Does anybody else find NewFM Newcastle aspiring to be just like Star104.5?
I know NewFM has a wider (not so much better) variety as Star…
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I think that is what they are trying to do, but nowhere as successful as Star 104.5. Driving back to Sydney from Tamworth and sampling New fm it did sound ok musically and they had more frequent traffic updates than the other Newcastle fm stations.
Also New fm was the first of the Newcastle fm stations lost heading south towards Sydney with the reception very poor at Cooranbong which is still reasonably close to Mt Sugarloaf. Obviously the 2KW towards Sydney and poor LOS back to Sugarloaf don’t help.
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Can confirm from sources that NEWFM is exactly trying to be like Star. There has been meetings as to how they can market themselves better but they don’t have the $$ to do so
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Stop playing too much random variety would be a start.
You can still be known for “variety” whilst targeting a certain specific audience.
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Newfm sounds more like Hot Tomato than Star IMO. They both use “best music variety” and play a similar music mix.
Newfm’s problem is the brand has been so badly damaged over the years and also a not holding on to ANY of the great talent.
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And NEW lacks any sort of real profile, kind of invisible next to Triple M and Hit.
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2GO (SCA Central Coast, Triple M & Hit 101.3) studios are up for sale, leaseback is an option, but it’s actually being sold predominately as a development site, so it looks like SCA are selling off more assets & making the company less valuable to ARN.
Also need to ask the question, if a developer buys it to build apartments, (like the rest of the street), where are SCA going to go, & going forward, how much programming are they planning on producing locally, maybe none, so they just need 1 small studio & a small office?
I think the building is mostly empty of staff now anyway, a far cry from 2GO’s glory days of the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s, even early 2000’s.
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Here is the listing: https://www.realestate.com.au/property-other-nsw-gosford-144694840
It includes pictures of the current office/studio of Triple M/Hit Central Coast.
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Sounds like the final nail in 2GO’s coffin.
It would have been hilarious if Sarah King was the agent selling it. She is in the same agency Central Coast Real Estate Agents - Raine & Horne Gosford & East Gosford
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Only somewhat hyperbolic?
Even in small markets SCA has retained studio space. If Mildura can have two studios I highly doubt Gosford wouldn’t.
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I don’t think Gosford is subject to the same local content requirements as other regional locations like Mildura.
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I wonder if this will mean Hit 101.3 and Hit 106.9 Networked 24/7, and Triple M Newcastle and Gosford too.
They will then only need a sales office on the Central Coast.
This would leave Star 104.5 as the only live and local commercial fm station on the CC.
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All a bit speculative I’d think.
Question I have is; how long does it typically take to build new commercial studios/office, re a move of studio location? Surely they already have their eye on a new location & have sufficient time to relocate?
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Thankfully Newcastle is still live and local from 6am to 3pm, but that is really faint praise.
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Can confirm the stations are relocating. No changes to programming/operations.
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They aren’t moving most of the staff to Newcastle are they?
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As mentioned in a previous post, they’re relocating elsewhere on the coast (somewhere in Gosford, Tuggerah or Erina)
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Local content requirements apply in every regional market - Gosford is a regional market.
metropolitan licence area means:
(a) a licence area in which is situated the General Post Office of the capital city of:
(i) New South Wales; or
(ii) Victoria; or
(iii) Queensland; or
(iv) Western Australia; or
(v) South Australia; or(b) the licence area known as Western Suburbs Sydney RA1.
regional licence area means a licence area that is not a metropolitan licence area.
Triple M currently exceeds their minimum local content by broadcasting a local mornings shift in addition to breakfast. Hit is now running the bare minimum 3 hours in mornings.
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In what way? I thought all regionals were the same in terms of content requirements - everywhere outside of the 5 major cities?
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I thought Gosford, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Geelong, Sunshine Coast were all “provincial”, not regional.
I think AA has cleared up my misconception on that front.
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