@TV4 @OnAir These are the five people specially selected for my dream talk radio initiative as a joint venture between my dream TV network (PTV Network New Zealand) and MediaWorks. I’ve been daydreaming for years! What do you think?
1 Like
I wasn’t a huge fan of Mark Sainsbury on radio Paddy but I respect your choice!
1 Like
@OnAir Thanks for letting me know. Although you’re not a huge fan of Mark Sainsbury on the radio, here’s a photo of the PTV Radio lineup based on my suggestion.
1 Like
Talk radio’s never been my cup of tea, but I think Ryan Bridge might be better for Drive.
1 Like
So having a deep think for a few days, I’ve come up with a basic concept to replace 101.1 Melbourne.
Spin 101 would be Melbourne’s new home for rhythmic and dance, with a youthful energy, making you want to bounce along, tap your feet, and actually be one with the rhythm of the city.
Melbourne has always been a very high energy city.
We’ve had new styles of music and new dances created here. Our clubs have spawned more than a few international DJ’s. We don’t do things by halves, and we’re passionate types.
Having a rhythmic station that reflects this energy, who isn’t afraid to push the boundaries, as well as set the scene for the city, is what Melbourne needs.
Spin 101 would be all rhythmic 24/7, modelled off WKTU New York, George FM NZ, Fresh 92.7 Adelaide and KISS FM London.
With a high energy breakfast show, fresh mixes throughout the day, nonstop lunchtime mixes, a strong energetic drive show that makes you enjoy sitting in traffic, a live evening show with the essential tracks of the day, specialist shows every night from 10pm, your weekend wind-down every Sunday and your clubbers essential guide every weekend, Spin 101 will be the place to go to for beats, bangers and breaks.
Spin 101. Melbourne’s rhythm.
1 Like
Interesting concept. Is this like what ARN is already doing in Sydney with The Edge?
I must admit when I listen in the car I find Nova, Kiis and Fox largely interchangeable. To have one break away would be good, sort of like Nova when it first started. Which is probably not dissimilar to what you’re proposing now.
2 Likes
Looking at ABC Radio, and where it can better service the audience, I’ve long thought about some changes I’d make if I was in the chair.
ABC Radio 1
ABC News Radio and ABC Radio National would merge, becoming ABC Radio 1 (AM+DAB). ABC Radio 1 is all about news, information, analysis, arts and culture. Current RN programs Breakfast and Drive would join the specialist programs of RN, plus rolling news coverage and parliament.
ABC Radio 2
ABC Radio 2 (FM+DAB) would replace the current ABC Classic station, which would transfer to the AM band (and DAB) taking the place of ABC News Radio. Radio 2 would feature some programs and talent from Double J which would cease broadcasting, featuring specialist music programs, as well as focusing on an audience of 35+, with talk and music for an audience caught in-between hit radio and talkback. Strong national breakfast and drive programs would anchor the station.
Triple J ABC Local Radio
Would remain unchanged.
- ABC Local Radio (Local news and talkback)
- Triple J (Youth)
- ABC Radio 1 (News and culture)
- ABC Radio 2 (Music and talk)
- ABC Classic (classical musical, now on AM)
2 Likes
Not sure that moving ABC Classic to AM is a great move. Sure it might provide some incentive to get people onto DAB a bulk of the audience is still going to tune to analogue. Classical music doesn’t sound great on AM especially as people are so accustomed now to having it on FM
1 Like
I think the audience of ABC R2 would more than make-up for that. If the aim is to service more Australians, with more content, the breadth that could be offered by a more varied station is a gain compared to such a niche service taking up nationwide FM licences.
Although in many regional areas, the hypothetical ABC Classic or Radio 1 would be on the FM Band. So you did forget to take regional areas into context.
I could do an example for what the new services would look like in an area such as the Mid North Coast or Bega/Cooma.
1 Like
I wouldn’t call it that. More a dancy uptempo mix.
Closest comparison might be Fresh, or Evolution in the US, as a unique format.
But given Fox/KIIS/Nova are completely interchangeable, having one give a little burst in one direction or another, makes a lot of sense. It should be about taking risks, not the same same.
1 Like
I was just thinking about this and whipped up a graphic.
I also included 2 sbs stations if the networks ever joined.
5 Likes
Looking at MediaWorks Radio, and where it can better service its own listeners. As a founder of my dream television network (Patrick Te Pou Enterprises Ltd, trading as PTV Network New Zealand), I’ve long thought about some changes I’d make if I established PTV Radio as a joint venture between PTV Network and MediaWorks Radio, the #1 radio network in New Zealand.
More FM
Radio 1XX (Whakatane/Eastern Bay of Plenty) and Coast FM (West Coast) would be rebranded as More FM Whakatane and More FM West Coast respectively.
