If you could create the perfect radio station...

Funnily enough when MMM first went national in 1995 with some guy from JJJ programming I really loved them.

The music really was really really different (but not in a complete alternate kind of way).

Richard Stubbs in breakfast was great. It just sounded so fresh and kinda played up the whole national thing (like JJJ do).

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Yeah it was a lot better then. They should have stuck with that.

and what a success that was (not)! They sounded more like a commercial version of JJJ, even poached Andy Glitre who did his “Rhythm Method” dance music show. It lasted less than a month before MMM Melbourne returned to its more familiar rock format.

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I wasn’t a real fan of it at the time - but it’s still better than what they’re doing now as a sports/talk station playing only the narrowest rock. Maybe they should have given it more than a month. They seem to let stations grind down to nothing these days before admitting a mistake - e.g. Talking Lifestyle, 2day-fm

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I think my perfect radio for music would be anything from the 60s today, all types of music rock/pop/top 40/slow music etc. That is why I like SWRs “normal format”.

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Following on from the discussions on the MSR thread that music will come next on 1278…

https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/macquarie-sports-radio/116/1389?u=rob_melb_au

… a bit of a hypothetical of the first hour of programming.

Music wise, I think the answer is what I’ll call “adult rock” being a mix of rock, indie rock and R&B. With Grubby and Dee Dee on the Macquarie payroll, I’d be throwing a few bucks in the way of Radio Hellas for a frequency swap and a relaunch of the “Rock of Melbourne” 3XY. Why Adult Rock? - generating the same playlists that are available easily enough on spotify won’t win the listeners - so I’m aiming for an element of familiarity, an element of Australian content and an awareness that any station is not really going to rate more than a 5 share, so you have a bit more freedom… Anyway, assuming there’s 12 songs in the hour, here’s one hour:

  1. Six Blade Knife - Dire Straits
  2. No Secrets - Missy Higgins
  3. Why Can’t I Be You (Acoustic) - The Cure
  4. Ultraviolet - Psuedo Echo
  5. Made it to the Harbour - The Tiger & Me
  6. I’d Like to Change the World - Ten Years After
  7. My Goodness - Emma Donovan & The Putbacks
  8. Promised You a Miracle (Acoustic Version) - Simple Minds
  9. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles
  10. 25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago
  11. Exerciser - Rhubarb
  12. Bushfire - Midnight Oil

Over to youse…

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Pinguin Classics out of The Netherlands is one of my new favourite online radio stations. This is what Double J should sound like.

I’ll take a listen. How would you describe it? Adult alternative?

The closest description would be classic alternative. It throws in some new (ish) alternative music and even some classic rock and oldies, too. I reckon the closest to this type of format would be what airs on Rage (and I’ve always wanted a Rage-type music station).

Radio Paradise is my favourite adult alternative station; it’s much more laid back than Pinguin Classics.

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I always say, a good station is a station with variety. Everybody’s loves there iPod when on shuffle. I’m 46 and love everything from 70’s to now (current) Would love a station that’s basically plays an iPod shuffle more so the stuff you don’t hear flogged everyday.

iPod FM or if digital iPod shuffle.
Kevin Hillier and D Generation for Breakfast.
Announcer 9:00 to 12:00 inc 9@9.
Announcer 12:00 to 16:00 inc Electric lunch (live)
Phil O’Neil 16:00 to 19:00 drive
Adult Rock 30 show 19:00 to 22:00.
Announcer 22:00 to 1:00 Homegrown, midnight Rock Album played track by track.

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I’d like a station in Australia to adopt the same playlist as The Sound or Coast in NZ.

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Yeah I agree about the variety across the decades. I’m 49 and like stuff from the 60s right up to some current music. Admittedly the core of my favourites are from late 70s to late 80s but agree with your point entirely.

That’s why I just don’t understand why stations like WS and Gold seem to have dropped all 60s and 70s. Surely their target audience of 40 - 55yo are like us and still enjoy some 70s music at least. That’s where Smooth has the edge for me, playing stuff from the 60s through to now. Other stations that do this as well are Zinc 96. To be fair even the metro Triple Ms are sounding broader than WS these days - that’s when they actually are playing music of course and not the sport.

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I know it is unlikely and being AM but I would like to see 2UE become a nostalgia station playing the “2UE Top 40” from the start until their Charts stopped (in the 80s?) with a little current music mixed in. Bringing back the disc jockeys from this period may be a tad hard!! Currently I am listening to Carolina Classic Hits on Simple Radio on my mobile and on the net.

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So I was like if I was to create the perfect station what would I do and I came up with this for myself:

Starter 108 - The BEAT Of Sydney (http://starterfm.com)
A dance music and uptempo style station without ads just continues music with a small amount of specialist music and programs.

Still working on it so up for any suggestions.

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If you could create a radio station that was perfect for you would would it sound like?
I live in Sydney and I would love a station that:

  • played music from the 80s to now. It would focus on the hits that do not get played on smooth or WSFM (such as Kajagoogoo, Duran Duran, Jamiroquai) and the more upbeat music from now. There would be little repetition of the older hits and I would be constantly surprised at the 80s and 90s music that was played.
  • Would be local 24/7
  • Would have 60 second news updates on the hour (as I get most of my news from smh.com.au and the ABC)
  • Would have local DJs (both male and female) 24/7
  • Would focus on playing music 24/7 - including at breakfast and at drive
  • Would give me local information about Sydney including weather, sport and events that were happening in my city
    This sort of station would get me tuning back to radio and away from Spotify and youtube (which I now prefer to watch when I hit the gym).
    I know this is never going to happen but it would be my dream station.
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That would be my kind of station too.

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Make sure they play rare tracks. From 60s to today. The other important angle is the DJs. They need to be interested in music and in control of some of the songs too. Also live and local and unique. A slight different spin on the music depending on the DJ. We lack this today in commercial radio.

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Imagine a radio station that did give the DJs some say over the music they played. It would really get people to connect and engage to a particular DJ. There would be an issue with the coherence of the station but it would sure “sound different”.

Commercial radio would never dare do this anymore. But I would love it.

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It already happens, and it’s called community radio!

True but in my experience most community radio hosts have horrific taste. :slight_smile:

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