Radio Stations - Music Logs

Somewhat inspired by the above post & given what I’ve discovered whilst listening to the following station yesterday, I thought I’d compare with i98 down in Wollongong, who have recently adopted a new positioner (see “Wollongong Radio” thread for more). I’ve also thrown in its sister station in Campbelltown, C91.3, for good measure, plus it’s also the only commercial radio station in the Sydney/Central Coast/Illawarra region not to be streaming online.

i98FM - Wollongong, NSW
"Feel Good Music Variety"
Wednesday, 6th July 2016 - 2-3pm AEST

“This is What You Came For” Calvin Harris
"That’s How You Know" Nico & Vinz
"Beautiful Day" U2
"Can’t Stop The Feeling" Justin Timberlake
"I Only Wanna Be With You" Hootie & The Blowfish
"Dear Life" Delta Goodrem
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" Green Day
"Don’t Mind" Kent Jones
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" The Police
"Pillowtalk" Zayn
"On Top of the World" Imagine Dragons
"No Scrubs" TLC

As you can see, it’s sounding a little bit closer to Star 104.5 than what it was before, when it sounded a bit more like Nova.

Meanwhile…

C91.3 - Campbelltown, NSW
"Rock Pop & Beats"
Wednesday, 6th July 2016 - 2-3pm AEST

““Middle” DJ Snake
"Me Too” Meghan Trainor
"The Globe" Big Audio Dynamite
"Do It Right" Anne-Marie
"Lay It All on Me" Rudimental feat. Ed Sheeran
"Don’t Be So Shy" Imany
"Rude" Magic!
“Drive” Incubus
"You Were Right" Rufus
"Fall Together" Temper Trap
"(I Just) Died In Your Arms" Cutting Crew
"Nobody To Love" Sigma

As you can see, C91.3 sounds not much different to the other CHR stations found in the Sydney region, apart from a couple of songs (eg. Big Audio Dynamite, Incubus, Cutting Crew). Ideally, to have a much more clear musical point-of-difference to the Sydney stations, C91.3 should have a ‘variety hits’ format similar to River 94.9 instead, playing a broader mix of music from the 70s to now instead of being yet another Top 40-based station.

2 Likes

If Wave and i98FM are the only stations that the people in the Gong can pick up, I really feel sorry for them :grimacing:

There’s also 94.9 Power FM from Nowra, which can be heard into many parts of Wollongong, but has a format similar to that of i98 & Wave (albeit with a slight rock slant). The Sydney stations can also be heard into the region too, although fair parts of it can’t receive them very well due to the Illawarra Escarpment blocking the signals.

But yes, I’m with you on which I’m feeling a bit of sympathy towards the people in Wollongong where its only two local commercial stations sound very much alike with their Top 40-based format. Even smaller centres like Nowra, Goulburn, Launceston & Port Macquarie have better & more varied local commercial radio stations than Wollongong! :open_mouth:

2 Likes

Good god… no wonder people in the Gongga listen to Sydney. i98 is vomit inducing swill.

2 Likes

According to the Wollongong radio ratings that was conducted late last year, about 12% of Wollongong radio listeners surveyed listen to the Sydney FM stations, which is not much lower than that for Wave FM.

Why did SCA never go to the gong

With plenty of talk about the current state of Wollongong’s commercial radio stations in this thread, as well as in the “Wollongong Radio” thread, I think it’s worth checking out on how Nowra’s commercial radio stations are sounding in a typical hour.

As anyone would know, unlike in the larger Wollongong market next door, the 2 local commercial radio stations in the Nowra market are both owned by a single broadcaster (Grant Broadcasters), ensuring music variety across the two stations.
This is the result below:

2ST - Nowra, NSW
"Classic Songs, Great Variety"
Monday, 11th July 2016 - 2-3pm AEST

“Only The Good Die Young” Billy Joel
"Cover Me" Bruce Springsteen
"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" Belinda Carlisle
"Something" The Beatles
"Don’t Speak" No Doubt
"Sweet Sweet Love" Russell Morris
"11 O’Clock Tick Tock (Live)" U2
"Telephone Line" Electric Light Orchestra
"I Think We’re Alone Now" Tiffany
"Photograph" Ed Sheeran
"Maggie May" Rod Stewart
"Your Body Is a Wonderland" John Mayer

94.9 Power FM - Nowra, NSW
"The Shoalhaven & Highlands’ Hit Music Station"
Monday, 11th July 2016 - 2-3pm AEST

“I Took a Pill in Ibiza” Mike Posner
"Hella Good" No Doubt
"Too Good" Drake
"Mascara" Killing Heidi
"Live Louder" Nathaniel
"Beds Are Burning" Midnight Oil
"All My Friends" Snakeships feat Tinashe
"Into You" Ariana Grande
"In Da Club" 50 Cent
"Stitches" Shawn Mendes
"Genie in a Bottle" Christina Aguilera
"Classic" MKTO
"Lonely Boy" The Black Keys

2 Likes

That is a bit of an odd song choice, especially considering the fact that 2ST is a “classic hits” station! If i’m not mistaken, “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran was only released two years ago.

