Recently back from a trip to NZ where I gave the Rock a decent listen to during several road trips. Now that is a decent rock station MMM could learn a thing or two from. Things that stuck out:
The playlist sounded fresh and very broad, but still included a lot of older songs, just not the same ones that get bashed to death ten times a day here
Examples included “Death By Rock 'N Roll” from a few years back, which I ended up HATING at the time because 5MMM (and all the other MMM’s) flogged it to death, before removing it never to be heard again
They also played Linkin Park’s Faint - again something that used to get a decent run on MMM, but that hasn’t been heard in years, that sounds really good if it pops up occasionally on a rock station playlist
Less talk and way more music
Overall it made MMM here sound really, really stale, notwithstanding how they switch from talk to cricket to rock’s greatest hits to flock of 80’s to good times and greatest hits to whatever the next thing is.
My suggestion: start a DAB station similar to the Rock NZ, focus on rock, less talk, no live sport, with a broad playlist that covers the last three decades or so of rock, and don’t be afraid to chuck in some heavier stuff. Do away with most of the niche decade-based stations, especially when they’re likely to play INXS one minute and Kylie Minogue the next, and see how it goes. Until then, I’ll be streaming the Rock at home here in Australia.
That’s the worst thing they could do. I love the current Perth music format. It’s just a shame about some of the shows between the songs. They just need to get the music/show balance right, and they’ll be on a winner.
I heard a break this morning on 2MMM’s Mick & MG in the Morning where MG was talking about breaking news from the Penrith Panthers.
Not surprising that Mick stayed completely quite for this segment - other than a small giggle here & there. He even mentioned at the end how he was so quiet for this segment.
Surely that is a worrying sign to SCA Management. It is a tale of two programmes. The Sydney announcer VS the Melbourne announcer. A completely obvious & major disconnect.
For a station that is all about Rock, SPORT and Comedy, the SPORT factor needs to be worked on. They should’ve chosen announcers who are more all-rounders rather than pro-AFL and pro-NRL.
Absolutely zero chemistry in that segment. It was, “The MG Show”.
Day 2 of the program and this is a “worrying” sign ? If we get to March and Mick hasn’t adopted or been adopted by a RL team, then there will be a worrying sign…There’s three people in a studio plus an experienced newsperson circling around each other trying to produce good radio in a timeslot on a station that has a weighty legacy attached to it. To my ears, its different but not as awkward as the previous team. Even the host has lifted her game…there’s hints in the content that they are deliberately trying to avoid Syd V Melb issues. Can’t be avoided in sport, but it can be overcome. Maybe SCA will reel in someone else to talk sports gossip to assist in reducing Syd v Melb issues with the talent.
is mick broadcasting from sydney or is he based out of melbourne? this is the sort of thing that can really stand out - things like place name pronunciation and road delays
He often did the same on the Hot Breakfast - but it was less noticeable because there was Eddie and Luke Darcy to fill the void.
It’s going to take some time to find a groove, but it feels a bit janky and disjointed so far - they’ve made a big deal about Mick moving to Sydney (will be interesting to see how long that lasts) which has a really odd feel given such high profile imports have had a real mixed bag of success.
Pagey’s sudden departure last year showed who was doing the heavy lifting in the previous team(s).
It’s a good angle for now and will provide some ongoing content. Kinda like how it worked well for Christian O’Connell when he first started at Gold 104.3 after moving from the UK.