More FM Whakatane would feature ‘live and local’ programming from the 1XX studios from 6am-3pm weekdays and 6am-7pm weekends, combined with a network drive show with Jay-Jay & Flynny (Mon-Fri, 3-7pm) and a network night show with Joe Cotton (Sun-Thu, 7pm-12am). More FM Whakatane would replace 1XX on its frequencies, 90.5FM (region wide) and 92.9FM (Ohope Beach), but the 1XX AM frequency (1242AM) would become home to PTV Radio.
More FM West Coast will also feature ‘live and local’ programming from the Coast FM studios in Westport at certain times during the week, combined with network programming. More FM West Coast could be heard in Karamea (on 99.3FM), Westport (on 96.5FM), Reefton (on 90.3FM), the Grey/Hoki area (on 99.5FM), Greymouth (on 97.9FM), Hokitika (on 100.3FM) and South Westland (on 94.5FM).
More FM Hawkes Bay would move from 88.7FM to its original home on 92.7FM.
The Breeze
The Breeze would launch in the following areas:
- Whakatane 93.7FM (replacing Bayrock and broadcasting to both Whakatane and Ohope Beach)
- Westport 95.7FM (replacing Newstalk ZB)
- Greymouth/Hokitika 105.9FM (replacing Newstalk ZB)
The Breeze Whakatane would feature a ‘live and local’ breakfast show from 6-10am, with former 1XX breakfast host Colin Magee. Network programming would take over the airwaves at 10am: Ali Leonard during the day (until 3pm), the award-winning Robert Scott on drive (3-7pm) and Tania Burgess during the evening (7pm-12am).
The Breeze West Coast would feature network programming with the inclusion of advertising on the Coast, beginning with Kris Edwards in the early morning (6-10am).
The Edge and The Rock
The Edge would launch in the following areas:
- Whakatane 97.7FM (replacing Q97, moving from 104.1FM as a relay station from Tauranga and broadcasting to both Whakatane and Ohope Beach)
- Westport 91.7FM (replacing ZM)
- Greymouth/Hokitika 89.9FM (replacing ZM)
The Rock would launch in the following areas:
- Whakatane 99.3FM (replacing Q97 in Ohope Beach and broadcasting to both Whakatane and Ohope Beach)
- Westport 89.3FM (replacing Radio Hauraki)
- Greymouth/Hokitika 105.1FM (replacing Radio Hauraki)
The programming on both The Edge and The Rock would remain unchanged but frequencies, with the inclusion of local advertising, would be added.
Mai
Mai would launch in the following areas:
- Whakatane 104.1FM (moving The Edge to 97.7FM)
- Whanganui 90.4FM
- Wairarapa 105.5FM
- Kapiti 95.1FM
- Nelson 99.2FM
- Blenheim 105.7FM
- Timaru 103.5FM
- Oamaru 94.4FM
- Dunedin 100.6FM (moving More FM to 97.4FM)
- Queenstown 104FM
- Southland 106FM
The programming on Mai would remain unchanged but frequencies, with the inclusion of local advertising, would be added.
George FM
George FM would resume full-power broadcasting in the Manawatu (on 104.2FM) and in Wellington (on 104.5FM).
Radio Dunedin
Radio Dunedin would resume full-power broadcasting on 99.8FM and would continue to broadcast on 1305AM. Listeners in Mosgiel and surrounding areas would continue to receive Radio Dunedin on 95.4FM, as usual.
Magic
Magic would return to its roots as an all-music format, although it would be built around ‘the greatest hits of all time’ from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Weekday hosts - like the ever popular Mark Leishman and Geoff Bryan (6-10am), Mark Smith (10am-2pm), Murray Lindsay (2-7pm) and Bob Gentil (7pm-12am) - would remain unchanged, but The Sound’s Nik Brown and Dave White would serve as Magic’s weekend and fill-in hosts.
