Nine Radio (Music)

Yeah sorry, I failed to consider 98.9 Brisbane. But now you mention it, it goes to show many major markets do have Country music, including Canberra. And yes, I can understand counterpoints as to why Pacific Star ought to be independent of Macquarie. I agree you wouldn’t want Macquarie imposing the same mindset on SEN, such as limiting live footy calls to their news talk. I’ve just spent a while exploring on this thread any number of ways you could get a better service for listeners, particularly on the AM band in Melbourne. None of those ideas are what will probably materialise anyhow so raising them at all is to point out possible alternatives to what is happening now. Because whatever the alternatives are, they are probably better than what’s happening now. MSR is a disaster and raises questions about how legitimate it was to have such low regard for Talking Lifestyle. A 3 per cent share in Sydney is still better than a less than 1 per cent. It’s horribly short term thinking for 2GB to celebrate killing off its rival when it’s now meant to be its stablemate. I doubt there’s a market for MSR at all. Moving live sports to it actually doesn’t make sense if that brings down 2GB’s ratings. The format itself and where it fits in the market just wasn’t thought through. They dumped Talking Lifestyle yet retained and entrenched the very mindset that took 2UE and Magic into such sharp decline. Now almost no one is listening,hence the ownership questions I raise. Do they really need to own those stations at all?

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Imagine if there’s some in MRN thinking about a return to TLS?

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Yes that’s what “he’s” referring to.:roll_eyes: Macquarie should try digital stations. Oh wait, they can’t program what they’ve already got properly.

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They currently have “NTS” as a DAB+ only station, although it’s largely a waste of space IMO.

In the past, they have operated comedy station “The Crack” and may have had something like “2GB Plus” (or was it “2GB Extra”?) on the Sydney DAB trials around the Mid-Late 2000s before the current DAB+ broadcasts began.

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Yes, it was 2GB Plus, at least at some point. One idea I recall they had was a headline news channel. But Singo really had, and still has, no idea about digital. For a very successful and creative advertising guy it’s baffling that he still stuck in the distant past.

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You know what 2GB Plus or 4BC Plus on digital is probably a good idea. They could try to monetise DAB the same way SCA has done with the MMM and Hit digital stations by aggregating the analogue and digital audiences. Several UK stations seem to do this too - Heart, Smooth and Magic for example.

As for the AM stations for me the choice is still obvious. Easy Listening on 882 and “4KQ” clone on 1278, supplemented with DAB of course. As for 2UE a hybrid lifestyle talk/music combo.

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NTS IS a waste of space much like MSR! Macquarie need to be a lot more creative. 2GB Plus, 3AW Plus or 4BC Plus are all bad ideas. They rely on the “oldies” and right wingers keeping them up there with 2GB and 3AW. As an “oldie” and non right winger I wouldn’t be caught dead listening to either! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: We don’t need more of the same.

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How about using paragraphs @Joey1026 ? Your posts are very hard to read.

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I sent him a personal message about this but no response.

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Come to think of it, it’s begs the question, when TL took over from Magic on the AM band, why couldn’t they have (like Pacific Star did with MTR and 3MP) moved Magic to (just) Digital Radio (in replacement of NTS)?

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Well…why not? Well before Talking Lifestyle, circa 1999 Fusion Media in Melbourne operated a very decent talk/music hybrid “1503 3AK - for your lifestyle”, lead by John Blackman and component co-hosts, magazine features-type features all day and gradual shift into music by the PM. Talking Lifestyle, by comparison, so hot and cold. Terrific presenters and segments much of the time, then suddenly you get dragged into a whole hour of motor cars or gardening or stain removal (geeez!). Like that just threw the concept of quarterly hour management out the window. The stigma of “Talking Infomercials” an exaggeration. The real problem was execution and not managing change (like just dumping Magic in 2017 just as they just dumped the long standing 2UE shows thus year)

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Should have read - “competent” co-hosts

Yeah alright, I work on my grammar and spacing should I add further comments :slight_smile:

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Because it’s too smaller deal with them to bother with. To be fair to Macquarie, 4KQ a part of a strong national music network. A 4KQ or 2CA or Breeze FM inspired format on 1278 would not be, even if it rates higher than 1278. So maybe…divest the licence, let someone else do it. Pursue a deal with SEN. Not to compromise its independence (I can see that could be bad). But to ensure a strong sports network perhaps better managed by the heavily sports focused Crocmedia

Should read - even if it rates higher than 1278 does now

Brad Hardie currently filling in for David Schwarz.

I totally agree @Tejas57 The synergies between Sydney and Brisbane in sporting and more general talk programming terms are much greater than between Sydney and Melbourne. There’s nothing particularly new about talk programming being networked from Sydney into Brisbane. Long before 2GB was networked on 4BC for all but 3 hours a day, 4BC would routinely take a lot of 2UE’s shows, especially overnights and weekend evenings (and John Laws back in the day), as well as Continuous Call from 2GB. The difference back then of course was that 4BC remained local for key shifts like breakfast and weekend mornings.

The best answer to the conundrum would be to have totally separate stations on 954, 1278 and 882. Each city requires a different solution. Unfortunately this is Macquarie we’re talking about, so as they openly admit they don’t want their ‘second’ stations to be too successful and a threat to 2GB or 3AW, you end up with a one size doesn’t fit all solution, run on a shoestring and with minimal investment and marketing and scant TLC.

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one of the big problems MacQuarie will have is what happens when people start tuning out from the main stations = they have nothing in house to offer an alternative. it’s like apple - the entire company is built on one product (iphone) and when people stop buying them they are stuffed

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Very true. I’m also not clear what the succession strategy is for when a key player like Alan Jones gives up his daily show - his extended absence last year impacted adversely on the ratings and it seems that advertisers were not that keen on Chris Smith covering for too long, hence they ended up with the bizarre arrangement of Ray Hadley starting at 5.30 and going through until 11.00. Again a case of putting all your eggs in one basket, relying on a small number of people to deliver your success.

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Please no, not you too. :smiley:

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