If the tip is accurate, the new 3MP logo (bold white uppercase “3MP” - not lowercase “3mp” as before - with “1377 and DAB+” in smaller type underneath - is wrapped in a Channel 10-style circular logo that’s orange. The full colour-set used across the car spotted is white, orange and purple.
This is not the ACE radio colour scheme applied to the logos of all its regional radio stations.
This kills any speculation Ace Radio might use 3MP is a means of supplying talk programming to the regional network independent of 3AW (which unlikely makes any economic sense, even before Covid 19 and the recession it’s causing)
More likely it’s the other way around. 3MP, and maybe a younger-skewed DAB+ station aligned with Mixx/TRFM/Edge/Coast, would have program fed to it from the regional centres.
There’s nothing hugely innovative about any of this except the opportunity for Ace to develop new competencies and for 3MP to be given the attention the previous owner couldn’t provide.
3MP has the potential to be a better targeted station than Magic 1278, which has a pretty good music mix but does little else due to being networked nationally.
Similarly, a companion DAB+ station produced out of Ace Radio’s FM network could be better locally targeted than DAB stations like The Edge (piped in from Sydney) and the litany of automated DAB music stations with names like KIIS 90s, Fox Urban and Triple M Classic Rock.