If I’m not mistaken 2WS was a fairly high rating station with a lot of community support out in the Western suburbs, even while still on AM. The switch to 101.7 definitely resulted in a ratings increase but at the same time, I don’t think they were doing poorly while still on 1224AM.
By contrast, it’s to my understanding that 6iX has been Perth’s lowest rating commercial station for a while now despite running the “Forever Classic” music format that’s reasonably well received by radio enthusiasts. The current format might get a few more listeners on FM, but it’d be unrealistic to expect another 2WS-like scenario these days because people just aren’t as loyal to their radio stations as they used to be.
Possibly because the then-still Albert family owned ARN would’ve had their eyes on Wesgo (including 2WS) during the 1107AM > 106.5FM conversion process and didn’t want to face any backlash over 2UW disappearing?
While I wasn’t around to experience 2UW and 2WS before the FM conversions, what I have read suggests that both had reasonably similar music formats during the Late 1980s/Early 1990s.
*2WS was quite a successful station during the Hits & Memories days, then for a while post-FM switch with “The Best Songs of All Time”.
*Current day WSFM is reasonably successful, usually in the Top 5 although the station has fallen down a bit from their Early-Mid 2018 ratings highs.
The Late 1990s and Early 2000s were a reasonably dark period for 2WS/WSFM though, as major changes and cutbacks were sweeping the station. Almost all elements that made 2WS one of Australia’s great radio stations pre-1998 had disappeared by time Jonesy & Amanda first presented the breakfast show together.
It’s ironic that in Nova’s submission they use ACMA’s responsibility of the aims of the Broadcasting Services Act as an argument against the conversion to FM, whereas it clearly is an argument for the conversion to FM of 6iX, 6PR and the ABC:
a. to promote the availability to audiences throughout Australia of a diverse range of radio and television services offering entertainment, education and information; and
b. to provide a regulatory environment that will facilitate the development of a broadcasting industry in Australia that is efficient, competitive and responsive to audience needs; and
c. to promote the role of broadcasting services in developing and reflecting a sense of Australian identity, character and cultural diversity; and
d. to promote the availability to audiences throughout Australia of television and radio programs about matters of local significance; and
e. to promote the provision of high quality and innovative programming by providers of broadcasting services; and
f. to encourage providers of commercial and community broadcasting services to be responsive to the need for a fair and accurate coverage of matters of public interest and for an appropriate coverage of matters of local significance.
Also Nova’s submission uses the spurious argument that 6PR and 6IX will likely change formats to target the youth demographic, if converted to FM, as a case against it. I doubt very much whether this will happen as 6PR belongs to a national talk network. If Nine were going to go for a music format on FM, which most likely wouldn’t happen, it would be 6GT’s format of 70s, 80s. I also doubt whether Grant Broadcasters will blow up 6IX and move to a CHR format. If anything, Nova should support the FM conversion so they can offer to buy the license down the track and launch Smooth FM in Perth.
I’m not sure you can rule out 6iX moving target to a younger audience if they switch to FM. That seems almost inevitably what happens with FM stations in metro markets. Is there a commercial FM station in any capital that targets 40 and 50yos? Not even Smooth does anymore. There’s definitely no FM station playing 60s and 70s music like 6iX is today.
If the ABC Relocates One of the AM Stations to FM, it’s most Likely 6IX will Relocate to the Frequency that Station Vacated to Improve Reception and Close 1080am Down.
Yes any of 585, 720 and 810. Certainly 720 booms through but I think that radiates at the highest power (not just a lucky frequency)? But then with 6iX on DAB, who cares about AM? All this hoo-hah regarding how precious FM is (converting to it or preventing others from doing so) makes me wonder why bother investing in DAB at all given it is technically superior (if only it was a given a chance by regulating the bit rates and compression, funny that all FM stations sound the same quality wise, but there is a vast difference between DAB stations, and not just due to the bit rates).
I remember when it was very hard to find stations that streamed in the early 2000’s. Streaming was everywhere until about 2001 then it slowed down for a few years until 2005/06.
Then of course there was the Mexican standoff between Commercial Radio Australia and PPCA in 2013/14 which has since been resolved to an extent.
Regionally, it will be hard to shut down analogue stations as streaming out there even now can be hit and miss in alot of places.
I think it was due to increasing costs (and perhaps the Late 1990s/Very Early 2000s “dot com” tech bubble bursting) that many stations turned off their livestreams around 2001ish, before reinstating them around 2005ish.
Yeah, the use of DAB+ by Australian broadcasters as a means of reducing music royalty costs for all those new online streaming stations has probably given the platform a longer lifespan than it otherwise may have had.
Perth won’t be able to sustain 3 CHR stations on FM. Grant Broadcasters may take it slightly younger but it will still by and large target the over 40s as there is a gap in the market for a station targeting that audience, musically speaking. I would say with the switch to FM, 6IX should pick up more listeners and increase share by at least 1-2 points. They will likely pick up even more listeners with a switch to a Smooth FM (in its early days) type format.
That’s not correct. The ABC and SBS just did a big upgrade to improve sound quality on DAB+ as well as FM, around the country. It has made a huge difference and would have cost them a not insignificant amount of money.
Also, ARN have recently launched TikTok trending and MTV Sounds in Sydney. Nova have launched DAB+/ streaming channels in December last year and SCA investing in more content with their suite of Hit and MMM network branded stations, SoundCloud and Australia Today channels.
Yes and a lack of competition. As soon as DMG bought their second FM licenses in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Nova 106.9 Brisbane, then the other networks turned internet streaming back on. This happened around mid-2004.
Surely I can’t be the only one who thinks 6IX won’t sell and won’t substantially reformat. It’ll look like 2XL to XL FM, tiny tweaks but otherwise substantially the same format on FM.
Probably 6iX would tweak its “Forever Classic” format towards that of XLFM/2GN/3GG, probably using the same log as those three, should they convert to FM.
Nor I. It’s almost as if it’s deliberate & they want that technology platform to fail.
I’d go as far as to call out their avoidance of mentioning the words ‘DAB’ or ‘Digital Radio’ on air as bizarre.
Depends on whether they want to increase market share. They will inevitably lose some listeners going from AM to FM, and need to grab the attention of those on FM to discover it. If not they should be bought out by those that can and did (like West Coast Radio!)
Also I read the 6iX submission and they are going out of their way to go to FM, even offering financial support and technical assistance for community radio stations that need to relocate. I am sure they want to recoup those costs by keeping and growing their market share. So they will need to look at who is on FM and offer a competitive alternative that doesn’t alienate the current listener base, and I can only think of a Smooth FM / The Wave type of change playing music from the late 70s to the 90s, more focussed on smooth/soft/pop format since Triple M and 96fm are already doing rock.
You don’t think the ABC cares about digital radio? That’s total nonsense.
Of course they care as they are investing in it! They have hundreds of thousands of listeners on their DAB+ only stations and have more announcers on Double J than any other DAB+ station, including those run by their commercial counterparts.