2DayFM switches music format to Adult Contemporary

Former Assistant Editor

A new Breakfast team wasn’t the only change at 2DayFM today, with Southern Cross Austereo also overhauling the station’s music strategy.

It was clear during Em, Grant and Ed‘s Breakfast show the music had shifted on 104.1. Gone is the ’Hits and Old School’ branding to more of an Adult Contemporary format. It could be described as ’Hits and Memories’, a format that goes back to the 80’s.

The increased spins of 80s and early 90s tracks, with fewer newer hits among them, could be part of a strategy to open 2DayFM to an older demographic.

Between 6am and midday, tracks by George Michael, Michael Jackson, The Choirboys, Madonna, The B52’s, Roachford, Crowded House, Haddaway and Tone Loc were among songs from that era copping spins.

Anyone aged 15 in 1987 is now 45, so a lot of these 80’s songs would have influenced listeners in their teenage pomp, making the new format appealing to older listeners of Australian Radio Network’s WSFM and KIIS FM and, to a lesser extent, perhaps even Nova Entertainment’s smoothfm.

“It sounds like RnB Friday’s had an orgy with the smoothfm and Triple Ms playlist,” a rival radio insider told Radio Today.

It’s definitely possible that the move could be a consequence of 2DayFM’s new lineup, with Em Rusciano, Grant Denyer and Ed Kavalee on Breakfast and Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek on Drive. All personalities are around 40, some late 40’s and one aged over 50.

It seems unusual that 2DayFM would let go of its Hit music appeal, leaving the CHR music position to Nova 96.9 and market leader KIIS106.5.

The only question left to answer is will it be enough to pull them out of the ratings doldrums?

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Nova boy
15 Jan 2018 - 5:48 pm

What happened to 2Dayfms daytime jocks ? Have they all been sacked ?

Jamie
15 Jan 2018 - 5:53 pm

So Sydney is left with two CHR stations KIIS and Nova thats enough.

Mick
15 Jan 2018 - 6:30 pm

2Day have gone old school. Like it. Watch out WS.

Bris-Man
15 Jan 2018 - 7:47 pm

And only about 4 years too late. Well done on missing the bandwagon guys! And some awful songs in the mix.

Robert
15 Jan 2018 - 9:48 pm

Hate it!!!got in my car and the music that was playing was so depressing, I thought someone had switched my radio to some retirement home station.
Come on 2day FM why would you do that. I am 49 and I hate it!
First thought was that 2day has obviously run out of money to pay for all the good music

HKN
16 Jan 2018 - 6:17 am

New format is brilliant. Love that old school from late 80s.

Pete
16 Jan 2018 - 6:49 am

It’s a case of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Too little too late I’m afraid. WS have that market covered.

Michael
16 Jan 2018 - 7:31 am

Never thought I’d see the day 2DAYFM have abandoned the under 40’s. Boring old school music like the used to play. I’ll stick with Nova thanks.

Tom
16 Jan 2018 - 7:32 am

104.1 have raised the white flag. They’ve given up

BT
16 Jan 2018 - 7:43 am

What’s next ? Polka

MIX is back!
16 Jan 2018 - 8:37 am

MIX returns to Sydney! I agree with Bris-Man – 4 years too late.

With Scott Muller as the new PD at WS it will become more competitive than ever. 2Day will really have to pull something amazing out of hat to beat them. Personally I don’t see it happening.

Jake Challenor
16 Jan 2018 - 9:04 am

@Nova Boy – Jaben and MC are back next Monday 🙂

Bob
16 Jan 2018 - 9:54 am

SCA are stealing ARN’s old formats now. First they steal Hughesy and Kate now they rip off the old MIX format. And they do a 3pm pick up with Carrie. Need some new original ideas.

Anon
16 Jan 2018 - 10:08 am

The record companies won’t love them anymore no new music.

Blair
16 Jan 2018 - 11:52 am

RIP 2DAYFM so sad. The day the music died. No more Top 40 radio for 2Day. Its the end of an era.

Todd
16 Jan 2018 - 1:16 pm

They need a breakfast show that will move the dial. What they have currently will struggle, judging off the first couple of shows.

This means the drive show has little hope.

Music format change across the day has no audience lead in.

Do the drive shows take the network back to a hit format for the afternoon?

