Nine Radio has announced that 4BC will swap frequencies with sister station 4BH, moving to 882 AM.
This is the first time a radio station in Brisbane has ever swapped frequencies, and 4BC’s new position on the dial is effective from Friday, October 8, at 8.08am.
From Monday, 4BC launches a major awareness campaign, with on-air promos featuring Breakfast host Neil Breen and a print advertising campaign. Then from October 8, the station will also be giving away $882 a day to listeners in a daily Breakfast competition.
4BC content manager, Max Dudley, said: “We have made the decision to move 4BC down the dial to 882 AM to enhance the listening experience of our loyal talk radio listeners. Whether they’re on the move, at work, or listening from home, audiences right across the south-east will now have better access to our live and local programming throughout the day.”
The move comes just weeks after 4BC announced it was expanding its on-air lineup with the appointment of Brisbane’s Sofie Formica as the new Afternoons presenter.
This follows the “live and local” ramp-up of 4BC’s presence in Brisbane, with the appointment of Neil Breen in 4BC Breakfast, Scott Emerson in Drive, Peter Psaltis hosting Wide World of Sports, and Bill McDonald and Spencer Howson rounding out the lineup on Weekends.
“Over the past 18 months we have demonstrated that Brisbane wants and will tune into live and local talk radio,” Dudley said. “The combination of Neil Breen in Breakfast, the one and only Ray Hadley in Mornings and now Sofie Formica in Afternoons, followed by Scott Emerson in Drive, rounds out our day and gives 4BC a clear local perspective that speaks to Queenslanders.
“We are excited by these changes, which are all about expanding our voice in Brisbane. The change to 882 on the AM dial is an important step to making us easier to find. But equally we recognise that today your smartphone is also a radio, and we are seeing a growing number of people live streaming 4BC from the app.
“In August live streaming was up 10 per cent month on month. Regardless of how people listen, the goal of our 4BC presenters is to speak up for the people of Brisbane and their issues and needs.”
The most recent GfK Survey showed 4BC pulling a 7.2 per cent share of total people in Brisbane. Neil Breen in Breakfast lifted 0.7 points to an 8.0 per cent share. Ray Hadley was the No.1 talk presenter in Mornings with 10.6 per cent (up 2.1 points). And in Weekends, 4BC had a 6.9 per cent share, up 0.7 points.