Newcastle Radio

[Moasaica]

KO-FM will be doing the "Essential 2006" countdown, starting on Tuesday.

You can look at the first 1,021 songs (2006-985) here: http://www.kofm.com.au/prizes/essential/countdown.pdf

(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the link)

[Skid_MacMarx]

Is Tin Radio a permanent feature?

[Guest dakky]

dtv_campbelltown: "KO-FM will be doing the "Essential 2006" countdown, starting on Tuesday."

The KO Essential 2006 is a load of crap.

I don't believe that some songs that come would usually in under 100 in some countdowns, came in around 500-1000 in this one. It seems very inconsistent with results of previous lists.

I don't know how many people bothered to vote but I wouldn't have thought that many people would be interested enough for them to have 2006 songs (considering those songs towards the top would have had the majority of the votes)...

On-topic... KO is hopeless compared to what it used to be. They are trying to keep up with new stuff too much and you don't hear nearly enough of the old stuff, which is what the station always used to be about.

I knew I was 'old' the day I heard Pearl Jam on KO-FM. I remember in 1998 I was desperately chasing PJ tickets and I rang KO and they said "Try NX-FM, that's not really the sort of music we play". No more!

[Moasaica]

On-topic... KO is hopeless compared to what it used to be. They are trying to keep up with new stuff too much and you don't hear nearly enough of the old stuff, which is what the station always used to be about.

I knew I was 'old' the day I heard Pearl Jam on KO-FM. I remember in 1998 I was desperately chasing PJ tickets and I rang KO and they said "Try NX-FM, that's not really the sort of music we play". No more!

Off-topic, but it's the same story with Wave FM in Wollongong. About 5-10 years ago, whenever I tune in to Wave FM, I would hear plenty of old songs from the 60s, 70s & 80s (which some would not even get airplay on 2WS, even back then), with some new adult contemporary music thrown in. Now, Wave FM would play some 90s & 2000s music that would also be heard on rival station, i98FM. Recently, I've heard Wave FM play with the likes of Pearl Jam & Nirvana. However, the station is still good for its 70s & 80s music playlist.

[Moasaica]

The latest Newcastle radio ratings were released today.

KO-FM - 20.9%

NXFM - 19.4%

2HD - 16.6%

ABC 1233 - 9.6%

New FM - 9.2%

KO-FM regained the #1 position after the past two surveys of being behind 2HD. They also take up the #2 position on the 25-39s from New FM & increased their audience share on the 40-54s to 34.7%, up 5.6% from the previous survey.

[Skid_MacMarx]

still KO*FM & NX*FM are mere shadows of what they used to be... in regards to quality.

this regional networking business out of Sydney has come at a great toll... and the loss of a great number of good DJs.

the only real reason these crappy stations are at the top of the heap is that there are not a great number of choices in Newcastle..

(where do they get these figures? I never been asked, and out of all people I know; none of them have been asked)

Other than ABC.. I usually listen New FM which is more like ol' NX.

[Moasaica]

I usually listen New FM which is more like ol' NX.

I was in Newcastle today, and I tend to agree with you. I'm thinking that New FM has more in common with NXFM than KO-FM. I didn't listen to New FM much whilst there, from my short listening, they don't seem to be playing much old music from the 70s & 80s, it seems to be mostly 90s & Today.

As you may know, KO-FM was my station to listen to in Newcastle. The music played on the station is a little bit like Triple M, but with a better variety than MMM. Their "Awesome 80s hour" between 4 & 5pm was good listening. I'm not sure if it's usually on that timeslot on weekdays though.

I also listened to 2HD's 97.5FM service, which comes into most parts of Newcastle well. It has a 'Classic Hits' format, which is an ideal commercial music radio station for older listeners who are disenfranchised by KO-FM's younger focus (when compared to 2HD).

[GJB1503560996]

I also listened to 2HD's 97.5FM service, which comes into most parts of Newcastle well. It has a 'Classic Hits' format, which is an ideal commercial music radio station for older listeners who are disenfranchised by KO-FM's younger focus (when compared to 2HD).

Hardly call approx 36 hours a week of Classic Hits an ideal station... the rest is talk, sport and country music!!

[Moasaica]

Hardly call approx 36 hours a week of Classic Hits an ideal station... the rest is talk, sport and country music!!

Quite true.

Using 2HD's program guide on their website, the "Classic Hits" music is broadcast at:

12-6pm Weekdays (6 hours x 5 days = 30)

6-9am Sundays - Classic Countdown (3 hours) (Subtotal = 33)

I assume that the other 3 hours of 'Classic Hits' take place during "Buy, Sell & Swap" at 9am-12pm Sundays, which totals it to around 36 hours of 'Classic Hits' a week on 2HD.

