The Edge (radio station)

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**The Edge**

Broadcast area	New Zealand
Branding	The Edge
Slogan	Get On To It
First air date	1994
Format	Pop Music
ERP	N/A
Class	Terrestrial/Internet
Owner	Canwest
Website	http://www.theedge.co.nz

The Edge FM is a New Zealand youth radio network, playing pop music. It is owned by CanWest Global Communications. The network originally began as a local Hamilton radio station in 1994, but in 1999 it started expanding around the country. The station moved to Auckland in 2001. Ironically, the network took another year to broadcast to the Auckland area due to a lack of frequencies.

The Edge was once New Zealands most popular radio network with over 450,000 listeners but the most recent survey places The Edge as the 3rd most listened to station in New Zealand with 378,000 listeners. Newstalk ZB takes top place with 407,000 listeners and Classic Hits takes second place with 381,000 listeners. Its nearest competitor in music type is ZM, however ZM plays more rock music and older hits than The Edge.

The original The Edge logo used between 1994 and 2000.

1 Stations/Frequencies
2 Main schedule
3 Competitions
4 Jinglebail
5 EdgeFest
6 Other radio stations
7 External links

[edit] Stations/Frequencies

Northland 94.0
Auckland 94.2
Waikato 97.8
Bay of Plenty 99.8
Rotorua 99.9
Taupo 89.1
Gisborne 99.7
Taranaki 94.0
Hawke's Bay 98.3
Manawatu 93.0
Kapiti Coast 97.3
Wellington 97.5
Nelson 89.0
Christchurch 89.0
Timaru 95.5
Oamaru 96.0
Dunedin 91.8
Wanaka 98.6
Central Otago 98.3
Queenstown 95.2
Southland 97.2

[edit] Main schedule

Weekdays (Monday to Friday):

6am-10am - The Morning Madhouse with Mike, JJ and Dom
10am-2pm - Joe Cotton
2pm-7pm - Fletch, Vaughan and Chang
7pm-12am - The Night Show with Brad and Sharyn (includes FaceOff, Top 20 and Interactive Request Show)
12am (Midnight)-6am - Computer plays music, no DJ.

Weekends:

2pm-6pm Saturday - The Fat 40 Countdown with Fletch, Vaughan and Chang
6pm-2am Saturday/Sunday - Party Hard Show - Non-stop music. No ads.

Other times the Schedule varies every week.

[edit] Competitions

The Edge has made name for itself through some of it larger and sometimes controversial competitions.

Two Strangers and a Wedding - September 1999 and October 2003

The Edge is the only radio station in New Zealand to ever try this competition where the station selects a male and female entrant and marrys the couple the minute they meet at the alter. While overseas stations have tried this promotion the result has often seen the couple splitting after a short time. Both couples Zane and Paula Nicholl (in 1999) and Steve and Kersha Veix (in 2003) are still together today and have even had children together.

Inmates - March 2000

Five contestants were locked in a luxury Wellington apartment for 6 weeks where their only contact with the outside world was a computer each where they could chat to the public or by talking through an 0900 number. The public could view the Inmates actions through live Webcams and vote for their favourite Inmate and the Inmate with the least votes for the week went home. While this competition was very much like Big Brother or Survivor the concept was then new to New Zealanders as this competition took place before both these shows aired on New Zealand TV.

Elope to Las Vegas - August 2000

A couple already intending on getting married was given the oportunity to have a secret wedding in Las Vegas. Various couples entered and the listeners chose the couple they wanted to see married, names were changed and voices disguised so no one had any idea who was getting married. After the wedding the winning couple had to then call the family and inform them they are in Vegas and have just been married.

Survive to Drive It - September 2000

This competition followed a similar format to Inmates only this time contestants were locked in a SUV in a mall in either Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin with the winner taking home the vehicle.

The Fat Bastard - March 2001

This was a competition to see who could gain the most weight over a period of a few weeks.

Bank It, Or Burn It - July 2001 and March 2003

Listeners were given the oportunity to say why they needed $5000 and then once a winner was selected the public had to vote whether the winner was allowed to keep the money or whether the winnner should have to burn it. The first time the winner stated she would use the money for a Breast Reduction, the listeners voted to burn the money and since it is not legal burn New Zealand money the money was converted into Australian currency and then burnt. The second time round the prize money was $10,000 and the winner chose to bet all the money on the Canterbury Crusaders winning the 2003 Super 12 Final. Listeners voted for the winnner to bank the money however since the Crusaders did not win the final the winner ended up walking away empty handed.

Six Degrees of Separation - September 2002

Every day a participant had to find a particular person in New Zealand using only the cryptic clues given a telephone and every phone directory in New Zealand. The participant could only make a maximum of 6 phone calls to try and find the person in question.

Quit Your Day Job - April 2004 and April 2006

Listeners were given a chance to actually win a job working on The Edge as well as a lot of other prizes. The prize was given to an entrant who had the most suitable voice for talking on the radio. Both winners, Vaughan in 2004 and Sharon in 2006 still work for The Edge today.

Desperate Housewives vs The Crazy Frog - September 2005

This time in order to win $3,000 a mother and her children had a sit in a caravan while The Crazy Frog played over and over again, in order to win the mother and her child had to stay in the caravan until Axel F from The Crazy Frog had played 3000 times. There were various complaints about this competition and CYFS actually offered to give the contestant $2,000 if she forfitted from the competition immediately.

Boyband - September 2006

Auditions were held throughout the country to find New Zealand's first ever manufactured boyband. The criteria for the entrants were they had to fit a certain stereotype of a boyband member, either Gay Boy, Mummy's Boy, Bad Boy, Fat Boy and Hot Boy. The aim was to get a Boyband single to number one of the New Zealand music charts and this goal was reached with their cover of The Kinks classic You Really Got Me.

[edit] Jinglebail

The Edge has run an annual fundraiser every Christmas, since 1999, called Jingle Bail. The Morning Madhouse presenter lock themselves in a make-shift jail cell somewhere in the country and stay there 24 hours a day until the target amount is raised.

In 1999 $10,000 was raised in one day for the Salvation Army
In 2000 $50,000 was raised to sent 8 deserving children and their caregivers to Disneyland
Since 2001 the funds raised have been used to send deserving children and their caregivers to the Gold Coast of Australia.
In 2003 excess funds raised were used to send 15 children to a Rugby World Cup game in Sydney.
The highest amount raised so far was $155,000 in 2005 allowing as many as 24 children to travel to the Gold Coast.

The deserving children are nominated by listeners, these are children who are sick or have been through a rough time.

[edit] EdgeFest

Every year since 2001 The Edge has put on major concerts featuring popular bands from its playlists. Starting as Summer Jam, the concert series has grown significantly over the years, featuring a steadily increasing number of international acts.

Edgefest takes place every March, touring though Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.

Major bands who have played at EdgeFest or Summer Jam concerts include: Silverchair in 2002, Good Charlotte in 2003, Yellowcard in 2004, Alien Ant Farm in 2004, Shihad in 2004, Chingy in 2005, Grinspoon in 2005, Mattafix in 2006, The Living End in 2006, Presidents of the USA in 2006 and P.O.D. in 2006.

[edit] Other radio stations

The Edge is also the brand name of several other radio stations, including CFNY-FM in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the network of FM and Internet radio stations in Lucena and Davao, Philippines operated by United Christian Broadcasters.