Newcastle - Survey 1, 2019

[hemi340]

@Radiohead

Yes, Newcastle is too small to sustain a rock station anyway.

I believe they could, if they did the rock format right. Newcastle was once a rock city as well.

[Brianc68]

@Radiohead

Yes, Newcastle is too small to sustain a rock station anyway.

NEW could adopt a MIX Adelaide or Perth format, they rate well there.

I’m not sure I agree there. Townsville has a rock station in addition to Triple M. I notice a lot of small to mid size markets in the US have stations that are rock oriented classic hits stations. An example in a bigger market over there is K-Earth although even that one has softened a bit lately and gone a bit “80s AC”, but it still is “rock leaning”.

[crankymedia]

@thesub1

leave 2HD to round the clock classic hits.

One to tackle Triple M and the other to take on 2NUR.

From a week of sampling 2NUR in market, it is more sleepy than classic hits. More towards a beautiful music format in the day.

@thesub1

That would mean two separate logs meaning more work that Bill wouldn’t want.

They run two streams of talk breaks, one for NEW, the other for the network.

Caralis network has run local variations of network formats, the example I can remember is one I shared recently of 4AK when James Yelland was sent up there to help out the Toowoomba stations. 4AK was run on its own format, complimentary to that of 4GR and CFM, all out of a computer outside of local shifts, which may have been extended to three shifts 6am - 6pm.

It is possible, so it can be done again if the willpower is there.

@Radiohead

I think NEW need to get a big name personality or two on the brekky shift, a new modern logo (the current one is basically 30 years old!), and spend some $$$ in promotions with giveaways and advertising on TV.

Agree, Hot Tomato was no instant success. Five years in, they invested in the station and reaped the rewards. NEW would similarly benefit.

@hemi340

Smooth type station, with a little bit of local talk.

Laws and Gilbert should be retained. Graeme knows how to keep the Newcastle oldies happy with his numerous references to decades gone by in Newy.

@thesub1

Bathurst has great variety that Newcastle could follow

Ron, Stephanie and Phil read the market right in positioning both stations in the mid 90’s for the supplementary licences.

@RFBurns

TBH none of those ratings are anything to write home about (even SCA).

Thank you, well said.

@RFBurns

Back before NEWFM started, 2NX & even before that 2KO, were pulling high 40’s, I think on occasion over 50% in the ratings.

Correct, anecdotally been told the same. @HUFF may have some historical surveys?

@RFBurns

Even with 102.9’s (sarcastic) excellent 16.8%, 83.2% of Newcastle listeners are NOT listening to 102.9 for whatever reason, which in my books doesn’t mean what’s going to air is either good, working or successful? You might have topped the class, but you’ve failed miserably.

Exactly, four commercial stations and an ABC rebuilding itself, shares should be much higher. The fact it has been such an uncompetitive market for the best part of two decades has seen audiences drift.

@RFBurns

NX hadn’t long changed to FM with the failed high rotation CHR format of X107 all new, all hit radio.

Yet Kev Blyton continues with the delusion of attraction to this failed format. Google: X Perth and you see the same concept 30 years on.

Thankfully sanity prevailed in Canberra to put Snow on DAB+ instead of that abomination.

@RFBurns

NX didn’t come good until after NEW got sold to Caralis & it went downhill, then NX started to pickup & later SCA shifted it to the CHR format it is now, essentially back to where it was No.1 as 2NX before NEWFM started.

Exactly, it only went to #1 because the competition faltered. Taken years to go on a big circle of formats to enjoy a few years of success which is now behind it.

@thesub1

It’s the same music, just played separately (if that makes sense).

I think NewFM have more talk breaks than the regionals as well.

Correct. Less generic, local sells for bfast and so on.

@Brianc68

jarring Triple M format of music, sport, talk just pushes people away and they end up finding alternatives.

Lack of focus and consistency indeed is what I picked up in market this year.

2NUR would be much more successful if they reduced their average age to flank the FM commercials upper end of target audiences.

@Ant5476

Paul Lobb read the local news after the national news taken from 2UE from memory.
The sound of the station then was not up to that of New Fm at the time. I have no idea of ratings as they were not as easily accessible as they are now.

Sorry if this is to radio history.

Don’t be sorry, great memories.

Paul Lobb for those beyond northern NSW is the #1 newsreader at NBN since Ray Dinneen retired. Great reading presentation.

@Radiohead

so yeah, not terribly consistent.

And this will always be the downfall of stations in Newcastle. The audience demands consistency the same way they have received that consistency in what the more impatient Media Spy members would consider mind numbingly large proportions from NBN, especially from their news bulletins.

Instead of trying to change the market, give the audience what they want.

@RFBurns

might have to move this to radio history

Great memories thank you and all for them.

@RFBurns

so NX News was actually read out of the on air studio, & I used to sit next to Georgie while she’d read the News.

You need a job on the Today show

@Ant5476

Re Don Dawkins he then moved to Canberra to Fm104.7, and then to 2CA before retiring?

I recall the same.

FM104.7 are all the poorer for their move away from this and their talent losses.

@hemi340

Newcastle was once a rock city as well.

And still has the audience for it.

@Brianc68

Townsville has a rock station in addition to Triple M. I notice a lot of small to mid size markets in the US have stations that are rock oriented classic hits stations

And very smart too, program alternative formats rather than 2 x 2 duplication.

[HUFF]

@crankymedia

Back before NEWFM started, 2NX & even before that 2KO, were pulling high 40’s, I think on occasion over 50% in the ratings.

Correct, anecdotally been told the same. @HUFF may have some historical surveys?

RFBurns:

Before New and KOFM signed on, the market’s big three commercial outlets basically split the audience. 2HD, 2NX and 2KO averaged high 20s/low 30s in the 80s. In the late 70s 2NX and 2KO averaged mid 30s, with 2HD generally in 3rd in the mid 20s. Going back to my earliest data in 1976 (which to be fair is not completely exhaustive), I don’t show any surveys with any station above a 35 share in the overall audience.