Remember everyone saying RnB format were ground breaking; 2day mornings/afternoon NEVER beat KIIS, NOVA or WSFM.

Last throw of the dice for lead programming positions you would think. The CEO can only face a board of directors so many times.

Joey
16 Jan 2018 - 3:13 pm

Putting aside silly comments from radio rivals, it really is as simple as ‘adult contemporary’. For those of you under 30, you may not recall a time when either Fox or 2Day ran previous adult contemporary formats, going far back to the 80s (when 2SM and 3XY were still about, albeit in decline). You may not recall a time, 1993 to be exact, when Fox played classic rock by day and Top 40 by night (to address the dominance of Gold 104 at that time). It could be worse for 2Day – they could have crumbled under the hype of a rumoured change of name to ‘Hit 104.1’ and thrown the branding heritage out with the already thrown out ratings. Instead, SCA obviously recognised they don’t have the stable competitive environment in either Sydney or Melbourne they have just about everywhere else in the country. After 4 years of losing a first prized CHR position, they are going to run with a second prized AC position and obviously hope they’ll manage it better. It’s commercial radio guys – format flipping happens constantly in the USA. Though In 2Day’s case, it’s more like a return to where they have been before rather than some radical format flip.

Ton
16 Jan 2018 - 3:25 pm

@Bob 2Day Fm technically have not stolen anything from ARN/KIIS, Carrie and Tommy are a drive show not a pick up show and the mix format hasn’t been in Sydney for 5 years so there is no playgerism in that, and SCA were allowed to take Hughesy and Kate because ARN stole Will and Woody from SCA.
@Michael Nova sucks why would you stick with them, they’re a lot more boring then 2Day Fm.

CB
16 Jan 2018 - 3:30 pm

Anyone who thinks the new 2Day format is a rip off of WS and the old Mix format probably isn’t listening closely enough or doesn’t remember how daggy Mix was. The new format sounds great – good balance of new and old. Smart move by SCA. They’ve opened themselves up to a wider audience and it should pay off.

The Evening News
16 Jan 2018 - 3:59 pm

2DAY FM finally seeing the ‘doing the exact same as everyone else and doing the same thing that we’ve done for four years doesn’t seem to be working’ light.

Personally I don’t think they’ve gone far enough. They’ve hedged their bets and hedging your bets never pays the major dividends.

What I think 2DAY should do is flip the switch and go 100% Hot AC – either in the Heart London direction or the 1043 MYfm LA direction. Position the station as a ‘feel good’ station. Get a huge personality with broad appeal like Karl Stefanovic to head up a relaxed breakfast shift that doesn’t have too much pressure on it – so Karl could talk about what he wanted and be relatable without feeling the pressure to be funny or whatever. Take out the fake laughter. Surround him with a few other personalities who are most definitely second strings and don’t play into the limelight too much but are able to play off Karl and input when needed. Like a Ben Fordham and Rebecca Judd. Add an experienced anchor who only anchors,

The current drive line-up would work perfectly in that format – but would need music to match. You could almost even keep nights as they are; a hotted up show for the youngies.

Then, with everything in it’s place and firing right, you have a shot at hitting a #3 FM if you play your cards right – but only after a good four+ years of building. You would also be very advertiser friendly with that slightly softer, less edgy format.

2DAY needs a content director with a bit of vision. At the moment they just seem desperate.

Gary
16 Jan 2018 - 5:16 pm

Agree with Evening News. They should go similar to Heart UK or MyFM in LA. It sounds like that’s what they’re trying so good on them. Wish they’d do it on HIT 105 in Brisbane too.

I agree with other posters too, this isn’t “new” for 2Day. Stations like 2Day and B105 were at their best when they were more AC/Hot AC.

Imitators not innovators
16 Jan 2018 - 5:50 pm

Right into Scott Muller’s hands.
@ Joey 16 Jan 2018 – 3:13 pm…Flipping format may happen constantly in the good old USA in some markets,however heritage outlets continually and profitably rate.
Yes,they could do a lot worse than implement the KOST-FM format from LA.
I get the feeling they will try the failed JACK FM format here.
Good Luck!
That name 2Day FM should have never been messed with.
If I was a shareholder I would be calling for scalps of those radio gurus at SCA.
Scott Muller is already licking his lips and his sailors are dancing on the winning ship as the SCA fleet slowly sink.

