oliver Posted July 27, 2005 Author Posted July 27, 2005 DMG has just announced that the company's new Sydney 40+ radio station on FM 95.3 will be called Vega. The announcement was made this morning in Sydney where other details were also unveiled. The new station will launch next week on Monday at 11am. Their positioning statement will be "On your wavelength" with a brilliant blue squiggle and sign wave as the logo.
oliver Posted July 27, 2005 Author Posted July 27, 2005 The line-up will be Angela Catterns on breakfast, Wendy Harmer on mornings, Francis Leach on afternoons, Tony Squires and Rebecca Wilson on drive, Mike Perso on nights. Weekend details are yet to be revealed, but Dean Buchanan said at this morning's press conference that the weekend format would contain mostly music with some elements of talk and sport. None of the DMG executives were using the hated "N word" - networking. Even though programming will be shared between Melbourne and Sydney in some time slots, DMG describes this programming as "integrated" rather than networking. Speaking at this morning's press conference Paul Thompson recalled DMG's beginnings from a spare bedroom in his house to the culmination of the company's work today. Thompson and his executive team are now flying to Melbourne to announce similar details for the company's Melbourne station this afternoon.
BlueDusk Posted July 27, 2005 Posted July 27, 2005 A preliminary site for Vega 95.3 is up: http://www.vega953.com.au/vega.html
oliver Posted July 27, 2005 Author Posted July 27, 2005 Named after the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra, DMG has just announced that the company's new Sydney 40+ radio station on FM 95.3 will be called Vega. The Melbourne station will follow suit. The announcement was made this morning at a 9:30 press conference in Sydney, where other details were also unveiled. The DMG senior executive launch group then boarded a flight to Melbourne to do it all again at 3pm. Vega 95.3 will launch next week on Monday at 11am, and it is hoped that the Melbourne Vega will open in September. Breakfast announcer Angela Catterns (pictured below) will be the first voice heard on the new station. Vega's positioning statement will be "On your wavelength" with a brilliant blue squiggle and sine wave as the logo. None of the DMG executives were using the hated "N” word – “networking”. Instead, there’ll be “integration” between Melbourne and Sydney in some time slots after 9am. Also preferred in the new Vegaspeak is the word “entertainment” rather than “talk”. The ratio of talk, sorry, entertainment to music, according to group PD, Dean Buchanan, "Will vary depending on the mood at the time", from as much as twelve (or more) songs per hour to as little as four. The target market is squarely on baby boomers in the 40 to 60 age bracket who control 66% of the nations wealth. The format will cover “40 Years Of Music” and will include current hits, making it different from other older targeted stations. DMG sees the opportunity for Vega Sydney overlapping the audience of WSFM and sitting in the underserved space between Mix and ABC702, as illustrated in the diagram used in their video presentation (left). Looking at the top 5 stations in Sydney and Melbourne, the target strategy looks sound. In Sydney, 40+ stations 2GB, ABC702 and Mix share about 33% of the market, while in Melbourne 3AW, Gold and ABC774 have a combined share of nearly 40% of the market, made up largely of 40+ listeners. If the new station can get some of those listeners in both markets it will have a significant market impact. Paul Thompson told the gathered media that there is no share target for the new station and scoffed at suggestions that the new station would like to get 10%. On a similar point, Dean Buchanan said: "We are sitting on 0% now. My target is for us to get more than that." Nova's “no more than two ads in a row” policy will not be adopted by the Vegas. Thompson explained: “While research had shown that younger audiences had a low tolerance of ads, Vega’s target was more comfortable with a heavier commercial load. Nonetheless, long ad breaks where advertisers are number seven in a bracket of ten does no one any good at all”. The line-up will be Angela Catterns on breakfast, Wendy Harmer on mornings, Francis Leach on afternoons, Tony Squires and Rebecca Wilson on drive, Mike Perso on nights. Weekend details are yet to be revealed, but Dean Buchanan said at this morning's media conference that the weekend format would contain mostly music with some elements of talk and sport. Melbourne's Vega will share the same lineup except for breakfast. Thompson did not reveal the name of the Melbourne breakfast host at the Melbourne media conference. Speaking at this morning's press conference Paul Thompson recalled DMG's beginnings from a spare bedroom in his house to the culmination of the company's work today, where Nova stations are number one FM under 40s in each of their markets, and Vega has been born. He revealed that DMG did not necessarily think it could get the second licences in Sydney and Melbourne, and that he saw the Singleton/Branson alliance as a powerful competitor at the time DMG bid for the licence. As it turned out, DMG outbid Singleton and Branson and scored the Sydney licence for $106 mil
zorg1503559539 Posted July 27, 2005 Posted July 27, 2005 wendy harmer - noooooooooooooooo.... has the most irritating oice known to man... I think I'll stick with Fox even though Jo is annoying.
