Exactly! As I’ve said previously, why would you want to hide the fact that you own the iconic 2UE callsign? It’s almost like they’re ashamed of it.
Nothing would surprise me with Macquarie any more but they’ll have to get their posteriors into gear if they’re going to comply with their own announcement that they’ll be launching in time for the Commonwealth Games. Certainly as of yesterday they didn’t seem to have the presenter line-up sorted, so they’ve an awful lot of work to do if they’re going to launch in the next 7 days!
They are unlikely to air something that really competes with 2GB, 3AW or 4BC.
The whole point of Talking Lifestyle or a sports station is to be complementary to the main stations.
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Indeed. And therein lies the fundamental problem. A strategy of not aiming to be the number 1 station in your market is almost by definition not going to result in a successful station.
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Yes agree. With ARN /Nova Network /Southern Cross I don’ think they mind if either of their stations are number one. With Macquarie they are really don’t want 3aw/2gb to slip in the ratings.
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I think their strategy is flawed and narrow. Some degree of competition between the stations would be healthy. BBC are on record saying that don’t care if Radio 1 and Radio 2 compete to a certain extent. It makes both of them better.
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Yep! Being complementary is a fair enough intention, but surely the experience so far informs Macquarie that this intention has a caveat - you can’t expect this second network of stations to be totally subordinate to their main stations and expect success. Other networks don’t have this expectation of one of their stations being the main station and the other being a companion station. Clearly the format is changing and the mindset is not. The risk being the Talking Lifestyle succeeded only at wiping out what remained on the Magic listening habit and the new sports channel will succeed only with wiping out what remains of the 2UE listening habit.
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And it was the 954 Sydney ratings, inherited from 2UE, that were providing any credibility at all for this second network. The shift from 2UE to Talking Lifestyle wasn’t anything like as dramatic as the shift from Magic to Talking Lifestyle. Many of the 2UE presenters remained - John Stanley, Tim Webster, David Prior, George & Paul, Clinton Maynard, Pete Graham, Sharina, Dale Sinden etc - along with some of the shows. Many of the lifestyle topics covered would also have been covered on 2UE. There was therefore a sense of familiarity in Sydney that would have persuaded many long-standing 2UE listeners to keep their dial on 954. The change from lifestyle to non-stop sportstalk on 954 will be a different order of magnitude and is likely to lead to an exodus of long-standing listeners from 954 (and by no means certain many of them will migrate to 2GB), with an uphill battle then being faced to bring in new listeners to replace them.
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When it proves to be a disaster, hopefully new owners will invest in a low cost format with initial, sustained high cost of external marketing.
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I have one question for MML.
If a listener continually chooses to not listen to 2GB, 4BC or 3AW… now with no other option once TL’s “talk” folds, where do they expect them to go?
Again, thankfully Sydney has 2SM as another commercial talk option.
For Brisbane & Melbourne, sorry. It looks like MML have cornered you into tuning to 4BC and 3AW.
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I’m listening to more podcasts and international radio since the demise of 2UE. They certainly haven’t driven me into the arms of 2GB. I’m more determined than ever to avoid that station.
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You do comedy now @littlegezzybear ??? That was a good one.
Guess Miranda does need to be multi platform since her newspaper is suffering from shrinking circulation and relevance depravation.
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I’d like to think so too but I personally doubt Macquarie will ever let anyone else get their hands on these frequencies, especially 954 Sydney. I’m sure they’d rather run them at a loss and subsidised by their ‘main’ stations than give them up to another owner.
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She seems to be out of favour at 2GB too, haven’t heard her doing too many stand-ins since her on-air disaster last year standing in for Steve Price when she had a massive on-air fallout with Andrew Bolt!
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Its a shame 2sm is not on the ratings. If I were them, I’d poach some of the 2ue talent and have a real good go at 2gb. Its a shame George & Paul did not go to 2sm.
But then again , whatever the criticisms, it appears on the surface at least 2sm stick by their format and the announcers . I’d rather be working for 2sm than TL or Talking Sport (not the 2SM version 
).
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That’s what Macquarie media was hoping for that listeners of 2ue will move across to 2gb this didn’t happen.
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Yes instead they’ve probably given 2SM, ABC and even RN a boost. If people wanted to listen to 2GB they would already be listening.
Same thing when SCA tried to force people from Classic Rock Digital back to FM. It just didn’t happen.
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From the Facebook page for Sharina’s show:
"FAREWELL
Some of you may have heard that Talking Lifestyle is becoming Talking Sport. This Sunday night, Sharina’s Psychic Encounters will be the final show in the current format, before the station becomes 24/7 sport.
I started working on Radio 2UE when Stan Zemanek gave me a guest segment all the way back in 1990. In 1999, the segments turned into Sharina’s Psychic Encounters. I am dedicating the final show, this Sunday night, to Stan. It’s been so many years, and I feel like we are all part of a family,great friends and all - we have had our tears and our laughs and hopefully learnt something along the way. Although it is sad to be saying goodbye to the radio show, I am so grateful for all the wonderful memories. I am dedicating this song to you, my listeners, because if it wasn’t for you the show would not have gone for so long. I think this song says it all … love you all, Sharina Star xxx"
(the song is “That’s What Friends Are For”)
Not sure if Sharina has inadvertently revealed the name of the new station in her message.
I don’t know if Sharina’s listeners are typical of the station’s listeners overall. However, as you can no doubt imagine, there was an overwhelming thumbs down in the comments on her post to the change of format.
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In the comments on that Facebook post Sharina has indicated she will be doing a podcast and she will have some “exciting news” about the future.
Surely this show was profitable for Macquarie? For me, it was a terrible show to listen to … but it had long term sponsors and had decent ratings. No one who listened to Sharina will be coming back for a sports talk back show or whatever the replacement is going to be.
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