Heather
17 Jan 2018 - 12:45 pm

Sounds remarkably similar to Star on the Central Coast

Mark
17 Jan 2018 - 4:16 pm

I like the new format. Way more variety than WS, Mix & Vega ever played.
I haven’t changed the station since.

Is like better version of WS with new music played too.

anonomous
18 Jan 2018 - 9:01 am

Why did it take 4 years or 32 surveys of failure before 2DAYFM made a format change Ummmmmmmm

Shaun
18 Jan 2018 - 10:34 am

LOOK OUT WS !

Mike
18 Jan 2018 - 10:35 am

SCA you have given up the chr fight. You lost KIIS and Nova won. Very sad.

Smoothie
18 Jan 2018 - 10:36 am

What’s next 2Day Michael Bublé ??????

Ton
18 Jan 2018 - 9:27 pm

@Mike get your head out of the gutter, if anything SCA smashed KIIS and Nova because they were the ones that have chosen to give 2Day Fm new life by playing much better music and in my opinion Nova is still behind the times, SCA or more like 2Day Fm may have lost last years ratings to KIIS but they did not lose to Nova in fact Nova was #5 in overall ratings and 2Day #6.

The Evening News
19 Jan 2018 - 6:23 am

@Ton
Don’t know in what world #6 is beating #5

And I honestly don’t know in what world the #6 station is ‘smashing’ the #1 station because of some weird ‘it means they get to play better music’ justification.

Ton
19 Jan 2018 - 6:07 pm

@The Evening News jokes on u that comment was made up and also at least I read the morning news

PJC
22 Jan 2018 - 11:57 am

Wow.. some real intelligent and insightful comments coming through here.

SCA had to do something with 2Day and this looks like their last throw of the dice (albeit a few years late). Personally, I’m not loving the format flip. I think playing songs from the 80s is a bit of a stretch for a station calling themselves 2Day FM (more like ‘Yesterday FM’). Some of the song choices are better suited to Triple M or are a bit too ‘smooth’ for my liking.

I think they could have tinkered with the playlist to have more 90s and 00s, whilst still playing to the network’s ‘Hits and Old School’ positioning. This new ‘More Music. More Variety’ is a little ‘more sleepy’. But, when you’re consistently rating in the 3’s and switching up talent isn’t working, you need to do something else. Drastic times call for drastic measures.

Peps
22 Jan 2018 - 1:55 pm

Waiting to see how long it takes 2Day to change workday announcers. They don’t fit the music they’re playing at all. Hearing them tease Kenny Loggins and Bon Jovi sounds a bit odd.

Greg
25 Jan 2018 - 11:17 pm

Go old school like they did late 90’s early 2000….good breakfast show followed by good music concepts all day….I think announcers bring on audiences….back then when they had Harmer and Mooney for b/f, sparksy for morning and Keith Williams in arvo, followed with Martin/Malloy…..I think radio is lacking the big promotions of old and I think to bring back these concepts would create more interests in radio again…this is where I think they should head

Salamander
8 Mar 2018 - 6:07 pm

That had to do something to lift them from the bottom of the trough, but the mix isn’t right.
Hearing Love Shack, followed by a clubby sounding Chainsmokers type song is too jarring.
They really need to fine-tune this format.

Ivan Thong
18 Dec 2018 - 2:30 pm

2DayFM should change the music format back to Top 40 Contemporary Hit Radio and change the slogan back to Hits & Old School so that this radio will play more current hit songs like Fox Hit 101.9 Melbourne and Nova 96.9 Sydney.

2DayFM’s Slogan is Sydney’s #1 for Hits & Old School
2DayFM’s Slogan branding will be Sydney’s 104.1 2DAY FM Sydney’s #1 for Hits & Old School. 2DayFM is a radio station in Sydney New South Wales that is part or SCA’s Hit Network.

The playlist on 2DayFM will play more current hit songs like Fox Hit 101.9 Melbourne and Nova 96.9 Sydney. Songs played on 2DayFM sounds remarkably similar as Fox Hit 101.9 Melbourne. 2DayFM will play more current hit songs like Fox Hit 101.9 Melbourne and Nova 96.9 Sydney when the Hits & Old School show is live on Saturday and Sunday. 2DayFM will play the Hits & Old School.

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