Melbourne is on track to become Australia’s largest city in the next 20 years, however Sydney still has the largest overall media market and most of the radio networks are headquartered or based out of the city.
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The Edge is the definition of a national radio network. It carries programming centralised from Syndey (North Ryde studios) and has national and local advertising in the other cities where it is broadcast. The same is true for ARNs 90s and 80s channels, as well as SCAs digital channels.
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Last time I listened to The Edge on DAB+ in Melbourne, spot breaks had wall-to-wall ads for Western Sydney.
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I’m sure radio (and TV) networks will eventually shift their main HQs to Melbourne once it overtakes Sydney as the most populated city.
I was under the impression that The Edge is a Western Sydney/Katoomba station which just happens to be broadcast on DAB+ nationally. Certainly I would not put it in the same class as the KIIS/Mix and Pure Gold Networks!
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I said ‘most’ not all. Yes 4KQ is not networked out of Sydney but here you are comparing apples and oranges. 4KQ is not a low-cost networked station like 2UE/magic/4BH.
ARN and Nine are also very different companies so you can’t compare them.
I understand it must be frustrating to have lost the old 4BH when Macquarie radio changed its format a few years ago, however there are other easy listening options in Brisbane - The Breeze in Logan, Smooth 80s, Smooth FM. You can also stream 2CH/3MP/Smooth Relax on the Radio App.
On your last point, I would still say that even though Melbourne and Sydney are the same size, Sydney is the most important media market in the country and most of the radio and media companies are based or headquartered in Sydney and most of the networks are programmed out of Sydney due to this fact.
It doesn’t matter, it is still networked from Sydney.
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It’s broadcast in North Ryde, in the same building as KIIS 1065 and WS FM. The 96.1 frequency is licensed to Katoomba but it is also broadcast on DAB+ across Sydney and networked via DAB+ to Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Simulcasting a station in multiple markets does not make a station a network.
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I’ll agree to disagree with you on that one.
EDIT: I agree it’s a simulcast if there is no local or national advertising in the markets it’s being broadcast to, and it’s just relay of 96.1, however if there is local and national advertising I would call it a network.
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Magic has a very good music playlist covering many different genres and years and to me is exciting. 3MP on the other hand just makes me want to fall asleep with the boring music selection and dull sounding presenters. To me the difference between both these stations is quite evident.
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I heard Apeman by The Kinks last night on 2UE. I tried this morning… It was more mainstream WS songs.
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They seem to get a bit more adventurous at night. A few surprises from time to time. And they even let the tracks play to the end!
Quite like 2CH?
I think better than 2CH at night. I love that Apeman song… Although I do like a lot of songs on WSFM but given they have been flogged the songs loses it magic. For example I heard We will rock you by Queen on 2UE this morning. It is a great song but it is automatic station switcher for me. I just hear it “too many times”. A bit like that Mental as Anything song 
.
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Agreed. I think Magic’s biggest problem is that no one would associate their current format with the name Magic.
3MP is basically exactly what you expect out of 3MP, while Magic is quite a good format that would please a lot of people who Gold has become too modern skewed for.
“Greatest Hits Radio” would probably be a good name for it - using “Greatest Hits - 2UE” etc in other markets. Would be a lot clearer to listeners what to expect.
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Melbourne’s Greatest Hits, 3EE.
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People in Melbourne would still think of Magic as its 90s format: music from the 40s, 50s and 60s. And some still associate Gold 104.3 with 60s and 70s music, since then Gold has got rid of 60s music and now only play a handful of 70s: mainly ABBA, Queen and Boston (More Than a Feeling). Triple M on its main station plays more 70s music (albeit classic rock) than Gold these days. If Magic rebranded as 3EE people would associate it with its unsuccessful relaunch in 1992 as a 3MP clone, it didn’t last a year and 3MP’s then-owners ended up buying it as a result.
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Most of Melbourne wouldn’t remember 3EE ever existed.
With that said, better to go after 3XY if you want a heritage callsign attached to your brand.
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I’ve found the theme music for the back in the day cafe show that airs every now and then if anybody was wondering what it was.
It’s strange that WS usually has the most run of the mill overplayed songs, but can occasionally throw in a real gem or two.
For instance, I heard Real Men by Joe Jackson once, which is the very definition of an ‘unsafe’ song (just read the lyrics!) I don’t think even 2UE has played that one.
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