There is 168 hours in a week & when you calculate 36 hours out of 168 hours, only 21% of 2HD's weekly programming is 'Classic Hits', despite the IDs on 2HD saying "The Hunter's home of Classic Hits".

BTW, seeing as it was your first post, welcome to DTV Forum, GJB.

[GJB1503560996]

Quite true.

only 21% of 2HD's weekly programming is 'Classic Hits', despite the IDs on 2HD saying "The Hunter's home of Classic Hits".

BTW, seeing as it was your first post, welcome to DTV Forum, GJB.

And it's possible it's even less... very,very few tracks, if any, during Buy, Sell, Swap... and with Bill's changes to Leon Delaney out of 2SM next year as the rest of his regional network stations will take Laws... it may be talk with Delaney until 3pm... will wait and see... could then be down to as little as 15-20 hours of Classic Hits on the so-called "home of classic hits"

[Moasaica]

and with Bill's changes to Leon Delaney out of 2SM next year as the rest of his regional network stations will take Laws... it may be talk with Delaney until 3pm... will wait and see... could then be down to as little as 15-20 hours of Classic Hits on the so-called "home of classic hits"

A bit off-topic, if Leon Delaney's talk program is also heard on 2SM in Sydney until 3pm, there goes "Lunchtime Requests", which is the only full-on music program on 2SM during a weekday. It's a pretty good music program too, and offers something different from Sydney's commercial FM stations.

Back on topic, have you heard of 99.3 Bay FM from Port Stephens?

I gave them a listen when I was in Newcastle last Friday. I didn't listen much, because its signal was poorer than 2HD's 97.5FM service, but from what I heard little of this station, it sounds pretty good, which plays mostly 60s & 70s music. It has a narrowcast licence, and I heard good things about the station, in this thread, and on aus.radio.broadcast.

Next time I go to somewhere around Newcastle, I'll probably spend a bit more time listening to the station (99.3 Bay FM). I usually listen to KO-FM whilst there.

[GJB1503560996]

A bit off-topic, if Leon Delaney's talk program is also heard on 2SM in Sydney until 3pm, there goes "Lunchtime Requests", which is the only full-on music program on 2SM during a weekday. It's a pretty good music program too, and offers something different from Sydney's commercial FM stations.

Back on topic, have you heard of 99.3 Bay FM from Port Stephens?

I gave them a listen when I was in Newcastle last Friday. I didn't listen much, because its signal was poorer than 2HD's 97.5FM service, but from what I heard little of this station, it sounds pretty good, which plays mostly 60s & 70s music. It has a narrowcast licence, and I heard good things about the station, in this thread, and on aus.radio.broadcast.

Next time I go to somewhere around Newcastle, I'll probably spend a bit more time listening to the station (99.3 Bay FM). I usually listen to KO-FM whilst there.

Still no real announcment from 2SM about what they're going to do... If all their network stations will be taking Laws (2HD always has), then Delaney can't be networked during 9-12. Do they change 2SM's mornings to move Delaney to enable networking in the afternoon or what. Wait and see.. again regional stations are the mercy of Cap City decisions..

No, don't hear Bay FM where I am... they only cover the Peninsula and patchy in places (guess that's the nature of narrowcast) Wish I could hear them.

[Moasaica]

Because I got KO-FM near Campbelltown, due to tropo, I've managed to do the 6-7pm rundown on what songs are played, so that people who don't listen to the station get an idea on what the station sounds like, musically.

KO-FM - 6-7pm - Thursday 19th April 2007

"Forever Now" Cold Chisel (1982)

"Funky Tonight" John Butler Trio (2006/07)

"Kokomo" Beach Boys (1988)

"Photograph" Nickelback (2005)

"Stairway to Heaven" Led Zeppelin (1971)

"Come Undone" Robbie Williams (2003)

"New Years Day" U2 (1983)

"Bones" The Killers (2007)

"(I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You" UB40 (1993)

"I Need A Lover" John Cougar Mellencamp (1979)

Decades Breakdown

70s - 2 (20%)

80s - 3 (30%)

90s - 1 (10%)

00s - 4 (40%), with 2 being 'relatively new' (ie. 2006/07) tracks.

[dkint3]

KO-FM is pretty similar to MMM in terms of music selection.

They also take MMM's Monday Night Football coverage (as well as 2GB's Continuous Call on Saturdays).

They still have the 'Cold 30' weeknights and also have 'Get That' (the best of Tony Martin's 'Get This' MMM show on Sat mornings).

[Moasaica]

KO-FM is pretty similar to MMM in terms of music selection.