laurie Posted July 27, 2005 Posted July 27, 2005 I will stick with community radio 90.1 & 100.3 their format suits my needs cheers laurie
mgaleano Posted July 27, 2005 Posted July 27, 2005 I like the music idea. 40 years of music will suit me. Not sure about lifestyle talk and the heavy networking with sydney and Melbourne. Wendy Harmer I find a bit annoying too. May tune off at that time! And it will play some modern music which I like! Its a shame I will be away on Monday to hear the launch. Can someone record it for me ?
mechsta Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 Its a shame I will be away on Monday to hear the launch. Can someone record it for me ? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Lucky I'm on holidays for the next 2 weeks, so I'll be able to record the start of Vega before I go jetsetting to Brisbane and Perth. -- Mech
BlueDusk Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 I'll probably record it Hi-Fi -> Sound Card, might upload it to my webspace.
Moasaica Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 I will stick with community radio 90.1 & 100.3 their format suits my needs cheers laurie <{POST_SNAPBACK}> In case you want to know, 90.1 is 2NBC Narwee & 100.3 is 2MCR Campbelltown. I like the music idea. 40 years of music will suit me. Not sure about lifestyle talk and the heavy networking with sydney and Melbourne. Wendy Harmer I find a bit annoying too. May tune off at that time! And it will play some modern music which I like! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> As you said, Vega FM will play a much wider variety of music than WS-FM & MIX 106.5, and that "40 years of music" is defined as music ranging from the 60s to Today, almost a good definition of a "Best Songs of All Time" music format. Whilst Vega will gain a lot of listeners from 702 ABC Sydney, it would also probably gain the most from WS-FM IMO, especially those who have been dissolutioned of the station's classic rock format. Also, Vega, in both Sydney & Melbourne, will have the largest music playlist on Australian commercial radio, with over 3,000 songs. That's obviously more than any other commercial radio stations in Sydney & Melbourne. Looking forward to the formal launch of Vega this Monday!
DigitalObserver Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 Whilst Vega will gain a lot of listeners from 702 ABC Sydney dtv, 702 listeners like NO ads (promos are bearable) and it is not a music station - lucky to get 4 or five tracks a day. Richard Glover wins drive on a regular basis, i suspect for just these reasons. I can not imagine that many of Angela's listeners will migrate. Her last program was full of her "faithful" saying good bye not - "we are coming with you". Nothing against the idea and the format but I can not see it taking much from 702. Regards
laurie Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 Once they get their audience hooked the ads will follow someone has to pay for the $163m licence! cheers laurie
Moasaica Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 Once they get their audience hooked the ads will follow someone has to pay for the $163m licence!cheers laurie <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Vega's Sydney licence cost $106 million while its Melbourne licence cost $52 million. I don't know where you got that $163 million from.
mgaleano Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 Lucky I'm on holidays for the next 2 weeks, so I'll be able to record the start of Vega before I go jetsetting to Brisbane and Perth.-- Mech <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks Mech! I may be able to hear it. Its unlikely I think by 11am I will be on the golden hwy. Anyone know if you can hear Sydney FM from the Golden Hwy in the hunter?
matt86 Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 dtv, 702 listeners like NO ads (promos are bearable) and it is not a music station - lucky to get 4 or five tracks a day. Richard Glover wins drive on a regular basis, i suspect for just these reasons. I can not imagine that many of Angela's listeners will migrate. Her last program was full of her "faithful" saying good bye not - "we are coming with you". Nothing against the idea and the format but I can not see it taking much from 702.Regards <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Evidently, listeners don't like commercials. Nova's "no more than 2 ads in a row" policy proved it. ABC's ratings are also good because there are no ads. I will stick with community radio 90.1 & 100.3 their format suits my needs cheers laurie This is an increasing phenomenon, again there are no ads just a few sponsorship announcements here and there on community stations.
