We already have Triple M doing rock.
I think NEW would be best served with a more contemporary format, akin to Star104.5, that covers 80s to now with a good blend of rock and pop.
Promotions and imaging are NEW FMs Achilles heel. They don’t spend enough $$$$ in this area.
Perhaps NEW should invest (unlikely with Bill) in music research? Find the gap, find what tests well and go from there?
Agree, he needs to invest in more than just research though, talent, promotions, imaging also need $$$$.
Yes.
I think a lot of people in Newcastle do listen to Star 104.5. I don’t see why NewFM couldn’t copy what Star 104.5 is doing. Why not? It’s working great for them on the Central Coast. NewFM could really pull it off if done right.
I listen to Star 104.5 online every couple of weeks. Really slick station. @Radiohead is on the money. If NewFM got their product right along with promotions and imaging it could really make a big impact. They just need to have the discipline to follow it through.
I agree with above. Make NewFM return to REAL rock. I’ve said it before - share the log with sister station B-Rock and run the network feed separately, or from up & coming announcers based in Sydney like they used to do in the 131009.net days.
New could easily skew younger than Triple M and their current audience will be fine given Hit106.9 plays more variety these days.
Young people don’t really listen to rock these days, they like the doof doof stuff.
That’s why Triple M skews older for rock… as Sydney tried getting younger listeners with a modern rock format about 5-10 years ago and they just weren’t there.
I completely forgot about that experiment they did on Triple M Sydney. I look at Triple M mid 90’s to early 00’s as the benchmark for any rock station. If there was a way to replicate that formula I’m sure they would have. I think Newcastle can’t handle two rock stations. The Triple M brand has surprisingly stuck well (probably the only SCA convert that has?). No way would NewFM hold up against that. They have all the ingredients to make a great Adult Contemporary station.
Yes, while I think many of us would love to see New FM return to it’s rock roots I think in reality it’s future would be more successful as an AC station. It could still play a few rock tracks. Surprisingly even mainstream softer AC stations in the US like KOST-FM in LA do still play some rock tracks and make it work well.
I used a VPN to listen to this station today. Really great format and executed so well. Do you think a few Australian A/C stations would use them as inspiration?
Reading into the last 2 years of surveys in Newcastle. If NewFM were serious they could potentially win the 25-54 m/f demo with a disciplined A/C format. It would take them 3-5 years but in the long term it would become a great cash cow for Bill.
It’s definitely a possibility… SCA have struggled elsewhere when good competition is put in front of them … they are only really #1 and #2 in Newcastle at the moment because the local competition isn’t strong,
If 97.3 in Brisbane and Mix 102.3 in Adelaide copied KOST they would both pull away from the pack, no doubt in my mind.
2HD OB with Richard King from the Newcastle Caravan, Camping, Lifestyle Expo this weekend.
I’m mostly interested in what’s in the mobile OB rack.
There’s two wireless mic receivers and three wireless headphone transmitters (all Sennheiser) below what I believe is a radio tuner for audio at the location. At the bottom is obviously a rack mounted mixer which judging by the faders isn’t being used - and since they’re using the larger (but discontinued) tieline unit which has four mic inputs and a fifth stereo input, I would guess the mics and headphones are just plugged directly into the tieline.
Can’t be sure about the laptop use in this instance, but at some BOG stations they load up Simian and have a fully operating playout system live on location - saving the need for a panel op. At a guess though that’s not the case here.
I’d love to hear NewFm with more slick production, and adapt the playlist a bit. Some song choices, especially in their 90s lunch hour and weekend four plays are quite obscure. It’s music like that, that alienates their audience. I think they need to refine the music library. As you say, like Star 104.5. Keep some 80s and 90s, and dabble more into 00s and today.
Bold fantasy, but what if NewFm lived up to it’s name and played “new” music more often. Maybe even follow what the edge in Sydney did, and only play songs that are x amount years old. Tighten the playlist a bit.
the music sounds like its just a genarate and move onto other task’s… the problem with slicker production, bill doesnt pay for production suites at all so its what ever you can find. and you can here it on air, nothing compliments anything, sounds like an mp3 player with some branding
Hit 106.9 lineup this long weekend:
Friday: Nic Kelly and MC
Saturday: Nic Kelly and Pez
Sunday & Monday: Sean Brown
Great talent, and some great music too! It does makes you think, the recent SCA casual jobs they’ve got going, will it ease the workloads for these announcers as they all are full time (some in other markets)?
NewFm lineup this long weekend:
Friday: Brandon and Jackson
Saturday: Jt and Brandon
Sunday: Brandon and Michael
Monday: Brandon and Matty
Again, great talent in Brandon and Jackson. Music still a bit off at times. Good to see them experiment with new songs in recent weeks (Mimi Webb, Camilla Cabello). A bit over hearing Gayle “ABCDEF” next to a Bon Jovi album track. Newfm need to stick in one lane of music.
2HD lineup:
Pete Davis on air Friday, Saturday and Monday. He’s great! Dave Sutherland & Cochrane complimenting the lineup. Caught a bit of Rick Dunlop in the wee hours of Saturday I think it was? He’s not too bad. Plays a bit more music than talk I found. Didn’t catch who was on Monday afternoon?
Didn’t catch Triple M I’m afraid. I know Ben Stevenson (Hit Coffs) has been doing some time on the M’s in Gosford. Sounds great. Maybe worth getting him on one of the SCA stations in Newcastle?
Nix was on most of the days from what I heard.
Tim Lynn was on Monday afternoon, I think he’s ex-NEW FM?