Magic would replace The Sound on the following frequencies:
- Kerikeri 92FM
- Whangarei 98FM
- Auckland 93.8FM
- Waikato 93.8FM
- Tauranga 92.6FM
- Whakatane 105.7FM
- Rotorua 91.1FM
- Taupo 100FM
- Gisborne 96.5FM
- Hawkes Bay 91.9FM
- Taranaki 98FM
- Whanganui 94.4FM
- Manawatu 94.6FM
- Wairarapa 93.5FM
- Kapiti 94.3FM
- Wellington 97.3FM
- Nelson 98.4FM
- Blenheim 96.1FM
- Christchurch 92.9FM
- Ashburton 95.7FM
- South Canterbury 97.1FM
- Timaru 90.7FM
- Oamaru 99.2FM
- Wanaka 93.8FM
- Queenstown 97.6FM
- Alexandra 93.5FM
- Dunedin 90.2FM
- Southland 98FM
Magic would also broadcast on the following additional frequencies:
- Mid-Northland 100.7FM (replacing Magic Talk)
- Rodney 104.9FM (unchanged)
- Thames, Seabird Coast, Paeroa & Hauraki Plains 104.4FM (unchanged)
- Whangamata 93.1FM (replacing The Edge)
- Reporoa 92.4FM (new frequency)
- Wellington 891AM (unchanged)
- Westport 92.5FM (the former home of The Sound; replacing Gold via NZME)
- Reefton 99.9FM (the former home of The Sound; replacing Gold via NZME)
- Greymouth 91.5FM & 97.1FM (the former home of The Sound; replacing Gold via NZME)
- Hokitika 97.1FM (the former home of The Sound; replacing Gold via NZME)
- Mackenzie Country 104.6FM (new frequency)
Magic Jukebox (formerly Beach Hop Magic on the rova app) would be a complement of the existing Magic network and play round-the-clock jukebox classics from the likes of Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Chubby Checker and Chuck Berry, along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Small Faces and ‘others that spun our turntables over the years’. As well as streaming live on rova, Magic Jukebox could be heard in Tauranga (on 99.8FM), Rotorua (on 100.7FM) and Hawkes Bay (on 88.7FM).
PTV Radio
PTV Radio, as a joint venture with MediaWorks, would replace Magic Talk unless otherwise specified and broadcast on the following frequencies:
- Kaitaia 90.8FM (new frequency)
- Bay of Islands 92.8FM (new frequency)
- Kaikohe 90.8FM (new frequency)
- Whangarei 90.8FM
- Rodney 92.9FM (new frequency; replacing The Sound)
- Auckland 100.6FM (new frequency; moving Magic to 93.8FM) & 702AM
- Waikato 100.2FM
- Thames, Seabird Coast, Paeroa & Hauraki Plains 94FM (new frequency; replacing Coromandel’s CFM)
- Coromandel, Pauanui, Tairua, Whangamata & Whitianga 95.1FM (new frequency; replacing Coromandel’s CFM)
- Tauranga 100.6FM
- Bay of Plenty 1107AM & 1242AM (new frequency; replacing 1XX on AM)
- Whakatane 92.1FM (featuring local advertising on this frequency and replacing a relay of Magic Talk from Tauranga)
- Ohope Beach 100.1FM (new frequency; replacing Bayrock)
- Rotorua 95.1FM
- Reporoa 98FM
- Taupo 99.2FM (new frequency; moving Magic to 100FM)
- Gisborne 94.9FM
- Hawkes Bay 106.3FM & 1368AM
- Taranaki 89.2FM (the former home of Magic Talk; moving Magic to 98FM)
- Whanganui 96FM
- Manawatu 93.8FM
- Wairarapa 98.3FM
- Kapiti 99.1FM
- Wellington 98.9FM & 1233AM
- Nelson 96FM
- Blenheim 95.3FM
- Picton 92.3FM
- Kaikoura 89.1FM
- Westport 90.1FM
- Reefton 99.1FM (new frequency)
- Greymouth/Hokitika 98.7FM (new frequency)
- Christchurch 99.3FM (the former home of Magic Talk; moving Magic to 92.9FM) & 738AM
- Ashburton 103.7FM (new frequency; moving Magic to 95.7FM)
- Timaru 105.9FM
- Mackenzie Country 91FM
- Oamaru 100.8FM
- Kurow 105.6FM (new frequency; replacing The Sound)
- Wanaka 93FM (new frequency)
- Queenstown 91.2FM
- Alexandra 95.9FM
- Dunedin 96.6FM
- Clutha 97.7FM & 99.3FM (new frequencies)
- Southland 94FM
PTV Radio would be a blend of current affairs, open-line talkback and news coverage ‘when it happens … as it happens’. On weekends, magazine-style feature programming would cover a variety of lifestyle topics like DIY, gardening, health and wellbeing, motoring, pets, real estate, technology, and travel.
- More FM (“Today’s Best Music Mix”)
- The Breeze (“Take It Easy”)
- The Edge (“Hit Music Now”)
- The Rock (“Rock Is Our Religion”)
- Mai (“The Hottest Hip Hop and RnB”)
- George FM (“NZ’s Dance and Electronic Music Station”)
- Magic (“Turn Up the Feel Good”)
- PTV Radio (“Your New Voice of Talk Radio”)
- Radio Dunedin (“Good Talk, Good Music”)
@OnAir @TV4 @nztv @Michael_Eccles Radio 1XX has been broadcasting to the Eastern Bay of Plenty since its first broadcast on 30 June 1971 and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary later this year. But I am from the Eastern Bay of Plenty, so what do you think of the changes?