laurie Posted July 28, 2005 Posted July 28, 2005 I don't know where you got that $163 million from $106m + $52m = $158 not bad for a guess! so I was out a few million cheers laurie
oliver Posted July 29, 2005 Author Posted July 29, 2005 When Paul Thompson addressed the media yesterday to launch Vega, it was his second presentation of the morning. He had already been up for hours presenting details of the new station to advertising agencies. “We knew that the media wouldn’t get up so early, so we did the advertiser presentation first,” joked Thompson. Rightly so, and the agencies come first for another reason too. It is advertising agencies which will determine the success of the new station. Thompson admits that the 40-60 year old target audience he is chasing will be harder to shift than the younger male listeners who found Nova so quickly after its launch. Will advertisers also take a long time to shift their media buying habits? Comments from advertisers contacted by radioinfo today ranged from: “We’ll buy it when it rates.” to, “if they can get some of that ABC audience which we can’t reach through other radio stations, then we’ll get on board.” One commentator observed that even the logo looks a little like the ABC, but with more energy and larrikinism, as you would expect from the commercial sector. Hyundai and the Seven Network are two advertisers already signed up to take a chance on the new brand, and more are expected to follow after this week’s presentation. Ad breaks will contain more than 2 ads in a row because the target age group has “more tolerance for advertising than Nova’s listeners,” but long blocks of ads are not in the plan according to Thompson. Music on the new station will include contemporary songs as well as music from the target audience’s formative years. “We did things with Nova that weren’t supposed to be possible. We’ll bring the same level of innovation to our new brand. We try to break patterns, to be unique and unorthodox.” The Sydney radio advertising market is worth about $209 million, while Melbourne is worth about $157 million. Vega’s rate card has not been released at this stage. Rival stations of course will not take the entry of the new player into their markets lying down. While Vega might grow the audience by luring disaffected former radio listeners back to the medium, as Nova did to a certain extent when it launched, rivals will expect it to also take some of their listeners and will try various strategies to keep them. Triple M revamped its format months ago and has a renewed energy that is propelling it strongly in both cities, putting it in the top 5 in both Sydney and Melbourne. Although Triple M is younger targeted, the ‘random playlist’ concept could prove to be a good spoiler for any new music format which Vega introduces. In Melbourne 3AW may play the ‘made in Sydney trump card’ in its counter strategy to Vega. It may remind listeners of the failed 3AK Sydney-Melbourne networking experience so many years ago and the parochial Melbourne media will rally against anything that is perceived as being too Sydney centric. DMG have anticipated that strategy by making sure Vega’s programming is equally from Melbourne and from Sydney. Sydney’s 2GB will work on its older listeners to increase their time spent listening, in an attempt to mitigate against any listeners in the younger end of its demographic who might be tempted to sample Vega. Both 2GB and 3AW are vulnerable in afternoons, when talk radio listeners feel they have heard enough of the day’s news and want to find some music. ABC stations 774 and 702 are also vulnerable in that timeslot, as is lower ranked 2UE, and in Melbourne Francis Leach may lure some of the last remaining SEN listeners across to his new station. To do any long term damage to the talk stations though, Vega will have to have a strong component of sport during the football season to stop the talk stations galloping ahead in the mid-year surveys. To seriously take large numbers of listeners away from the ABC in breakfast, Vega will also have to examine the news and current affairs component of ABC breakfast shows and do something pretty special at 6am, 7am, 7.45 and 8am to counter ABC Radio’s strong news and current affairs elements. ARN’s Gold in Melbourne and WSFM in Sydney are firmly in Vega’s sights. Both stations are currently top dogs in the 40-54 demographic, and Vega will want some of that action. Both stations are immediately vulnerable in evenings and at breakfast, but their ‘at work’ listening is strong and it will take a lot of work for Vega to knock that around in the early stages of its existence. While lower ranked players will also feel the effects of Vega, it will be the bigger players which will have the most to lose if Vega’s strategy works. A new market entrant usually causes destabilization for at least three surveys because of listener sampling and programming counter-strategies from opponents. It will be an interesting next few months in both these radio markets as previous strategies for success.
laurie Posted July 30, 2005 Posted July 30, 2005 If 2CH was on the FM band I don't think Vega had any chance at all IMHO cheers laurie
mgaleano Posted July 31, 2005 Posted July 31, 2005 If 2CH was on the FM band I don't think Vega had any chance at all IMHOcheers laurie <{POST_SNAPBACK}> RDS has been switched on . It says vega 953.
BlueDusk Posted July 31, 2005 Posted July 31, 2005 Yup, I can get the RDS on 95.3 as well, "VEGA 953", 2DAY's RDS has been missing for a few days, and I've never been able to get RDS from Nova. If my computer recording doesn't stuff up, I'll post a 10 minute clip (WMA 64kbps) of the launch if anyone wants it.
mgaleano Posted July 31, 2005 Posted July 31, 2005 Yup, I can get the RDS on 95.3 as well, "VEGA 953", 2DAY's RDS has been missing for a few days, and I've never been able to get RDS from Nova. If my computer recording doesn't stuff up, I'll post a 10 minute clip (WMA 64kbps) of the launch if anyone wants it. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I want it! I will off on trip past the hunter. Maybe north of singelton not sure if I'll get it there.
BlueDusk Posted August 1, 2005 Posted August 1, 2005 Vega 95.3 Launch Duration: 600 seconds Codec: Windows Media Audio 9 Sample Rate: 44.1KHz Bitrate: 64kbps CBR (Downconverted from 192kbps) http://members.microplex.com.au/wyp5/vegalaunch.wma Capped and hosted by Winston. I would appreciate a reply if you downloaded it, but no pressure.
robertr Posted August 1, 2005 Posted August 1, 2005 If 2CH was on the FM band I don't think Vega had any chance at all IMHOcheers laurie <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Very astute comment what Sydney really needs is a Gold format similar to when 2 Day FM started in 1980
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