Well at least “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran doesn’t sound too out of place for 2ST, unlike a few odd song choices that makes its way to WS these days, such as “Kiss Kiss” by Holly Valance that was mentioned in the “Did They Really Just Play That?” thread on Saturday night as part of their “Pure Party Gold” program.

At least 2ST sounds more like a “classic hits” station than WS. :wink:

3 Likes

I remember in the late 80s 2uw has a classic hits format. They used to say the best classic hits being made when playing a new track. The format was from 60s,70s and 80s.

I figured I’m probably overdue to share a log of what my favourite Hinterland Rebel puts out for my drive home, so see the following from Friday arvo:

99.4/90.5 Rebel FM Mt Tamborine/Beaudesert
Friday 15 July 2016
5:00pm - 6:00pm

Dio - Rainbow in the Dark
Rise Against - People Live Here
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Powderfinger - Lost and Running
Snow Patrol - Run
Boston - More Than a Feeling
Rolling Stones - Get off my Cloud
Oasis - Lyla
Robert Cray Band - Smoking Gun
Green Day - Hitchin a Ride
Slash/Myles Kennedy - The Dissident

Getting that many songs in a drivetime hour is good enough, but being that solid a mix (with a couple of unique selections) is just a bonus. I presume the drive hour is voice-tracked with a couple of back-announcements plus traffic updates, but little more. But it’s far better than the waffle of most stations

If I remember I might do a log of Gold FM’s drive program with Bianca Dye this week, which also plays some decent music. Both give Gold Coasters a pretty good choice of music in the car home

3 Likes

Here are a couple of music playlists for the last hour or so from a couple of NZ stations I listen to

Coast 105.4 Auckland "Smooth Sundays"
Sunday 17 July 2016
10am - 11am

You Oughta Be In Love - Dave Dobbin
Four Seasons In One Day - Crowded House
Holding Back The Years - Simply Red
Strange Magic - ELO
Gone Too Soon - Michael Jackson
Handy Man - James Taylor
Blackbird - The Beatles
Swing Supreme - Robbie Williams
Desperado - Eagles
No Matter What - Boyzone
Can’t Help Falling In Love - Andy Williams
Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers
Every Woman In The World - Air Supply
By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Glenn Campbell
It Might Be You - Stephen Bishop
Love Letters - Alison Moyet

Another NZ station from the last hour

The Sound 94.8 Auckland
Sunday 17th July
10am-11am

Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd
With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker
Harlem Shuffle - Rolling Stones
Promises - Eric Clapton
Sweet Child O’ Mine - Guns n’ Roses
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
Rising Sun - Cold Chisel
I Send A Message - INXS
Who Do You Love - George Thorogood
Breakfast In America - Supertramp
Long Cool Woman - The Hollies

A tight tussle in Chi-town’s adult hits recently, with WLS (94.7) on 3.1 and WMJK (K-Hits 104.3) on 2.9

Here’s a couple of hours from each.

WLS 94.7 Chicago
Saturday 16th July
5-7pm (Central)

Sister Golden Hair - America
Roll With It - Steve Winwood
Jackie Blue - The Ozark Mountain Daredevils :open_mouth:
Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
Straight On - Heart
Kiss On My List - Hall and Oates
I’m A Believer - The Monkees
Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
The Logical Song - Supertramp
I Need You Tonight - INXS
Kokomo - Beach Boys
One Way Or Another - Blondie
Got My Mind Set On You - George Harrison
The Joker - Steve Miller Band
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
Thriller - Michael Jackson :weary:
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynard Skynyrd
Black Water - Doobie Brothers
Brass In Pocket - Pretenders
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
Red Red Wine - UB40
Grease - Frankie Valli
Take My Breath Away - Berlin
Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits

WMJK 104.3 - KHITS Chicago
Satruday 16th July
5-7pm (Central)

Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money
Drift Away - Dobie Gray
Somebody’s Baby - Jackson Browne
Don’t Look Back - Boston :sunglasses:
You Can’t Hurry Love - Phil Collins
Just What I Needed - The Cars
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston :confounded:
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
Don’t Bring Me Down - ELO
Jump - Van Halen
You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees
Still The One - Orleans
We Didn’t Start The Fire - Billy Joel
Brick House - Commodores
In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins
Everlasting Love - Carl Carlton :open_mouth:
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - U2
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Let’s Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams
Pink Houses - John Mellancamp
One Of These Nights - Eagles

