107.9 Yass is currently transmitting the sweet sound of silence. Arguably better than the usual Sky Sports Radio fare but all the same, might be another job for @4TAB-1008kHz
Goodness knows how long it’s been carrier only; they should really just be on an LPON in Yass if anything at all.
Does the RSN website still have a list of radio frequencies? I can’t find such a page.
If I conduct a CoPilot AI search it provides a list. I thought the list might have populated from a scan of the associated Wikipedia page, but Co-Pilot returns more MW outlets than on Wiki page. 
RSN’s flagship program Racing Pulse was broadcast live on both radio and TV (racing dot com) for the first time yesterday.
https://radiotoday.com.au/new-era-for-rsn-as-racing-pulse-goes-live-on-both-tv-and-radio/
Unrelated, but love how they called 68 the metro channel and 78 the regional channel.
Does nobody proof-read these things.
SEN to acquire RSN broadcasting assets, cementing leadership in Victorian racing coverage
Sports Entertainment Group (SEG, operating as Sports Entertainment Network - SEN) has today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the radio broadcasting assets of Racing & Sport Network (RSN), in a landmark move that will see SEN become the sole audio broadcaster of racing in Victoria across all three codes.
The acquisition, expected to be complete on 1 September 2025, will be executed for a total purchase price of $3.25 million, payable over three years.
SEN will purchase the assets from the Victorian Racing Industry (VRI), made up of Racing Victoria (RV), Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) and Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV).
This strategic acquisition reinforces SEN’s commitment to racing and its audience, building on the company’s recent momentum in the category, including the five-year production partnership between SEN’s television arm, Rainmaker, and HRV, which will see 365 days of harness racing broadcast across 28 tracks on Sky Racing.
The RSN assets will be integrated into SEN’s broader audio and digital ecosystem, enhancing the reach and quality of racing content across Victoria and beyond. Whilst some changes to programming may eventuate, SEN is committed to delivering a variety of tailored products for racing fans on RSN. The deal will also see SEN provide some initial RSN programming on simulcast to racing.com.
“SEN is all in on racing,” said Craig Hutchison, CEO of Sports Entertainment Network. “We’re passionate about delivering innovative, engaging coverage that resonates with both die-hard racing fans and casual listeners. This acquisition allows us to bring our unique approach to an even broader audience, and we’re excited about what’s ahead.”
“RSN celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and is an institution in Melbourne’s radio, racing and sports history. We look forward to respecting and protecting that legacy while driving RSN forward into a new, exciting era.”
RSN also welcomed the partnership, with a RSN Director and VRI spokesperson Aaron Morrison, stating:
"We welcome the opportunity to partner with SEN who see a strong future for the three codes of racing in Victoria and are investing to help us realise that. SEN stood out for the VRI as an on-going commercial partner and appropriate next owner of RSN because of their expertise, capabilities, distribution network and their desire to grow audiences.
“This long-term agreement preserves the rich heritage of RSN and the audio broadcast of VRI races that RSN listeners value, while providing opportunities for new and innovative content on the station.”
The acquisition is subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.
Markets to watch here are Ballarat and Shepparton, the two other commercial licences that RSN holds. I’d imagine these will turn into SEN stations.
There will also now be overlap in Bendigo with 945 (HPON) and 87.8 (LPON) and Mildura with 1359 and 89.1 (both HPONs).
would they turn RSN (927) in Melbourne into SEN Track? They would potentially then relinquish their HPON on 1593?
How well is 927’s signal getting out?
May be a case to move the SEN format to 927, then turn 1116 into either SEN Track (and selling off 1593) or turning 1116 into an overflow channel and retaining 1593… since it’s a HPON I’m confident they’d be able to retain all three signals.
it’s probably one of the strongest AM signals in the state apart from the ABC AMs. It booms out over half of Victoria (maybe an exaggeration)
yes I don’t think they’ll be obliged to offload 1593 and I suppose they’d love the opportunity to have 3 AM signals in their home town.
Yes there is certainly a strong argument that SEN 1116 and RSN 927 should swap frequencies.
This deal should also allow SEN Track to finally be able to broadcast Victorian race commentary, rather than the banter they do now.
SEN Track will continue to appeal to the younger audience while RSN gets the serious race fans.
They should also develop a spin off version of RSN that only covers major meetings in detail.
Getting RSN onto the SEN app will expose that station to a significantly bigger audience.
Becoming SEN stations would lose them the racing radio exception to local content - so they’d need to meet the local content quotas - which might be enough for them not to bother, and just do what the other SEN Track stations do and just push the limits of non-racing content.
3BT isn’t owned by RSN though (it shares a PO Box with Capital Radio, but not sure if directly owned by them), only 3SR in Shepparton is owned in common with RSN/3UZ.
SEN pick up a handy chunk of DAB space with this too - RSN bought extra at the excess capacity auction - so I would expect SEN to be able to sublease some of that for some extra cash, as it would likely be well beyond their needs, as I don’t think there’s ever much content that ends up on the RSN Xtra stations that couldn’t be accommodated on SEN Track or Fanatic.
Wouldn’t SEN Track essentially become the ‘spin-off’ of RSN in that case? RSN has a long-standing legacy on the 927 signal, and shifting it elsewhere would compromise that heritage. It would also appear to contradict the assurances SEG provided as part of the asset acquisition
Good shout - forgot about this. Come to think of it, neither is the Mildura 1359AM licence - it’s still owned by Ashley Thorburn (I think @crankymedia has better knowledge of this arrangement?)
In terms of local content, I can’t see it being an issue - if SEN is able to invest in a weekly show for a Mildura HPON I’m sure they’ll meet the bare minimum of local content rules for a market like Shepparton. Can easily cover the costs of one announcer and one journo from direct revenue.
No, SEN Track is a comedy show that plays for laughs, it plays an important role in bringing younger people to the industry, but there is still a need for a more serious coverage that puts extended focus on the big metro meetings
At the end of the day, SEN’s AFL coverage is the networks biggest financial investment and attracts the biggest audience. It makes commercial sense to put it on the strongest frequency.
If SEN 1116 and RSN are to swap frequencies, I think it will happen in the short period between the AFL Grand Final (September 27) and Caulfield Guineas (October 11), which is the first major race of Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival.
According to the article below from The Age/SMH, RSN, SEN, and Track are all expected to continue operating on their current frequencies beyond September
The same article also notes the potential for SEG to expand RSN’s streaming capabilities, which could enable more RSN content to be streamed or simulcast on RDC
I think 927 and 1116 have enough brand equity on their current frequencies to stay as is.
What will be interesting will be what happens to 3BT and 3SR, I do note that SEN already has online “SEN Ballarat” and “SEN Shepparton” streams (and has for some time).
I could see them potentially either launching these as fully-fledged SEN stations or rebranding them to SEN Track with a hybrid format of racing and sport content.
Since when do SEG and SEN care about brand heritage? Look at 3AK, 5DN, 2CH and 4KQ.