Australian Radio Network (ARN) has announced the rebrand of Perth’s 96FM as it joins Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide as part of the KIIS national network.
The much-anticipated rebrand will breathe new life into the heritage station while “Keeping it Real” by celebrating more of the music and entertainment that Perth loves.
Along with fresh new branding, ARN will continue to build on the well-established heritage of 96FM while strengthening the entertainment offering with Perth’s own Carmen & Fitzi for Breakfast, National KIIS Network’s Hughesy & Kate for the Drive home, and more exciting local on-air talent announcements to come.
ARN’s national content director Duncan Campbell said: “96FM is loved by its loyal listeners and it’s essential for us to retain the strong heritage of the station. The essence of what listeners love about 96FM will remain unchanged as we build on this solid foundation to create a station tailored for Perth that will be genuine, fun and down to earth.
“After several years of successful growth, the addition of 96FM in Perth is yet another strong step forward for ARN and the national KIIS network.”
Newly appointed Perth commercial director Rick Dalton said 96FM’s inclusion in the national KIIS Network ensured the station would continue to have a compelling offering for advertisers and clients.
“We’re confident that the loyal listeners and advertisers of Perth will love the new look branding and content offering,” he said.
“96FM’s strong heritage, coupled with the consistently strong performance of Sydney’s KIIS 1065, Melbourne’s KIIS 101.1, Brisbane’s 97.3 and Adelaide’s Mix 102.3, puts ARN in an excellent position to deliver effective and fully integrated national campaign offerings for our clients.”
National marketing director Anthony Xydis said: “96FM is a strong performer in the market, it has excellent local talent and a strong connection with a local and passionate fan base.
“The new branding brings the station in line with the other stations in the KIIS Network, retaining its name and local identity in a similar strategy to 97.3 in Brisbane and Mix 102.3 in Adelaide, which are both part of the national network.
“The evolution of 96FM with ‘Keeping it real’ embraces the authenticity of the station and its listeners while holding on to the brand’s ‘real’ music cred. The launch campaign was developed to reflect the true spirit and sounds of Perth and audiences’ passion for great music, good times and what living in Perth is all about.”
Perth’s local Breakfast presenters Carmen Braidwood and Brad “Fitzi” Fitzgerald are also looking forward to starting on-air on their new-look station.
“We’re really excited about the new campaign and the refreshed station. It’s everything we loved about 96FM – great music, real banter – but with an up-to-date look and feel,” said Carmen.
Fitzi added, “Perth, we love waking up with you in real life every day and now we’re going to be able to do that in an even brighter way. We can’t wait to start.”
The rebrand begins now with Carmen & Fitzi coming back on air on September 28.
Source: ARN