I agree. The only Hit (or Triple M) stations with any chance of having the brand reverted back to a local one are in some metropolitan and major regional markets: Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle…maybe Hobart and the Gold/Central Coasts at a stretch but that’s about it.
If any station should be completely renamed (but not to Hit 104.1), by a long shot it’s 2DayFM after a decade or more of that brand being tainted by scandal. Although with the station actually acknowledging they’ll be 40 years old in 2020, this won’t happen.
I dont see Perth changing anything. Actually having a name looks better IMO as Hit92.9 instead of just a frequency, and the expensive task of rebranding to PMFM which 3/4 of their target demo probably either vaguely remember, or wouldn’t remember at all . Those former PMFM listeners are likely to be listening to Mix94.5 now anyway.
Exactly my thoughts. The chances of the PMFM brand ever being revived are approximately the same as 101.FM Melbourne (different network/ownership I know, but still…) being known as TTFM again: Very slim to none, especially since it’s been dead for nearly two decades.
Could’ve sworn it was 2000, but yeah you’re right.
Was quite interesting going through the Internet Archive looking at the old websites. They used allnew929.com for a bit, then 929.com.au, before switching to hit.com.au.
And I’d also completely forgotten Basil Zempilas was part of a breakfast show some time in that time period.
If they are actually getting rid of the Hit name across the other metros, they’d have to do Perth as well surely?
I think you’re right about PMFM not being used though, as good as a name as it is. The domain name pmfm.com.au is no longer owned by SCA, a facilities management company PM Facilities Management owns it now.
Unless they go for a new unique name that’s obviously better than Hit, I don’t think it would matter. I only bad thing I see about Hit92.9 is that it doesn’t exactly flow off the tongue very well.
I don’t think many people see any Perth station and compare it their East Coast equivalent, so I don’t think many listeners will care that the others get new/old names, and they have the same
Changing hit105 is a mistake if they go in that direction IMO, their music is more aligned with the hit network and has good presence in Brisbane.
Of course some people still refer to it as B105, but that is a legacy thing and always happens with rebrands long after they’ve changed names.
An example of this (whilst not strictly radio) is TK Maxx, most people I know still refer to it as Trade Secret even though they changed their name in 2017.
They were still using the “All New 92.9” position through January 2002 as I was holidaying there at the time. No idea when it was dropped. Zara, Troy and Bernie were on breakfast at the time.
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