The network also often takes the same log on weekends but the regionals soften it with 2-3
of their tunes per hour. Happened all the time when I was there.
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Stopped happening for a while but I’ve noticed it’s picked up again recently. It’s particularly obvious in weekend nights/mid-dawns now.
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Southern Cross Austereo has just announced today a number of redundancies within the network, with Luke Bona’s Nightshift one of the biggest to go. I also heard that Dangerous Dave Williams is on the chopping block on this round and a number of Regional Breakfast Shows according to this article just published minutes ago.
https://radioinfo.com.au/news/breaking-significant-redundancies-for-sca/
See the Triple M and Hit Network threads for more discussion.
Maybe SCA should just rebrand Hit 91.9 as Fox FM Bendigo, while 3GG could move to 95.9 and become Fox FM Warragul. I think that the Hit name is starting to show its age
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I did actually discuss a bit of this last year in a post on the Seven Regional thread when I first joined MS. Here’s a bit of that discussion for reference.
Many have suggested that Hit Network stations (in their current form) should be turned into repeaters of their respective capital city stations. Essentially put, for example, SCA decided to firstly scrap local breakfast shows in Regional VIC/NSW/QLD/SA. Then they brought in a Albury radio show to take over the reigns. Then SCA decided to scrap that Albury radio show that was rather doing well in those areas, and are now having the Regional VIC breakfast show come out of Tasmania. The slow and painful death of the Hit Network. Most stuff is syndicated nowadays on their networks.
What next? Axe that radio show and to top it all off, have Regional Victorians turn to Fifi, Fev and Nick from Fox FM in Melbourne? Might as well name them their respective metropolitan names and carry metropolitan programming. SCA are looking to save money instead of putting their efforts into giving talented radio stars a chance to host a breakfast show, or even the weekday and weekend slots.
VIC for example
FOX 101.9 Melbourne
FOX 104.9 The Border
FOX 91.9 Bendigo
FOX 96.9 Shepparton
FOX 99.5 Sunraysia
And now, another FOX station…
FOX 95.9 Gippsland
In general, I think this would be better for Regional Victorians than a Tassie breakfast show. If Fox FM is to be instated in Regional Victoria and is to replace Hit, the breakfast program will need to be Fifi, Fev and Nick. It’s all about syndication these days. No local Hit Network brekkie show is present in Regional Victoria anymore, only Triple M has local brekkie shows nowadays, so rebrand the stations to FOX and have the local brekkie show in Regional VIC just simply coming from Melbourne, all while retaining that hyper-local Melbourne feel from the show just to keep the ratings up in the Victorian capital.
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Would work for VIC, NSW, SA and WA but not for QLD with B105
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I wonder if ARN could stop SCA from using the QFM brand (in the event that they decide to use state brands). Since QFM is River 94.9 in a former life.
I doubt they could stop them using it outside SEQ. They’d never want to rebrand B105 though (not a second time). Sea FM was a great brand along the coast, and still used on the GC and SC. But up north that brand has more a rock music history and would be confusing in places it’s been used before on other stations.
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Though not very “inland” friendly for the Isa, Downs and South Burnett.
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Yes definitely not friendly for them. Let’s not even mention “CFM” 
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Nothing stopping them from using the Hot FM brand.
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Yes. Outside of Brisbane and SEQ would be fine. Not sure they’d ever move away from B105 in Brisbane or Sea on the GC though, and there’s Hot 91 on the SC and Hot Tomato on the GC. But outside of that it would be fine, and has heritage value in CQ and NQ.
Maybe SCA should use these names for their stations:
Fox (VIC, TAS & NSW)
Hot (QLD & WA)
SAFM (SA)
I think they should also switch to targeting 25-64, rather than under 40 or 30-54
The format should be something in between classic hits and top 40 (something like the latest hits from your favorite artists of yesterday, combined with throwbacks)
Leave the newer artists to Nova, KIIS or Triple J
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Worth noting that SCA already use the SAFM name for some (if not all) of their regional Hit stations in SA, so it would just be expanding on what they’re already doing to the other states.
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Lucky for SCA there is only one regional station in SA in Mt Gambier. Was an easy switch from Hit to SAFM.
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I like that idea. Also NSW stations could go with 2Day branding, I don’t think Fox would work for NSW. Also like the idea for the format.
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With that all being said, a lot of us in the regions know Hit to be the old Star FM, which really launched them into the charts. If a rebrand takes place, IMHO it should be reverting to this branding.
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And since SCA acquired Red Wave, they could dust off the old WAFM name for its network in the west.
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Whilst I’d have to disagree with another rebrand of the regionals, I must say I do like the name WAFM and do agree it should be brought back across all WA Hit regionals.
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