Vega (radio network)

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Vega FM is a network of Australian commercial radio stations operated by DMG Radio Australia. In contrast to DMG's other Australian radio network, Nova FM, Vega was originally positioned to target the "baby boomer" market of listeners in the 40 to 60 age bracket, with a mix of talk and music from the 1960s to the 2000s. However, recent radio ratings revealed that the station's best performing demographic is the 25-39 age group, in which the current "Vega Variety" music format appeals more to that age group than for the 40-54 age group.

The majority of music played on the station is Adult hits. Their current positioner is "Vega variety, the 70's, 80's & the best new songs".

1 Frequencies
2 Presenters
3 Early survey results
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Frequencies

Vega FM broadcasts on the following frequencies:

95.3 MHz (call sign 2PTV), Sydney - launched on 2005-08-01
91.5 MHz (call sign 3PTV), Melbourne - launched on 2005-09-05

[edit] Presenters

Each of the two stations run a local breakfast program on weekdays - former 702 ABC Sydney breakfast host Angela Catterns with Tony Squires and Rebecca Wilson in Sydney, and Shaun Micallef, Denise Scott, Dave O'Neil and Bev O'Connor in Melbourne. Vega revamped it's style throughout the network due to low ratings making both city based, to try and boost the ratings, currently there are no networked programs.

Melbourne weekday presenters include - Joe Bovalino, Mike Perso, Wilbur Wilde Sally Rope and Nights with Alice Cooper

Sydney weekday presenters include - Jason Staveley, Jen Oldershaw, Nathan Hardy , Trevor Sinclair and Nights with Alice Cooper

Overnight and on weekends, a mostly presenter-less music format is played, with Trevor Sinclar presenting on Saturday mornings.

On 2006-03-03, Vega announced that its original morning host, Wendy Harmer, had left the station. She has been replaced in the time slot by various presenters including Mike Perso and Jen Oldershaw in the interim.

Sydney News presenters include Monique Dews, Marnie Procter, Anthony Clark, Adam Hemmings and Deborah Clay.

Melbourne News presenters include Bev O'Connor, Nikole Gunn, Belinda Batty, Patrina Jones and Rick Wall.

[edit] Early survey results

During its first ACNielsen ratings survey (No. 8, 2005, covering mid-September to November of that year), Vega's stations had failed to attract a significant audience. The Sydney station reached a 1.8 percent audience share, and the Melbourne station gained a 1.2 percent share, placing it second last (ahead only of ABC NewsRadio) and last out of surveyed stations in each market, respectively. However, station management state that the slow take-up was to be expected, claiming the target audience will be slower than some audience groups to try a new station. In June 2006[1] the Sydney and Melbourne stations stopped sharing programs. Both stations dropped its "40 years of music" slogan and moved drive-time hosts Rebecca Wilson and Tony Squires to share the breakfast slot with Angela Catterns for its Sydney station. The changes have been slow to grow market share, with the Sydney audience falling to 1.7% in Sydney (No. 6, [(2006)], but climbing slowly to 1.8% in Melbourne, which, at the time, was their highest audience share to date in Melbourne.

By the end of 2006, Vega had reached their ratings peak, to date, in both cities. The Sydney station reached 2.8%, while the Melbourne station reached 3%.

In January 2007, Vega expanded its "Vega Variety" positioner to include "the 70's, 80's & the best new songs" in their positioner, and also put out advertisements in the form of billboards & on the side of buses, based around that expanded positioner. It is hoped that it would get more listeners to sample the station.

In the first radio survey of 2007, Vega in Sydney & Melbourne both had small increases, with the Sydney station reaching 3% & the Melbourne station reaching 3.3%. The station's best demographic performer on both stations in that survey, is the 25-39 age group.