I might be asking a stupid question here (as a Brit, I’m not often paying attention to all the ins and outs), but how has the media ended up in a position of having to make such massive cuts over the past year or so? I understand that the economy isn’t in the best place and advertising revenues have been impacted as a result, but it seems to me as an outside observer that things were relatively stable, until they suddenly weren’t.
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I’m curious about this too, as an Australian.
I suspect that ultimately it’s the small size of New Zealand’s population. A country of 5 million, which is roughly the same population as Sydney or Queensland. I often wonder at how that population can actually support so many stations and media outlets generally with that advertising revenue.
Even in places like the UK and Australia jobs are being slashed.
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I believe a large part of it has to do with a huge portion of advertising revenue going offshore to likes of Facebook/Meta (I read somewhere something like 90c for every $1) and the government seemingly sitting on its hands and doing nothing about it.
There was a bill put forward to help with this but it’s paused while they “observe” how Australia’s new legislation to combat this shakes out.
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Aotearoa’s population has increased significantly in recent years so it has nothing to do with population size (Aotearoa supported the same number of traditional media outlets with a much smaller population).
These are newspaper and radio station journo jobs we are talking about here. Aotearoa has an internet speed twice that of Australia and is a land notoriously made up of early adopters (just look at the innovations in agriculture for example). While NZME only suffered a 6% drop in advertising last year, there is a ‘big bang’ approach on how to fix things - as their annual report says Strategic transformation continues at pace. Hence mass redundancies.
It’s the way that things are done in Aotearoa, as Sir Roger Douglas once said:
Once you have defined your objectives clearly, implement reform in quantum leaps. If you advance one step at a time, the interest groups will have time to mobilise and drag you down
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I think the major cuts and losses were always inevitable but economic challenges really accelerated these changes. It’s bad, yes, but on the outside it possibly looks worse because so many media businesses in New Zealand have had to adapt all at once. It will stabilise - almost every company is going through a “digital transformation” at the moment. But that transformation should’ve happened many years ago and now media companies are trying to play catch up (along with having reduced budgets to invest in digital infrastructure/development).
In the case of NZHerald/Newstalk ZB, this is the biggest restructure in a decade (according to Media Insider column). So it’s probably about time they refocused efforts and deploy people into positions that actually add value and growth. From what I understand ZB is only losing two news reporters (vacant roles that won’t be filled).
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I am informed that, from next Monday (27 January), Magic will replace Sport Nation on 92.4FM in Whangarei. Sport Nation is moving to the low power frequency of 107.5FM and can also be heard as a live stream via the Sport Nation and rova websites and apps.
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When did the 891AM frequency in Wellington get switched off? Is The Breeze (or Magic) not on AM there anymore?
That’s such a shame there’s no more 891 kHz. Such a part of history. Gone.
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I wonder if it has been sold to Radio Aotearoa, like the Radio Dunedin frequency was. They do want to get rid of their remaining AM frequencies.
It appears that the two Wellington frequencies, 711AM and 891AM, are now decommissioned during 2024/25. Magic is now heard on one frequency, 98.9FM (from the Kaukau and Haywards transmitters), and The Breeze are on 94.1FM (from the Kaukau transmitter) and 98.5FM (from the Fitzherbert transmitter). Sport Nation has moved to its new home on 1233AM (from the Horokiwi transmitter).
Thats quite funny and clever marketing…
I didn’t mind the old More Fm logo, even if it was quite dated. Was basically a rip off of MTVs logo
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891 used to be 2XW, I think. They’re still licensed to MW in the RSM, could it just be for maintainence? Are the other MW Licenses at Horokiwi still transmitting?
Listening to More FM Canterbury this morning. Simon sounding as sharp as ever.
6.16 DJ Sammy - Heaven
Si goes through the text machine (which he describes as basically a computer screen) of the ‘red eye club’ of listeners at this time who want Snippets… reads out the ‘Yes, yes, no, yes’
Chatter about Benson Boone coming to Aotearoa, then a little in-house quiz Commercial or PJ? Which celebs catch commercial flights, Si definitely in charge, saying 'if we take this long to do each one, we’ll be here till 9 o’clock, move it along. Bondy wins.
6.25 Mark Ambor - Belong together
6.29 Quick plug for Snippets
6.30 News
6.34 Another plug for Snippets
6.35 Pink - Just like fire
6.40 Snippets - Lana has Cotton Eye Joe, Speedy has YMCA and Si has an obscure track Johnny Clegg & Savuka - Dela, and Si is telling the other’s they’d be too young to remember. Lana talks over Simon and says it was going to happen eventually, the two talking at the same time.
6.45 Ads
6.48 Lana has a story about almost killing a cat on the way to work.
6.50 Ava Max - Forever Young
6.54 Si leads a chat about Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds - predicting a Johnny Depp/Amber Heard style legal wrangle with Justin Baldoni
6.56 LAB - Take it away (best single award at the 2023 Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards)
6.59 Si talking about looking forward to enjoying the long weekend coming up - only for the top half of the country, and then backtracks a bit talking about how people from places like Wellington and Canterbury must feel ripped off.
Si is such a natural, and sounding very much in charge of the show. And he’s so self-deprecating. He read out a text which asked ‘why is it since you’ve been back you talk so much you talk over the songs?’ Si says ‘that’s not because I talk too much, that’s because I’m hopeless’.
‘Breakfast Club’ is an apt name, as a listener you do feel part of a special little crew, Si constantly keeping you updated on what’s going on, what’s coming up. So it works on both levels, the club is the two (four) presenters and the ‘exclusive’ listener group.
This is great radio. The playlist is vibrant CHR. Across the day most hours contain one throwback from the 90s, one from the 00s, two tracks from 10s and the rest 24/25.
Expect ratings success for Si in 2025. There’s plenty of room for movement. Last survey More was 5th in Breakfast in Auckland, 2nd in Christchurch, 11th in Wellington.
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Great review.
Also Simon is the best co-host for Lana since Jason Gunn imo.
They work well together.
Speedy seems to have a lot of say, almost like the 3rd host
On a different note , it sounds as if there will be a third person joining The Edge afternoons
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@TV4 Nope.
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2025 will definitely be an interesting time on the radio horizon expect the battle to continue to play out between more and the hits
The sound are doing triple play weekend every weekend moving forward
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