I predicted before MSR launched that it would basically be NTS on analogue - I was obviously wrong, but I think that could be the future of the station. MSR would take a while to actually disappear, but I expect to slowly see the withdrawal of unique content.
So, they kill off the split Melbourne only content in October, have nights and daytime programming never return from a break over new year, and then leave breakfast and drive as the only shifts, which I think will stay sports content for a while to come, but I think it will stop being sports talkback.
I think you will see them start to run repeats of calls of afl/nrl matches, and fill the rest of the time with news, playing out long form interviews/press conferences and content already broadcast on 3AW/2GB, and overflow sports broadcasts.
I say that because I don’t see them returning to music formats, but they will want to cut costs on a network not making money.
I’m willing to predict that current format of Macquarie Sports Radio will only last until the end of the year, with some programs going on a Summer break they won’t return from. Overlap sports coverage would continue, but that’s just about it as far as “premium” content is concerned.
NTS and Macquarie Sports probably merge to become “Macquarie Radio Extra” (or a brand among those lines) sometime in Early 2019, continuing to run local advertising/news but networked content the rest of the time which might include things like daily 30/60 minute compilation programs of key 2GB/3AW shows in off-peak timeslots.
That’s not a new cross promotion. 3AW have been promoting MSR for a while just as they once promoted Talking Lifestyle. They ought to know by now that this cost-effective form of promotion is having no effect at all. The most notable ratings of concern for MSR, for the second survey running, are not their figures but instead the performance of 4KQ in Brisbane. Consider that 3AW is the only other commercial station across the five major capitals to be number one for all people 55+. 4KQ has achieved the same number one ranking with a music format on the AM band! To repeat, all people 55+, not just 65+. Oh and they went up slightly in all demos 18-54. Which leads to the question: what’s the expiry date on good music? According to Macquarie, the expiry date was February 2017 when Magic 1278 got the axe. I supported them moving on from Magic but even I assumed too much that Melbourne could accommodate an additional talk station. Actually, news-talk listeners are now choosing between three talk stations at breakfast time in Melbourme, with RN breakfast pulling almost half the audience of Melbourne’s 774 and RN is getting over a 3 per cent share overall. So it’s not that listeners in Melbourne are entirely satisfied with just 3AW, 774 and the sports talk SEN. I personally flick a lot between 621 (RN) and NewsRadio (1026) for that In depth analysis of issues (which is what Talking Lifestyle was also good at in its own way). But the ABC obviously covers that ground sufficiently enough that there’s little or no need for Macquarie to cover those niches while SEN struggles enough as a specialist sports offering without 1278 attempting almost the same format. So without meaning to sound like a broken record, I recommend 1278 start playing them again. I think consideration of generational shift combined with consideration of positioning (there’s already a Smooth FM promoting itself as “easy”) leads me to fixate on how well 4KQ are going and how indicative it is of what, at least, Macquarie ought to be doing with Melbourne’s 1278. I acknowledge there’s a fan base for MSR’s migrated (from SEN) drive show and I accept Brisbane MSR (without competition from Sky Sports in Sydney and SEN in Melbourne) had a jump in ratings. Yet this is an overwhelmingly sad survey which reveals that collapse of once great 2UE (beaten by Sky Sports in breakfast and even beaten by horse racing the remainder of the day in so-called NRL heartland). The survey so bad for former 2UE that I can no longer assume MSR is viable in any market. It would appear 954 has as challenging task pulling in listeners as some NRL clubs at pulling in live crowds at games (NRL being in the ironic position of Melbourne Storm being one of its most successful clubs). Even if you provide MSR some benefit of doubt for the foreseeable future north of the Murray (given the way Macquarie networks it’s stations between Sydney and Brisbane), they ought to pull the plug in Melbourne first. It’s not that Melbourne isn’t sports mad. It’s just that the market is already well sliced and diced and Melbourne doesn’t need Sport on 1278. Time to go back to servicing refugees of music radio irritated by the Manicured play listing of FM radio. No station in Melbourne playlists like 4KQ in Brisbane or Breeze on the Gold Coast.
Isn’t the talked about agreement between Macquarie Media and 2CH that Macquarie can’t operate a music radio station in Sydney just rumour? I have never read anything official about it - MediaSpy is the only website I have seen it mentioned. A radio station owner dictating how another radio station owner operates would seem to be anticompetitive.
Yep as far as I know it’s just a rumour, and seems unlikely to me. They were looking for every excuse under the sun to delay the sale of 2CH so I doubt they would have agreed to something like that. They would have used it as a delaying tactic and told ACMA they couldn’t find a reasonable deal they could agree to.
Even if there was such an agreement, it would only be for a limited time anyway - probably a maximum of 3 years, if not shorter.
But then the sale got taken out of their hands after delaying too much. Deloitte handled the final sale and MRN would have had very little room to move on a reasonable offer. Such a clause would be reasonable, as similar restraint of trade clauses are common with all business sales. If such a clause existed, it would most likely be confidential and neither party would have any reason to make it public anyway.
50/50 Joint Venture With Crocmedia And Introduce the SEN name in Brisbane (882 SEN) And Sydney (954 SEN) And Return 1278 back to Music as Magic 1278. Nobody in Sydney cares about 2SM Anyway.
I think people are just getting a tad negative here… we need to look for the positives. We just need to give them a hand with their ratings spin - such as
MSR1278 has achieved over three times the cume of NTS in Melbourne or
more popular than Nova 100 and Triple J combined ( with the over 65s).
They might merge MacQuarie Sports Radio with SEN rebrand MacQuarie Sports Radio sydey & Brusbvane as SEN Sell Ckassic Ruck Radio To Grant Broadcasters move SEN Melbourne ti 1278 the add the MacQuarie Sports Low Melbourne ratinbgs to SEN’s higher ratings
