My sense of things is that the role out of The Edge would probably be on the digital platforms as opposed to terrestrial. ARN will definitely look to introduce syndicated content to the regionals which could include Will& Woody and a night show ( possibly Mike E &Emma) to replace Fitzy &Wippa and the Random 30
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Maybe rebrand KIIS Melbourne to The Edge, where it’s always been third fiddle, and launch a new TV music channel?
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I started listening to Nova again during the day and noticed quite a few new dance tracks in the playlist. The sort of stuff you hear on The Edge.
Finally sounds a bit fresh hits again.
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Any word yet on who’s replacing Mike E & Emma? Many shows are about to return and we still don’t know what direction The Edge will be going.
Or are they waiting till mid-2022 for a big national network launch with their new regional stations?
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Does all seem a bit up in the “air” doesn’t it.
With the Grant acquisition, I can’t help but wonder if something crazy like River 94.9 Brisbane re-launching as The Edge has been considered with their renewed focus on the brand.
While the station seems like a good fit for the Pure Gold network in its current form, everything seems a bit strange at the moment, and “geographically”, it’s a similar station.
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This could actually happen. But I don’t believe they will. ARN would likely want to somehow hold onto the 4KQ name if they could because of heritage in South East Queensland. Either they look at involving it in 94.9 Ipswich or launch 4QK DAB+. As for the Edge. I think ARN do have bigger plans for the brand in the coming years. Maybe the Grants buyout is a piece in their puzzle.
Any word yet on 96.1 breakfast? Is it confirmed Mike E & Emma are going to SCA?
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Late Feb, Early March for any news regarding The Edge. Sit tight.
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Unlike the many inaccurate comments on Radio Yesterday, it’s clear to see Emma and Mike haven’t been sacked by ARN and are moving to a new role within the business.
…you were saying?
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I’m surprised ARN haven’t stolen their thunder by announcing who’ll be replacing Mike E & Emma on the same day as their RnB Fridays DAB+ announcement?
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I don’t think ARN have anyone locked in yet. I think they’re getting their programming team right before they make that breakfast call. I could be wrong. I have been before.
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Has anyone else noticed of late increased references to Western Sydney in their breakfast news segments? Might be something in that. A rebrand and return to The One 96.1 FM Western Sydney localism?
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A fair point, however based on the press releases on competing with Nova and the like, one would think they would be more focused on Sydney.
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No. It’s always been that way with The Edge.
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Always been heavy with Western Sydney references. That’s the licensing area.
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The reception is patchy or fringe anyway east of Beecroft or so. Sure there are some good reception areas in patches… Maybe a bit like Central Coast/the ABC blow torches coverage of Sydney.
I see real improvement west of Castle Hill where it is more like a local station until you get too close to the Lower Blue Mountains around Windsor/Penrith where it deteriorates.
I argue they should of have two frequencies at lower power when launched. One for the lower BM and Penrith area, then one for the upper mountains.
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And the adverts are very Western Sydney. Some of the restaurants and clubs advertised are way out west.
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From Radioinfo article about HT&E’s 2021 financial report that has been released today:
ARN will relaunch and accelerate The Edge as a national youth brand distributed on iHeartRadio, broadcast radio and DAB+, anchored in hip hop and RnB, driven by content, and reflective of an under-served genre of youth culture in commercial radio.
And in an interview with ARN CEO Ciaran Davis, who mentioned that it is expected to launch nationally in the last part of this year:
Davis said that the departure of Mike E and Emma from the Edge’s previous Sydney breakfast show was a mutual decision when the pair heard about the new direction for the station. He is glad they have stayed together and have a new gig.
“The Edge is really well liked but we know that if we were just to relaunch it with the old radio model it would not achieve what we want… we researched a lot around that demographic, we recruited specialists who are familiar with providing content to that age group, we also recruited commercial people who have spent time working with the target audience at a partnership level… it’s about creating content that can be consumed across all platforms and building a new audience.”
The expansion of The Edge, plus the integration of the former Grant Broadcasters into ARN Regional is expected to bring an expanded audience offering for advertisers beyond the successful metro stations that the company already operates.
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The Edge 96.1 of off-air at the moment
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I just came in here to see if there was any news on why.
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Still off air. No carrier. Nothing on FB or Twitter either which curiously haven’t been updated in sometime.
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