Melbourne’s 3MP has become Classic Rock Radio but be warned … it unimaginative and bland.
Pacific Star Network has dropped the 3MP Classic Hits format (with announcers) for the new Classic Rock Radio (without announcers) but in a sample listen the station played obvious acts like Queen followed by Dire Straits followed by Eagles.
On the surface, the new direction sounds like a cheap cost-cutting exercise to avoid paying salaries by inserting a jukebox but the trouble with the jukebox is that it sounds like it was bought second hand from a Frankston pub in the 70s.
The strategy for the new station is sound. Southern Cross Austereo vacated its Classic Rock digital format last month leaving a gap in the market. However, SCA produced a unique Classic Rock station by regularly playing old songs that were not normally heard previously commercial radio and inserting its programming with entertaining block programs from Little Steven and Alice Cooper.
The new Classic Rock Radio is just aural wallpaper.
Speaking to Mumbrella, the general manager of the operation Cathy Thomas justified the repositioning by saying the company was aligning its SEN sports station with a similar 40+ male demographic and therefore creating a common sales strategy.
“We wanted to ensure, from a sales perspective, that there was a synergy between the two stations. It means when we’re talking to a client both our stations are targeting males, they’re both environments that males want to listen to,” she told Mumbrella.
While in a board report that may sound logical, through the speakers it fails to offer any point of difference for the listeners.
The station can now be heard on DAB+ and on 3MP’s AM frequency 1377.
