Magic is great for that. 3MP is a bit too slow for my liking (though I suppose that is its format after all).
Still amuses me how quickly Melbourne went from zero music stations on AM back to two.
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I am in my 40’s also. I am a big fan of 60’s and 70’s rock but not a fan of some pop and all disco music of the 60’s and 70’s. My top 3 decades would be the 80’s, 90’s and the 00’s.
One decade that will live on forever will be the 80’s.
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Yes indeed. TSL (Time spent listening) a lot lower for 3MP for me personally. Puts me to sleep quickly.
Can endure Magic a lot longer before switching back to FM.
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But isn’t 9Radio Music station’s lifeless voicetracking a little frustrating?
I’d rather live & interactive announcers or none at all.
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It’s a different story in Sydney, where we’ve essentially lost our last significant non-networked commercial station on analogue radio as a result of the decision to make 2CH (which although not without problems, at least had a local feel) a DAB+ only station so SEN could be on 1170AM!
Having no announcers is just as frustrating as having obviously voicetracked ones.
It’s sorta depressing how after about a year, there hasn’t been much done to grow the Nine Music stations. Granted that the pandemic hasn’t helped but even so, you’d think by now we’d at least have live & local breakfast shows + announcers (even if networked ones) in other key timeslots.
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Agreed. The music is good but the station is lacking energy that a live and local DJ can provide. Listening to old airplays from 3XY/2SM make me wish there were more old fashioned DJs linking the music together.
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Yeah it’s not ideal with the voice tracking that’s for sure. But when driving around or cycling/walking it’s still a pretty good soundtrack.
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There’s certainly room for improvement. However, I’d rather listen to Nine’s music mix with voice tracking (or no announcer at all) instead of WSFM’s music mix narrated by the best DJ in the world 
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yeah I think it’s saving money, suburban community radio is the media who has great real djs and can control the music. I am sure the people at wsfm / 2ue would love to control some of the music
I think 2sm in the 70s made steps to change music radio forever. I think in the 60s the dj mostly organised the music. I believe they pioneered having music directors and the like, I even think they even used voice tracking ,then it slowly developed into today. I am not working in the industry so I am sure some folk can correct me. There were exceptions over the years where the dj can control the music. Are there any shows on commercial radio today controlled by the dj? The last show I remember was the Cranney’s classic nine at nine on C91.3.
I don’t think there is a live request show anymore in Sydney. In the 80s there were quite a few.
So today’s 2ue is a product of this.
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Unfortunately, the commercial radio industry doesn’t work that way. Nor does it seem that the average listener knows or cares, especially since the rather obviously focus group tested Smooth 95.3 (which many seem to agree isn’t as good now as it was initially in 2012-15) is the current #1 music radio station in Sydney.
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I once rang up Star 104.5 to request “Is This How You Feel?” by The Preatures, which had just been released at the time.
The DJ answered during an ad break, and I remember explaining why the song would be a good fit for the station. She must have been impressed by my spiel, as she put me on hold while she talked to management! Ultimately though, she said that because the track wasn’t “loaded into the automation system”, it couldn’t be put to air. I was quite puzzled by that response.
Needless to say, I’ve come a long way from the naive days of my youth, and I now realise that commercial radio programming is a scientific, research-driven enterprise…
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Yes agree.
I was listening to 4BH again this morning while out cycling. In my opinion they actually do the voice tracking a lot better than Smooth. It actually sounds a lot more ‘live’ especially with Livinia Nixon. I wouldn’t be surprised if most listeners don’t realise it’s voice tracked actually. Whereas on Smooth I think it’s a lot more obvious.
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Considering one of the ‘listener feedback’ promos has someone praising them for not having anyone “talking rubbish” I don’t think they’d plan to add announcers soon.
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Get ready to count down the 500 greatest songs of all time
On Monday, February 1, Nine Radio will start the countdown for the 500 greatest songs of all time on Magic 1278, 4BH 882, 2UE 954 and 6GT DAB+.
Hosted by Stevie Jacobs, this week-long celebration will be a feast of non-stop appointment listening for music lovers right across the country.
With listeners invited to vote for their favourite tracks, the music marathon will undoubtedly ignite fierce debate as to which classic tracks should make the final cut.
The countdown will feature a roll call of the world’s greatest artists including The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, John Farnham, ABBA, The Beach Boys, Queen, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, and divas such as Aretha Franklin.
Breakfast host Stevie Jacobs said: “What makes a great song? Is it the melody, chart position or the record sales? Or is it the energy, lyrics and passion? Nothing spurs a more heated discussion than the question of what are the best ever songs. We can’t wait to unveil this year’s countdown of the 500 greatest songs of all time, with our listeners ultimately determining the playlist.”
Rolling Stone magazine published its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time in 2004, with Bob Dylan taking out the top spot with his timeless rock classic, Like A Rolling Stone.
In 2003, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age published their list of the 100 best songs of all time and determined that (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding was worthy of the No. 1 position.
Nine’s music stations are available in digital quality via online, apps, smart speakers and DAB+ as well as on 2UE 954AM in Sydney, Magic 1278AM in Melbourne, 4BH 882AM in Brisbane and 6GT DAB+ in Perth.
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No corporate history, no recognition to their heritage. Maybe this will help them?
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They certainly will need some help. Hard to imagine anyone at Nine Music could work it out
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I’m looking forward to 2UE’s lineup of all-Australian songs on Australia Day.
I’ll be listening out for rare tracks like:
- Johnny O’Keefe - Shout
- Ray Brown & the Whispers - Pride
- The Allusions - The Dancer
- Easybeats - I’ll Make You Happy
- Liv Maessen - Knock Knock Who’s There
- Ted Mulry - Julia
- Richard Clapton - Deep Water
- Models - Hold On
- Koo De Tah - Too Young For Promises
- Matt Moffitt - Miss This Tonight
If even half of these tracks are played, it will be a great day
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The last 3 on the list are particular favourites of mine.
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As long as they don’t play Crowded House…