Magic (radio network)


Magic is a New Zealand oldies and talkback radio network owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. The network targets New Zealand's growing population of baby boomers with a line-up of veteran broadcasters. Its music breakfast show, Magic Breakfast, is hosted by high-profile television producer, game show host, sports commentator and radio announcer Mark Leishman, while its talk breakfast show The AM Show is simulcast on TV channel Three and is presented by Duncan Garner, Amanda Gillies and Mark Richardson.
Magic Music targets 50- to 69-year-olds, an older demographic than similar MediaWorks brands. It is run alongside The Breeze with a similar playlist, but The Breeze has a younger female skew and easy listening music focus. Another MediaWorks network, The Sound, previously played similar music but now has a male skew and a rock music focus. Magic targets older listeners who have a "youthful, active approach to life" and want "fantastic music and a feel-good attitude". However, some marketing commentators have argued the "youthful" brand is out of touch with the "antiquated" classic playlist. Its playlist, drawn from the 1950s to 1970s, includes music from Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield and Rod Stewart.
Magic Talk is a nationwide Auckland-based talkback, news and sport radio network, formed by the 2019 rebrand of Radio Live. The station competes directly against NZME station Newstalk ZB. Magic was rebranded as Magic Music, and some programmes shared with the newly-launched Magic Talk. This change took effect in mid-January 2019, with a large number of Radio Live hosts leaving the station due to the restructure. The first programme hosted on the station was Overnights with Tony Amos.

History

Magic was launched on 20 April 2015 in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Rotorua and Dunedin, some stations were launched on frequencies MediaWorks acquired in radio spectrum auctions, others were secondary frequencies used by other MediaWorks stations such as in Dunedin the 99.8FM frequency was previously used by Radio Dunedin and Wellington's 891AM previously used by The Breeze. Over the next few days, the Magic added frequencies in Hawkes Bay and Kapiti. More stations in Wanganui, Wairarapa, Blenheim, Nelson, Queenstown, Southland and Rodney over the following months. The Magic brand name has been used in other regions such as Magic FM in Northland which was owned by MediaWorks but closed down in 2001, Magic 828 & 98.6FM in Palmerston North which was rebranded The Breeze in 2004 and Magic 91FM which was a local station in Auckland during the 1980s.
The launch of Magic was made possible by the closure of Kiwi FM on March 31. Magic took over the former Kiwi FM studios in Auckland. Kiwi was an independent non-profit music broadcaster, wholly owned by MediaWorks. It operated as ten years as Kiwi FM, and had previously operated as ten years as Channel Z. The network attracted 28,000 listeners each week and was responsible for about one percent of local music airtime on New Zealand radio. However, its popularity and long-term viability had been undermined by new websites offering direct access to local music, and MediaWorks decided to focus its youth resources on the nationwide roll-out of George FM and Mai FM.
MediaWorks hopes the Magic network will increase its market share of the one million New Zealanders aged 50 to 74. In New Zealand this demographic is growing in size, is more likely to listen to the radio and listens to radio for longer hours. People in this group also have fewer family commitments, and have more assets and disposable incomes. MediaWorks secured a network of new frequencies in the 2014 radio spectrum auction in markets with large baby boomer populations. The company says that includes markets where Magic can go head to head with Coast, and markets with no Coast stations where Magic can secure a monopoly or gain a competitive advantage.
In November 2018, it was announced that sister station Radio Live would be merging with Magic to form a talk-music radio hybrid known as Magic Talk, which started on January 19, 2019. Former TVNZ news presenter Peter Williams was the first host revealed for the new network.

Competition

Magic's main competitor is New Zealand Media and Entertainment's network station Coast which has been broadcasting under this name since 2002 originally just in the Hawkes Bay area but began expanding to the rest of New Zealand in 2004. Both stations play a similar format.
In the past MediaWorks ran a Rock and roll Oldies format station called Solid Gold which initially played music from the 1950s to the 1970s and later specializing in 1960's and 70's music. In 2012 Solid Gold was rebranded as The Sound and switched format to Classic rock, the format change for this station was due to a gap left in the market after Radio Hauraki moved away from Classic Rock music. The change in format for The Sound meant MediaWorks were no longer catering to an older audience of listeners, a gap filled by Magic.

Programmes

Hosts

Breakfast Magic Breakfast with Mark Leishman and Geoff Bryan between 6am and 10am weekdays.
Workday Magic Workday with Mark Smith between 10am and 2pm weekdays.
Drive Magic Drive with Murray Lindsay between 2pm and 7pm weekdays.
Nights Bob Gentil hosts the night show between 7pm and 12am weeknights. Overnights are automated from 12am until 6am.
Weekends Weekend mornings are hosted by Murray Lindsay on Saturdays and Bob Gentil on Sundays, from 6am until 12pm. Weekend afternoons are hosted by Dave Grove from 12pm until 7pm. Saturday nights are automated from 7pm until 6am with The Saturday Night Jukebox running between 7pm and 12am. Country Magic, hosted by Mark Leishman, runs between 7pm and 12am Sunday nights.

Music

Magic's playlist includes tracks from Elvis Presley, the Bee Gees, The Supremes, The Beatles, The Rat Pack, Motown, Frank Sinatra, and Rod Stewart's. The Magic website also features news and showcases music from Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Dusty Springfield, Percy Sledge, Paul McCartney, Hot Chocolate and Simon and Garfunkel. The station's first in-studio interview was with Dennis Locorriere from Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. His appearance included a solo performance of an acoustic mash-up of some of the band's most popular songs, including When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman, The Cover of Rolling Stone and Sylvia's Mother.

Talk

Magic Talk broadcasts news updates, breakfast and drive current affairs, open-line talkback, and weekend lifestyle content. News, sports and weather updates are broadcast live half-hourly during current affairs programmes and hourly at other times, through a partnership with MediaWorks's 24-hour Newshub service. Newshub Live at 6 was simulcast live every night until 19 January 2020.

Magic Music Frequencieshttps://www.magic.co.nz/home/frequencies/music.html Magic Music frequency listing

Events and promotions

To celebrate its launch in April 2015, Magic gave away 100 prize packs and a trip to Sydney to see Neil Diamond in concert. In the same year, the network also sponsored Neil Diamond concerts in Auckland and Dunedin, Singin’ in the Rain in Auckland and Wellington, an Elton John concert in Wellington, a Laurence Aberhart exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery, the New Zealand International Film Festival, a nationwide tour of 10cc, and a Beach Boys concert at Mount Maunganui.