I agree with you.

Older music listeners, who find KO-FM too heavy for their tastes, would most likely listen to 2HD or 2NUR. Further into the Hunter Valley (ie. Maitland, Cessnock, Singleton etc.), they would tune to 2NM.

They still have the 'Cold 30' weeknights

The 'Cold 30' is probably the best music feature program on KO-FM IMHO.

This is followed closely by "Awesome 80s" at 4pm weekdays.

REMINDER: The first Newcastle radio ratings for 2007 is due to be released tomorrow.

[matt86]

They also take MMM's Monday Night Football coverage (as well as 2GB's Continuous Call on Saturdays).

When I was coming back from Mid-North Coast past Newie on Easter Monday KOFM had Monday night football. IDs for MMM were also broadcast (possibly in error, there were a few other stuff ups too).

[Moasaica]

Thanks to MJH from MediaSpy, here are the results for the first Newcastle radio ratings survey for 2007.

1. NXFM - 19.5% (+ 0.1%)

2. KO-FM - 19.3% (- 1.6%)

3. 2HD - 14.2% (- 2.4%)

4. 1233 ABC - 11.6% (+ 2.0%)

5. Triple J - 8.7% (+ 2.7%)

6. New FM - 8.4% (- 0.8%)

7. ABC Classic FM - 2.3% (+ 0.3%)

[dkint3]

That's a bad result for Caralis - the Aunty is the big winner.

2HD is now 5.1% behind KO-FM and in danger of slipping behind 1233, whilst NEW is now in 6th position, behind JJJ.

Sometimes I wish that NEW would return to the heady days of the early 90s..

Brekky with Steve Graham & Garth Russell.

The Electric Lunch.

Nights with Mobbs & Fletch and the "Top 8 at 8"

"Better Music and More of it.. 105point3, NEW FM"

Ah, they used to be a good station..

It's sad to see them reduced to being basically a feeder station for the 'Super Network'.

[Moasaica]

The latest Newcastle radio ratings have been released today.

The results are, overall:

KO-FM - 20%

NXFM - 18.3%

2HD - 15.3%

ABC 1233 - 11.8%

New FM - 8.5%

JJJ - 6.5%

ABC Classic FM - 2.2%

ABC Radio National - 1.7%

ABC Newsradio - 0.7%

In the 40-54 age group, KO-FM is #1 with 32.8%, well ahead of sister station NXFM with 17.8% & rival commercial station 2HD with 10.4%. KO-FM is #2 in the 10-17 & 25-39 age groups behind NXFM.

[(ツ)]

The latest Newcastle radio ratings have been released today.

The results are, overall:

KO-FM - 20%

NXFM - 18.3%

2HD - 15.3%

ABC 1233 - 11.8%

New FM - 8.5%

JJJ - 6.5%

ABC Classic FM - 2.2%

ABC Radio National - 1.7%

ABC Newsradio - 0.7%

In the 40-54 age group, KO-FM is #1 with 32.8%, well ahead of sister station NXFM with 17.8% & rival commercial station 2HD with 10.4%. KO-FM is #2 in the 10-17 & 25-39 age groups behind NXFM.

Not good for NEWFM interesting that KO has indeed KO'ed the opposition as does 2GO for gosford, but the format doesn't work in sydney, I can just get KO in sydney if I change the antenna settings, and it's music is better than say 2WS.

[Moasaica]

interesting that KO has indeed KO'ed the opposition as does 2GO for gosford, but the format doesn't work in sydney, I can just get KO in sydney if I change the antenna settings, and it's music is better than say 2WS.

Whereabouts in Sydney are you located, POWERZONE, if you could just get KO-FM in normal conditions?

I live near Campbelltown & I only get KO-FM during tropo (especially in summer), as 2ST from Bowral, which broadcasts on the same frequency as KO-FM (102.9FM), is in the way.

I would agree with you that the music on KO-FM is better than WS-FM, music-wise. I don't listen to the station much because I don't go up north from Sydney very often, as well as the fact that it's very hard to pick it up in many parts of Sydney, except for parts of the Northern Beaches, in normal conditions.

I can get 2GO all the time near Campbelltown, which can be heard across most of Sydney, and they play a great variety of music, probably better than Vega (it's on 95.3FM if you haven't heard of it).

[(ツ)]

Whereabouts in Sydney are you located, POWERZONE, if you could just get KO-FM in normal conditions?

I live near Campbelltown & I only get KO-FM during tropo (especially in summer), as 2ST from Bowral, which broadcasts on the same frequency as KO-FM (102.9FM), is in the way.

