They can do a app-based commentary. I’m sure they can find a young up and comer willing to work for peanuts just wanting a go. If QBA had public wifi, it’d work a treat with SEN Stadium. Ditto with Super Rugby commentary.
It shouldn’t be all rugby league - a good sports station covers everything. But the majority of the presenters are from a RL background. Very limiting.
I thought they did NBL commentary, just not SEN Stadium?
Most of the interaction comes from Rugby League, even when presenters try to deviate into other sport the feedback from listeners ends up being League.
Somrtimes they do. Sometimes they simulcast SENTrack instesd of actual sport when Kings games ate on.
Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) is excited to announce its most comprehensive broadcast coverage yet of the 2025 Australian Open, bringing every serve, rally, and match-defining moment to tennis fans across Australia and beyond.
Broadcasting live from the heart of Melbourne Park, SEN’s coverage will originate from its commentary bunker at Rod Laver Arena, offering listeners unmatched access and insights into the tournament.
The action kicks off on Sunday 12 January, with a special preview show from 10am, followed by live match coverage from 11am. SEN will then be on-air for every night session from 7pm, all of which can be heard live on the SEN App.
For tennis enthusiasts nationwide, the first week will feature Dwayne Russell hosting ‘Dwayne’s World’ live from the bunker from 12 to 3pm (Monday to Friday), followed by afternoon session commentary from 3 to 5pm. Listeners can tune in to these segments right across the SEN network.
As the tournament heats up, SEN will provide full live commentary of every men’s and women’s semi-final and final, ensuring fans don’t miss a moment of the biggest matches.
Fans attending Melbourne Park can experience the action in real-time via SEN Stadium, while those watching at home can use SEN Sync to perfectly align the commentary with their TV broadcast. Meanwhile, the AO Radio team on the SEN App will deliver all-day coverage throughout the event.
SEN’s coverage will feature a world-class commentary team led by Brett Phillips, Mark Woodforde, Candy Reid, Courtney Walsh, Marc Sophoulis, Beti Sekulovski, Louise Pleming, and Jordan Kounelis, along with a selection of the world’s leading tennis commentators who will join throughout the tournament.
SEN CEO, Craig Hutchison, said, SEN was thrilled to be an official broadcast partner of the Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific region.
“The Australian Open is one of the most iconic events on the sporting calendar, and we are thrilled to once again provide unrivaled coverage for tennis fans everywhere. From live commentary at Melbourne Park broadcast to our on-air and digital platforms, SEN is committed to bringing every thrilling moment of the tournament to life. This is a special opportunity for our listeners to be immersed in the energy and excitement of the Australian Open, wherever they may be.”
The Australian Open will run from January 12 to 26 at Melbourne Park.
SEN radio network: SEN 1116am Melbourne, SEN 1170am Sydney, SENQ 693am Brisbane, SEN Gold Coast 620am, SEN SA 629am, SEN Tassie 1629am, SEN Top End 1611am, SEN Mt Gambier 1629am, SEN Geelong, SEN Bendigo, SEN Ballarat, SEN Shepparton, SEN Gippsland, SEN 657am in Perth, SENSpirit 621am in Bunbury, SENSpirit 1494am in WA’s South West, SEN Peel in Mandurah, and SEN Goldfields 1611am in Kalgoorlie and across WA in the Pilbara, Mid-West and Great Southern Regions, and SEN Fanatic on the SEN App.
I don’t. Meaningless to me. Down there with religious stations gobbling up valuable spectrum.
Because the audience base is so tiny! It’s embarrassing.
I think sports radio can work, but needs someone other than Hutchy and current SEN ownership running things.
SEN 1170 is a craptacular station. Breakfast is boring, drive isn’t too fat behind. Amd they could do to broadcast a bit more sport - NZ vs whoever they’re playing at home does not count, especially when they could have broadcast an actual local sport - Swans AFLW.
So many errors of station frequencies and non existent broadcast stations. Not to mention the many narrowcast stations with a commercial program.
We need a diversity of options - we don’t need more of the same.
SEN is more of the the same: poor quality radio.
Sounds like SEN are doing 4 NRL games a week again this season.
