The new home for discussing SCA’s regional network, both the Hit stream and LocalWorks stream.
Ever heard the local weather read on Hot FM Toowoomba?
While recently high on a hill in the NSW Northern Tablelands, a friend heard weather read for Kingaroy, Roma and St George. Said there was something like eight or nine towns read out, many being hundreds of kilometres apart.
How is that local?
I’m guessing they’re doing weather across three licence areas. Poor form.
Hot FM is exactly the same for Toowoomba, Kingaroy and Roma - the old thing that differs in each market is the advertising. Unfortunately this ultimately comes down to the smaller license areas not being able to financially support local content on 2 stations… even more so in this area where drought means there’s even less money to be spent on advertising than in similarly sizes areas elsewhere.
But given that Toowoomba, Kingaroy and Roma HOT FM stations are three distinct licences (ie. 4RGD Toowoomba/Warwick, 4KRY Kingaroy and 4ROM Roma), I thought they were required to have 3 hours of local content each per weekday?
In short, they found a loop hole.
Roma is only required to have 30 minutes of local content due to their small number, but yes, Kingaroy and Toowoomba do require 3 hours.
The Local Content Statement I obtained for Hot FM Roma earlier this year stated:
“Our workday program is broadcast Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 10:00am (excluding public holidays). Our workday program relates to the Roma licence area as it is produced specifically for the Roma licence area from our radio studios in Toowoomba.”
I’m not sure if this means that Roma gets a slightly difference version during this time via voice tracking, of if 9-10 is aimed at Roma, and broadcast on all stations, followed by say 10-1 aimed at Kingaroy, and broadcast on all stations, with Toowoomba’s local content being made up from the breakfast show.
Would this be similar to both Western Australia and Mount Isa/Charters Towers?
Do other stations start their Breakfast program at 5am like Star FM MNC (NSW)?
I wouldnt have thought there was much of a need to start at 5am in regional areas (Gosford aside)
totally agree. Network feeds run until 6, so it would be a local decision I guess. David and Tanya used to start at 5.30 in Newcastle, but since it became Tanya and Steve it’s been 6am. NX has always ran from 6am too.
only thing I can think of is that they are trying to target people who might go to the beach early before work
Taking a quick look at the website, Star FM on the NSW Mid North Coast (and the Coffs Coast for that matter too) seems to regularly have it’s local breakfast show run from 6am to 9am. Unless that’s changing in 2016? Or does the Summer show currently running start at 5?
Although I’m sure someone who lives in or has spent more time in a region of the Mid North Coast that gets Star FM would know the current situation far better than I do!
they are promoting the 5am start on air quite heavily
Mix FM Sunshine Coast clocks on at 5am. Sea FM starts at 6.
SCA have turned on streaming for 16 stations today.
http://www.radiotoday.com.au/news/whats-new/8262-18-more-flick-the-switch.html
Despite what the Radio Today article says, the Albury stations are not yet streaming.
also HOT and SEA Rockhampton have been streaming for at least 2 weeks already as I’ve had family move to Yeppoon and I’ve been listening to those stations to get a feel for their area.
Speaking to radioinfo, SCA’s Head of Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Communications Creina Chapman says turning the streams back on was “inevitable.”
She said most of the stations actually turned their streams on during Christmas week, but testing needed to be completed to ensure the radio app streams were working, so the public announcement was postponed until today.
These streams have been available on and off for the past couple of months using the direct links. The Hobart stations were available for a few days in mid December, but are now gone. I haven’t seen any of the other stations pop up yet.
Seems breakfast shows on the Hit stream are back January 11 - same at LocalWorks I’d assume?