2CH in Sydney with their 60s and 70s tracks (albeit with some music from later decades) could potentially benefit if Smooth 95.3 focuses entirely on the 80s to now?
Just a shame that Melbourne doesn’t have a station on analogue radio (yes I’m aware of various DAB+ offerings, but they’re not quite the same) to fill that major gap of 60s/70s classic hits!
Aside from trying to block WSFM/Gold from climbing up the ladder, probably because the music director or someone else in higher level management feels that 60s/70s music isn’t “FM friendly” anymore?
Yes that’s what I was thinking, Smooth would be sounding a lot like WS/Gold.
I don’t get it, the audience gained by Smooth over the last few years is there for a reason. Why give them a reason to change back to Gold/WS by becoming a clone of them?
Smooth FM plays lots of Music for all ages from the Kids who are in Primary School To the Baby Boomers And Grandparents, So there’s no Reason to lose the Original Format In Playing too many 80’s, they need to cut Back and play a Few More 60’s & 70’s.
Let’s look at the ratings trend from 2016 compared to the most recent ratings survey, just on Survey 4 for each year.
Overall (10+)
Survey 4, [Year]
Sydney
Melbourne
2016
9.1
7.2
2017
9.1
9.4
2018
8.4
9.1
2019
9.9
8.8
25-39
Survey 4, [Year]
Sydney
Melbourne
2016
10.5
6.3
2017
8.0
5.7
2018
10.3
7.5
2019
8.9
8.5
40-54
Survey 4, [Year]
Sydney
Melbourne
2016
9.8
8.2
2017
11.0
8.7
2018
7.3
9.0
2019
9.8
7.9
55-64
Survey 4, [Year]
Sydney
Melbourne
2016
12.4
10.6
2017
12.6
13.9
2018
12.0
11.0
2019
12.4
10.1
65+
Survey 4, [Year]
Sydney
Melbourne
2016
6.0
5.6
2017
6.9
13.1
2018
6.3
11.2
2019
9.3
11.4
It should be noted that the boost in Smooth’s 65+ figure in Melbourne between S4/2016 & S4/2017 was due to Magic being replaced by Talking Lifestyle (now Macquarie Sports Radio), as well as 3MP being replaced by Classic Rock Radio (now SEN+), in which those listeners went to Smooth as a result of these changes.
The only one really left standing is The Edge, but that hardly counts given it is nothing more than a simulcast of 96.1 Katoomba.
Wonder what this means for Jams From The Basement, Koffee’s one music program? IIRC they used to take the syndicated Ku De Ta Radio show but that appears to have been dropped
They’ve made a significant change to the music, now sounding like a typical soft AC station from the US. Slightly boring, but I guess that’s the point.