Sadly they don’t allocate more stations to allow this. Places like Tamworth and Muswellbrook would love DAB. But that’s neither here for there.
That bit is true. 1170 is shocking. But it is salvageable. Get rid of Hutchy and the existing SEN board and shareholders. Look to air more locally relevant sport - Waratahs, Swans AFLW and the Kings for a start. Get rid of the boring men - especially at breakfast. Do those and you’re on the right track.
Corey will come up against his wife Margaux who co-hosts Triple M breakfast.
I realise I am on my own but I like what SEN do. I prefer a radio licence gets used for sport rather than pre recorded music. Most of the time they are live but I find myself listening alot to their podcasts a few hours later.
They are also a big employer of both on and off air staff compared to alot of other networks.
I think their Cricket coverage is great and the product has significantly imporved well beyond what the ABC produce.
I get they could cover more sports but in the end its AFL/ NRL depending on your state and Cricket that has most interest. Other sports go in waves of interest throughout the year but people don’t listen in for them and they are a commercial station after all. Covering live sport is very expensive.
A few things I’d like is less Trackside on the main SEN channels and a bit more live radio on weekend mornings. Id also like overnighs to come back as I think its an important service but I get the commercial reality.
No not on your own at all, but certainly in a minority on here 
I’ve loved SEN from way back. I love a station that will essentially talk footy to me (ok, and sometimes maybe some other sports) 24-7. I’m no longer in Melbourne now but still listen when I’m back down there as well as the odd bit on DAB+ up here. And likewise I’ve loved the cricket and even lately the Aus Open coverage - tennis isn’t the best sport suited to radio, but it’s nice to listen as I fall off to sleep when my eyes can’t stay open to watch and more of it on TV.
I do feel SEN in expanding have done what traditionally arrogant Melburnians do, which is to take the formula that works there and do the same thing elsewhere, and simply expect it to work. The irony is it’s exactly the thing that Melburnians would castigate a Sydneysider for doing to them - just look at the K&J example on Kiis.
I think the SEN model is fairly niche, works in a sport (primarily AFL) mad city like Melbourne, but doesn’t necessarily translate elsewhere. I do however agree that there absolutely is a place for a sports-focused station in the capital cities, especially on AM where broadcasters aren’t exactly flocking. I guess the question is, will SEN be the ones to figure out the model that works in other cities or not?
I too listen to SEN on a regular basis. More so now that other networks are piping announcers and shows from other cities which is a pet peeve of mine plus the repetitive music you hear on the FM dial.
I’m a Rugby League fanatic and I’m always after more content.
There’s plenty they could do better for sure but I do enjoy SEN.
I too am a big fan of SEN and what Craig Hutchinson has done. There is some networked programming, but there are also local programming, as well as supporting local sporting leagues.
I think there’s been two main things that have really hurt SEN when it comes to their expansion into Sydney and Brisbane.
The SEN name is associated with Melbourne and the AFL in particular, and it has been hard to shake this reputation. I actually think a name similar to what they’ve done in NZ (i.e. Sports Nation) would have been a better brand to use (I know it’s bland and generic but there does seem to be a bit of a stigma with the SEN brand in those markets).
SEN’s expansion has come at the expense of two well-loved and popular music stations in 2CH and 4KQ. I know that AM music radio doesn’t have much of a future but these were both stations that filled a sizeable gap in the market, especially given that (aside from a handful of well-known and oft-repeated songs) FM commercial radio in this country seems averse to playing anything pre-1980s.
All in all, as someone who enjoys listening to sport, I do like how SEN has picked up a diverse range of sports and covered sports and events that would otherwise go without any coverage (such as Australian overseas cricket tours other than the Ashes). There’s still areas where they could do better (such as sometimes putting regular programming over live sport) but they do a reasonable job all in all.
(Probably a better fit here than the Cricket on Radio thread)
“The following day Hutchison told me that because the ‘sound of my voice made people feel unsafe’ and that people are ‘triggered by my voice’, I could not cover the cricket for them anymore.”
A cricket journalist’s voice is no doubt equally as triggering as seeing hospitals being blown up and the bodies of dead babies.
Sets a pretty crude precedent if there’s pressure being put on someone freelancing for SEN, a station most people simply aren’t listening to.