They absolutely should cancel the license.
They actively integrated it into their network, rather than attempt to separate the operations out to make a sale easier.
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Agree. Itās like they expected the law to change.
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Media Week says NSW Council of Churches likely to re-purchase and Macquarie apparently want the new owners to keep part of the Magic network. Again, how they could get away with effectively still retaining an interest is beyond belief.
TVHead I think you might be on the money. I guess thatās the way business works today try to push the boundaries. Look at ARN having the edge running like a Sydney station.
Iām sure that both MRN and ARN would love to have the two station ownership limit dropped or at least relaxed! But thatās for another topic.
In any caseā¦if the worst was to happen and ACMA pulled the 2CH licence off MRN, would there really be all that much stopping MRN from continuing to broadcast 2CH in some form or another on digital radio (even if the bandwidth that 2CH currently uses was taken away) and/or online?
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It would be just like the how SCA still provide content and branding for the Sunshine Coast and Chartres Towers stations.
ACMA has stated there are no restrictions on the use of the digital radio spectrum, (someone complained that The Edge 96.1 shouldnāt have been on Sydney digital radio but ACMA said it was ok), so presumably MRN could put Magic Sydney on the 2GB/2UE digital allocation.
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Is it possible for you to post the content of this article from The Australian about the fire sale of 2CH, as I donāt have a subscription. I am a radio station enthusiast who is blind and enjoys reading about this topic. Any new information would be appreciated. Thanks!
Is it possible for you to post the content of this article from The Australian about the fire sale of 2CH, as I donāt have a subscription. I am a radio station enthusiast who is blind and enjoys reading about this topic. Any new information would be appreciated. Thanks!
Because the article is behind a paywall we are not to republish here in full Iām afraid.
Okay - thanks for that!
They could totally do that, but Iām guessing that a lot of the core audience for 2CH may not have a digital radioā¦
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Hmm Iām not sure about that. Anecdotally I have noticed a lot of older people do in fact have DAB. I have no figures to back it up but I suspect there is a higher uptake of DAB amongst older AM music station listeners.
I wonder why they havenāt launched Magic Perth on DAB already? Would seem logical but they might not have enough space with 6PR and NTS?
Anyway ACMA would have to be the most ineffectual governing body in this country - and thatās saying something.
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Thatās absolutely true. If the likes of MRN, ARN and SCA operated community stations rather than commercial stations, they probably wouldāve had all their licences pulled many years ago!
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Thatās my impression too. So they can listen to their favourite AM stations in crystal clear digital sound 
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I think so. I also think that older people are less likely to be interested in alternatives such as streaming services and the like - they are very used to the radio, and trust it as a medium, so are more easily convinced to buy digital radios for both the better quality sound and additional stations.
I would think that 2CHās listeners would be reasonably brand loyal and were it to disappear from the AM dial but stay on DAB+ a large number would buy digital radios to keep listening to their favourite station.
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@SydneyCityTV
That is SO true! The ACMA spend all their time hassling community stations and protecting the big commercial broadcasters from new competition and also allowing them to stretch regulations with endless extensions and exemptions. Planning new services and actually everything they do occurs at a glacial pace. Completely incompetent, especially compared to overseas regulators in US, UK and Canada.
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They could have promotion to say magic wonāt be on 1170. Give away some digital radios. 
When ARN bought 2SM in the early 1990s they played music on a āloopā 24 hours a day, if I recall a very small āloopā with the same music played about 20 times a day. No announcers, No Advertising, No Nothing. If I remember it was until they could find a buyer. Would this be likely to happen to 2CH??, I wonder