The Christian O’Connell Show has today marked 6 years on Gold 104.3.
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Marking 6 years since the last time ARN read a market well and made a bold programming decision to cut through in it.
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it was a ballsy decision and one that i (like alot of people i suspect) didn’t think would work. I’m glad to be proven wrong though
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That’s a bit harsh. KIIS 101.1 is doing much better than it was 8 years ago.
Also, they’ve had success with 96FM, TikTok trending and iHeartAustralia.
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KIIS breakfast is sitting on a 5.9. It’s hardly moved the needle - mind you, nothing on 101.1 has since the TTFM days. Or the time Chrissie & Jane somehow went #1.
96FM was a successful station that ARN immediately wrecked with poor music programming and a bad breakfast show - they (fortunately) had the sense to undo their mistakes.
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KIIS 101.1 has come down a little this year but was in the 6s and 7s for the last 2 years which is the best it has ever been.
In the Mix days it sunk to the mid-4s.
96FM is number 1 in Perth so they have turned it around in a much tougher market than it was when Fairfax owned it.
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Is it? SCA took a downward turn when they tried to bring in more East coast elements, including the Triple M brand. Since then Nova’s the only real competition and the ratings prove it.
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Yes, if you look at the DAB and streaming options, available now, I’d say that the market is more competitive than it was in 2015.
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WSFM line up today
6-9am Jonesy and Amanda best bits
9am-2pm Bill Weaver
2-6pm Rob Kidd
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What location is Rob Kidd broadcasting from?
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He’s based in Mackay. It wouldn’t surprise me if his shift was voice tracked.
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That’s my concern. ARN have long operated metro stations in a virtual live mode and this is more of that.
Good to share the talent exposure around experienced announcers, but to not be genuinely live, regardless of location is disappointing.
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Yes he is I remember hearing him while travelling through Mackay last year
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Is this just not the metro stations rolling out what the regionals have been dong for sometime??
I think regionals are usually live since all markets get the same announcer, at least in SCA land.
But then this isn’t really new territory for ARN in metro areas, back in the late 00s or early 10s, Mix101.1 Melbourne used to voice track Karen Prater from Adelaide for mornings.
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Not in ARN land. Outside of breakfast they tend to have a local announcer who will V/T one shift and the other daytime shift will be V/T’d from another market. Some stations have both daytime shifts V/T’d from other markets.
Robb Kidd on Monday for example, would have been heard on 4MK Mackay Breakfast, 4CC Gladstone Mornings and WSFM Afternoons.
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Thanks, good to know how it works in the ARN regional markets. I think I prefer the ARN approach so that it “feels” more local. I did notice when in Tasmania some markets get the same announcer as I heard shared IDs, such as “LAFM and 7SD” and “7AD and 7BU”.
I hope there is the ability for someone to add in updated VTs if eg. there is a major event unfolding such as a major road closure or weather warning.
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But different in Tasmania. LAFM and 7SD are exactly the same except for local ads. Same for Chilli FM in Launceston and Scottsdale. (EDIT: It now looks like LAFM and 7SD have different daytime shifts.)
They haven’t had a functioning studio in Scottsdale for close to 30 years, and closed the sales office a few years ago too.
7AD and 7BU are the same outside of breakfast. Sea FM is the same in Davenport and Burnie.
Under RG Capital, they only had studios in Launceston, so had 7LA/7SD/7AD/7BU identical except for ads and Sea FM Devonport/Burnie/Scottsdale the same except for ads. Grant Broadcasters did a good job to increase local content and discover local talent across northern Tasmania.
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Metro ARN have been doing it since the Clear Channel/Irish days, when all the cutbacks happened at then 2WS and Mix 106.5 and in all other markets.
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Historical anachronism as a lack of market merging due to two station rule.
NE Tas didn’t need 7EX, 7LA Lonnie and 7SD Scottsdale. Likewise, NW Tas didn’t need 7AD & 7BU so close together, one station would suffice, especially with the excellent TX sites of 7BU, 7AD & 7LA, those AM signals boomed everywhere.
Their proximity, yet discrete markets meant common ownership was a must for viability, so any intention of diversity of ownership due to the drafting of the legislation was lost. Actually, the 1992-now BSA doesn’t have a specific test of viability, nothing like the former Act with the ABCB convening meetings in towns etc.
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