1 Like

Since Rebel FM began live streaming again three weeks ago I have been listening to it heaps and it is way way better than Triple M, playing a good even mix of classic and modern rock with a few “never heard that song for years” songs thrown in. The Magazine Music Shows at night (such as Heavy Metal, Prog Rock, Classic Rock and Blues) plus the World Rock Chart are excellent programmes, and Alice Cooper Show has a lot of gems, and they don’t throw in some song not related to the show as filler during it, unlike what DMG/Nova Entertainment’s so-called “Classic Rock” station did in the early 2010s! And the voice-tracked DJs often back announce, even giving more information about the band on some occasions and plugging gigs in the GC area if they’re touring. I have not heard a dud track on Rebel yet! Reminds me of what EON FM or FM104 would sound like if they hadn’t changed format or owners! Best commercial FM music station in Australia I say!

3 Likes

Speaking of dud tracks, two logs from everyone’s favourite North East Victorian

102.1 EdgeFM - Wangaratta, VIC
"Where Real Music Lives"
Thursday, July 14th, 2016 - 11am-12pm AEST (Missed the last song of this hour)
[National news]
Dexys Midnight Runners – "Come On Eileen"
Scissor Sisters – "Take Your Mama"
Taylor Dayne – “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love”
[Talk break]
Justin Timberlake – "Can’t Stop The Feeling"
David Bowie – "Ashes to Ashes"
Adele – “When We Were Young”
[Ad break]
[Local news]
Bryan Ferry – "Let’s Stick Together"
Jessica Mauboy feat. Stan Walker – "Galaxy"
Icehouse – “Great Southern Land”
[Talk break]
[Ad break]
Kungs vs Cookin’ On 3 Burners – “This Girl” :confused:

102.1 EdgeFM - Wangaratta, VIC - “Maximum Music Weekends”
"Where Real Music Lives"
Sunday, July 17th, 2016 - 11am-12pm AEST
Matchbox Twenty – "She’s So Mean"
Mike + The Mechanics – "All I Need Is A Miracle"
Bernard Fanning – “Wasting Time” :thumbsup:
David Bowie – "Starman"
Klingande – “Jubel” :confused:
The B-52s – “Roam”
[Ad break]
Guy Sebastian – "Like It Like That"
Queen – "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
P!nk – "Just Like Fire"
Santana – “Black Magic Woman” :thumbsup:
[Ad break]
Pharrel Williams – “Happy” :rage:
No Doubt – "Don’t Speak"
Bruno Mars – "Just The Way You Are"
Stevie Nicks – “I Can’t Wait”

A couple of observations from these two logs. The number of recurrent tracks (2000s onwards) increase on the weekends, in the stations’ “Maximum Music Weekends” strand. Otherwise, it’s standard classic hits/adult contemporary fodder - in part inspired by Gold 104.3 one can assume. I really don’t get the strategy of the station, especially when it’s sister 3NE is running a oldies/classic hits format too (albeit with more 60’s and the occasional 50’s track too; that’s outside of Neil Mitchell in mornings, and Sports Today/Ross Greenwood/Steve Price/Nightline in nights).

Speaking of Gold, that was streaming in a ski shop in Bright, a town in the Alpine region well covered by EdgeFM, 3NE and the ABC repeaters (Local Radio/RN/Classic FM). In addition, Star/The River Albury and Star/3SR FM Shepparton are easily receivable depending on location/tree cover.

1 Like

Yep, that’s kinda like Hot Tomato up here - can’t last any more than three songs before wanting to throw your radio out the window. Of course, I’ll only be repeating myself (and others) by noting that the good burghers of Deniliquin are subjected to this when they used to have a fairly decent rock station on 102.5 not that long ago :disappointed:

4 Likes

Apparently most regional operators are allergic to good rock stations. *glares at K-Rock…

2 Likes

The other following former regional rock stations that come to mind are:

Star 104.5 - Central Coast (DMG/Nova Entertainment)
New FM - Newcastle (Super Radio Network)
FM104.7 - Canberra (SCA/ARN) (despite being part of the Today Network, it was very rock-skewed until 2005)
Zinc - QLD, now only available in Sunshine Coast & Townsville (formerly Prime Radio, now Grant Broadcasters)
TTT (now hit100.9) - Hobart (SCA)
Hot 100 - Darwin (Grant Broadcasters)
Red FM - Remote WA (Redwave Media, a branch of Seven West Media)

2 Likes

If i’m not mistaken, 94.9 Power FM was a sole rock station when it first launched in the Early 90’s.