have digital radio and don’t understand radio apps and online listening.
Yep, I agree. A lot of 2CH’s target demographic would be the type who struggled to come to terms with Digital TV during the analogue switchoff period seven years ago, so I can’t imagine too many of them having DAB+ receivers let alone the internet and smartphones/smart speakers!
This media observer wouldn’t be overly surprised if by the end of this year (or early 2021), 2CH Classic Hits has become nothing more but an automated station with bonus ads from SEN. Even as a DAB+ only station, it’d be extremely surprising if 2CH makes it to their 90th birthday in March 2022.
Not sure, although I’m certainly willing to predict that 1170AM will not receive an audience share of 4.8% as SEN - maybe half that at best.
I’d imagine that in about 20 years time, we’ll be talking about music stations phasing out the 80s and 90s tracks in favour of more from the 2000s and 2010s!
Don’t think that would be allowed, since it’s to my understanding that 1539AM is a narrowcast license rather than a commercial one.
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Although 60s and 70s music is increasingly the domain of niche broadcasting these days. Vintage FM Penrith is one example of an oldies station on a narrowcast licence; there are a few others as well such as Classic Gold Mudgee.
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Maybe they will sneak 2ch back on 1539 in future.
I think that sells that demographic extremely short. As has been mentioned around these parts a number of times, the take up of digital radios by this older demographic has not been insignificant.
While some may struggle with evolving technology, this isn’t always the case. Many of them are well adept to the internet, smart devices, transition to digital TV, etc. They all do Facebook these days.
Some of this age group were still in the workforce when things like the internet, social media and mobile telephony became mainstream so it is not so foreign to them in retirement.
I think back 20 years ago, my grandmother then in her 70s was battling poor eyesight but still worked out how to pre-program the VCR, as fiddly as it was in those days, to record her favourite shows.
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It’s a continuous loop now on 1170, no mention of 2ch, how to tune in, just SEN launching at 6am. Was hoping to hear the last song.
The audio quality is average, vossy sounded like a robot at times. No mention of the old 2ch, how to tune in.
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Agree. I see quite a few older people using DAB radio in shops etc.
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I would love to know if 2CH has seen advertisers continue to pay this week what they paid last week for a 30 second spot.
2CH pulled in a good 4.8% in the last survey - I bet a lot of advertisers are no longer wiling to pay for that sort of rating on a station that just flicked the switch off on AM.
It’s so weird - SEN rates 2.7% in Melbourne and 2CH was on double that - so they dump the higher rating format in a city where sport-focused radio has struggled (unless it’s on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon).
I suppose SEN is hoping to make some inroads in Sydney if it can attract some of Sky Sports Radio’s 0.5% share. Cough.
Goodbye 2CH - I always remember going to the dentist in the 80s - I hated the dentist. They always had 2CH’s Beautiful Music playing in the waiting room. It was this weird mix of classical and calming music - Nice and Easy - right before the dreaded drill. It would almost push me over the edge. As a teenager both the music and the drill constituted an unusual and cruel punishment.
On another note - 1170 has to be one of the best frequencies - it just sounds so good.
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Time to remove 1170 from the title @moderators?
Yeah my memories is going to the doctors and hearing 2CH. I also remember listening to it at grandparents holiday house on the Central Coast on the old clock radio (no digital output). It had “the plates” to display the time. Like the one below.
Also in the Holden Gemini I remember hearing it on the AM only radio in Grandmas car. I remembered the blinker interfering with the radio up on the Central Coast. Funny the strange things I remember.
1170 I think has been used since 1935. As it didn’t need to switch during the whole 9 khz change over. It is the only music station on the AM Band in Sydney to keep the same call sign 2CH for all those years. They did have a half baked effort with “Magic” but they still continue with 2CH, it was only in evenings they used “Magic” (Networked with the Melbourne version of Magic).
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2CH has been on 1170 since the late 1950’s. Before then it was on 1190 and when it first started it was on 1220.
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Wikipedia needs to be updated then 
. Still the longest running station on the same frequency in Australia?
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Yes it’s a very let’s say interesting business model… I’m definitely missing something with where the revenue is coming from.
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They were apparently posting a big loss. I am not sure if they were too “fat” despite ratings better than some FM “top guns”. Is it because these days to make money in radio you should have a network of stations for scale? Standalone radio stations are not as profitable anymore. For example a music director can cover several stations rather than just one. Or did 2CH just not manage the $$$ well. SEN is now a network, meaning they can potentially be profitable and scale. Is this why BOG can survive today, not because of 2SM in Sydney but the network itself? “Boutique” standalone stations don’t work today from a profitability point of view except if it was “number one” like 3AW and 2GB.
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2DayFM and Triple M haven’t exactly been “top gun” FM stations for a while now, so I’d probably say the fact 2CH outrated those two during the final survey of Classic Hits on 1170AM is more of a reflection of how poorly SCA is performing in the Sydney market these days.
Looking at the results of the last Sydney radio ratings survey, you’d have to imagine that Smooth (#1 FM station with the 65+ demographic) and WSFM (#1 FM station in the 40-54 and 55-64 demographics) will be the most likely beneficiaries from 2CH disappearing from AM if Nine Radio don’t run a half decent promotional campaign for 2UE soon.
Possibly. While it might’ve been good for radio listeners that 2CH was operated as Sydney’s last truly local commercial station (with everyone else aligned with a network to at least some degree) over the last few years, it may not have been the best strategy financially.
Sure, there’s some local content on the new SEN 1170 however the station is going to be supported by sport coverage which will air on stations in other markets of the country.
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If Fairfax Radio and Macquarie hadn’t merged in 2014 then I reckon they’d be individually struggling more now. Especially after 2020. I assume even 2GB and 3AW aren’t immune from the downturn in advertising revenue this year.
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No.
15 years Hot Tomato.
EON Sunshine Coast.
Mandurah
4TAB/2KY/RSN.
Depends whether the board and sales understand how to succeed being independent.
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Since I originally created this thread as Media Spy was being rebuilt for the Discourse era, I’ve decided to remove the “1170” from the title of this thread now that SEN is running on that AM frequency.
Thought about having a title like “2CH Classic Hits DAB+” but that was too busy IMO.
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2ch’s website needs an update now
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…and the DAB+ slideshows. Of course, I’ve come up with a slight adjustment to 2CH’s logo in the Random Mocks thread! 
Another thing which surprises me is that 2CH is still running Nine Radio News as a DAB+ only station. Now admittedly I don’t know all the ins and outs of 2CH’s news supply contract, one can only presume that some form of agreement would’ve been signed with Macquarie Radio just before they sold 2CH a few years ago.
But still, does it make much financial sense to continue spending money on a separate news service on a DAB+ only station when SEN 1170 seems to have its own news bulletins which (going by the little I’ve heard so far) would probably be perfectly fine on 2CH?
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