2 Likes
Wondering how you plan on getting NZME to hand off the Gold/ZB frequencies
1 Like
@OnAir In the past, the Timaru based Port FM network operated in Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru and Greymouth on the West Coast and had close ties with MediaWorks since the early 2000s. Like sourcing news bulletins from the RadioLIVE News Centre (now Newshub) and providing advertising sales and services to other MediaWorks stations in the region (i.e. The Edge, The Rock, The Sound and Magic). These stations were operated locally by Port FM under a franchise arrangement with MediaWorks.
In January 2018 the sale of Port FM to MediaWorks was announced, with a takeover date of 1 April 2018. In April 2018 an announcement was made that Port FM would be rebranded as More FM on 28 April 2018 and The Breeze would also begin broadcasting in South Canterbury with Port FM breakfast announcer OJ Jackson moving to The Breeze to present local breakfast. More FM would be reduced to local content during the weekends and between 10am-3pm weekdays.
The West Coast operation was sold to NZME, who used the frequencies to bring Mix (now Gold), Newstalk ZB, Radio Hauraki and, more recently, ZM to the Coast.
Buying back the West Coast frequencies from NZME, rebranding Coast FM (i.e. no relation to NZME’s Coast network) as More FM West Coast, and setting up a West Coast operation for MediaWorks are all on the cards. Believe me.
2 Likes
No more acquisitions please. Independent voices in broadcasting have been nationalised enough as it is, so I’d much rather 1XX and it’s sisters remained independent.
Not sure what you mean by the way you’ve phrased this Paddy. The arrangement was to rebroadcast the Edge/Sound/Rock; all advertising was handled by Port FM on those frequencies. It was a standard sort-of affiliation agreement, although fairly rare for NZ (and on occasion, some CHCH reps needed reminding of this when they bumbled into Port FM territory!).
I like how you’ve retained Radio Dunedin, NZ’s oldest and first Radio broadcasting station… you sort of have to eh?
1 Like
In real life Coromandel’s CFM, Radio 1XX (Whakatane) and Coast FM (West Coast) are all independently owned and operated stations. Although times have changed and most of the stations were taken over by MediaWorks, like 93.4 Coastline FM in Tauranga (now More FM Bay of Plenty), some chose to remain independent.
But MediaWorks is the #1 radio network in New Zealand and in Whakatane and the Eastern Bay of Plenty, for example, there are three MediaWorks stations on relay from Tauranga (Magic Talk on 92.1FM, The Edge on 104.1FM and The Sound on 105.7FM). Over in Westport, which is on the West Coast, there is a relay of Magic Talk (on 90.1FM) from Christchurch.
Thanks for your concern, @TV4.
1 Like
Let’s go back to the old days of Radio Windy in Wellington.
In fact, Radio Windy first started by Capital City Radio Limited broadcasting in Wellington in 1973 on 1080AM with the call sign 2XW. In 1976 the station moved to 890AM and in 1978, after the AM band spacing in New Zealand was adjusted from 10 kHz to 9 kHz, the station moved to 891AM. By the early 1990s, Radio Windy started broadcasting on the FM band.
If MediaWorks decides to bring back Radio Windy as a ‘live and local’ station with a fresh new look - and bring back the ever popular Polly & Grant (who were dropped by MediaWorks last year due to Covid-19) - Wellington and the Kapiti Coast/Horowhenua would exit the More FM brand.
Here’s the proposed weekday line-up for the all new Radio Windy.
5.30-10am: The Windy Crew with Polly & Grant (i.e. Polly Gillespie and Grant Kereama)
10am-3pm: Geoff Stagg (current More FM Wellington workday host)
3-7pm: Dave Nicholas (poached from The Hits Christchurch) and Libby Greatnews (new to radio)
7pm-12am: Hayley Bath (poached from The Hits Wellington).
The all new Radio Windy could be heard on 94.1FM in the capital city and 98.5FM in the Hutt Valley (i.e. the current Breeze frequencies, in real life), and would be simulcast on its original frequency, 891AM (i.e. the current home of Magic on AM since 2015). The station would be on relay to the Kapiti Coast and Horowhenua areas on 90.3FM, replacing 90-3 More FM Kapiti/Horowhenua.
Its music format would be a mix of adult contemporary and pop music, similar to More FM, and the music would be complemented with local news and information from around the wider Wellington region as well as regular features.
The Breeze Wellington would move to new frequencies - i.e. 95.3FM in the Hutt Valley and 99.7FM in the capital city. Those frequencies, in real life, are currently used by More FM.
1 Like
Buying back the West Coast frequencies from NZME, rebranding Coast FM (i.e. no relation to NZME’s Coast network) as More FM West Coast, and setting up a West Coast operation for MediaWorks are all on the cards. Believe me.
I’m interested to hear more about this. The NZME and Coast FM frequencies are separate. Launching More FM on the West Coast would not require NZME to give up any frequencies, just Coast FM.
Coast FM owns their frequencies. They are registered under Coast FM Limited.
NZME leases some of their frequencies. They are registered under West Coast FM Limited.
1 Like