I would agree with you that the music on KO-FM is better than WS-FM, music-wise. I don't listen to the station much because I don't go up north from Sydney very often, as well as the fact that it's very hard to pick it up in many parts of Sydney, except for parts of the Northern Beaches, in normal conditions.

I can get 2GO all the time near Campbelltown, which can be heard across most of Sydney, and they play a great variety of music, probably better than Vega (it's on 95.3FM if you haven't heard of it).

I'm at Blacktown, with an outdoor antenna 7 stories high, I have to change it to get KO over 2ST, but it's 2/5 lights in stereo, I normally aim the antenna at BLU to get NRBS, then i get more signal from BLU than MMM

Needless to say, jjj102.1, abc106.1 are the strongest from newcastle to me, but all the channels (inc 2NUR) can be recieved if required. Last time i tuned to NEWFM it was a weekday from 9am, it made a promising start, but i tuned back to 104.5 after about 30mins.

p.s congrats on your 1000th post

[Moasaica]

I'm at Blacktown, with an outdoor antenna 7 stories high, I have to change it to get KO over 2ST, but it's 2/5 lights in stereo, I normally aim the antenna at BLU to get NRBS, then i get more signal from BLU than MMM

Why are you quite happy to get more signal from BLU than MMM?

Needless to say, jjj102.1, abc106.1 are the strongest from newcastle to me,

Quite true. I can get them all the time, and are the only Newcastle FM stations that are received permanently.

Last time i tuned to NEWFM it was a weekday from 9am, it made a promising start, but i tuned back to 104.5 after about 30mins.

104.5 is Star FM from the Central Coast, which plays "Rock Stars", playing rock music from the 70s to today.

What was wrong with New FM that prompt yourself to switch back to Star 104.5?

p.s congrats on your 1000th post

Thanks!

This one is my 1001st post.

[(ツ)]

Why are you quite happy to get more signal from BLU than MMM?

a>Mainly to get good signal for the NRBS program & b>BLU's audio levels are a bit low

What was wrong with New FM that prompt yourself to switch back to Star 104.5?

In 30 mins only 3 songs were played mixed with ads & chatter, the 4th song was (time of my life 1988)-not my cuppa tea!

I went back to STAR for some led zepplin, midnight oil, & kiss (in that order). I felt that the "flow" between each song was more consistant.

[RF Burns]

The latest Newcastle radio ratings have been released today.

The results are, overall:

KO-FM - 20%

NXFM - 18.3%

2HD - 15.3%

ABC 1233 - 11.8%

New FM - 8.5%

JJJ - 6.5%

ABC Classic FM - 2.2%

ABC Radio National - 1.7%

ABC Newsradio - 0.7%

In the 40-54 age group, KO-FM is #1 with 32.8%, well ahead of sister station NXFM with 17.8% & rival commercial station 2HD with 10.4%. KO-FM is #2 in the 10-17 & 25-39 age groups behind NXFM.

Getting back to the ratings,

Statistics can be made to say anything & radio ratings are no different, the sample audience compared with the actual audience is so small an acuate result can't be made, a semi calculated guess at best, personally I don't take any note of them.

I've checked out all the "official" ratings not just those posted here & I disagree strongly with a lot of the results.

On calculations of the results posted here there is 15% left who listen to "other" stations, most likely I'd say about 13.5% would be to 2NURFM (Community Easy Listening station). That doesn't look good stacked up against the commercials & is why Austereo/Mac Bank went to great lengths to keep them out of the "Official Ratings" even though 2NUR wanted to be & were willing to pay to be part of them.

My job takes me all over town, to many building sites, businesses, shops & residential houses every day.

For KOFM being the No.1 rating station, over the past 6 months I would have heard KO on at one of these places maybe 3 or 4 times.

Younger people have NXFM on usually & the mid-older people have 2HD or 2NURFM on (ocasionally NEWFM or ABC 1233 will be on).

I also find it increadibly hard to believe NXFM has 17.8% in the 40-54 age range against 2HD with 10.4% & 1233 ABC Newcastle 10.0% & even KOFM with 32.8% especially when NX drops to 2.0% & KO drops to 12.2% in the 55+ age group.

I'm 35 & find it hard to listen to NXFM's 25 song (roughly), playlist repeated at least 3 times every day, 95% of people 30-32 & older that I talk to say the same thing about NXFM.

KOFM being second in the younger age groups doesn't supprise me though, because they are more or less NXFM with a few oldies (70's & 80's) thrown in.

Just from my own servey of being around town & hearing what people have on, I'd say NXFM is probably close to right, 2HD is probably close to right, KOFM is probably more like 15% or lower & putting 2NURFM in the mix their probably about 15-16%.

All thoughts & comments welcome.

Cheers

GlennP.