The Edge (New Zealand)
 | |
| Broadcast area | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Branding | The Edge |
| Slogan | All The Hits |
| First air date | 1994 |
| Format | Pop music |
| Class | Terrestrial/Internet |
| Owner | MediaWorks New Zealand |
| Webcast |
www |
| Website |
www |
| The Edge TV | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Launched | 27 June 2014 |
| Owned by | MediaWorks New Zealand |
| Picture format | PAL (576i) 16:9 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Broadcast area | national |
| Sister channel(s) | TV3, Four |
Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| DVB 64-QAM on band IV | |
| Satellite | |
| DVB QPSK on 12644 MHz | |
| Cable | |
| DVB QAM | |
The Edge is a youth-oriented New Zealand radio network, music television channel and entertainment website owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand. It was founded in Hamilton in 1994, is based in Auckland and broadcasts nationwide over multiple channels. Research International audience surveys suggest The Edge has approximately 424,000 listeners across all markets that are surveyed and the station makes up 7.0% of the New Zealand radio market.[1]
The network is most successful in Waikato, Rotorua and Nelson surveys and in the 15–19 and 10–14 female demographics, whereas rival station ZM is most popular with listeners aged between 20 and 34.[2][3] The station's breakfast programme is number two in the ratings for nationwide commercial breakfast radio; its 240,000 listeners compare with 325,600 listeners for the top-rating Newstalk ZB.[4] This compares with the non-commercial Radio New Zealand National whose breakfast programme, Morning Report, has an audience of 522,000 listeners.[5]
The brand's TV channel, The Edge TV, was launched on 27 June 2014 as a replacement of C4. It plays music videos, screens specialist music and pop culture shows and broadcasts original video content filmed with The Edge radio hosts. It is available free-to-air on Kordia digital terrestrial and Sky satellite services.[6]
History
Early years
The modern The Edge radio network evolved out of a local top 40 Hamilton radio station, Buzzard 98FM. The station, a combination of urban and contemporary hit radio and aimed at men and women under 30, was launched by Energy Enterprises on 1 December 1992 on the 97.8FM frequency still used by The Edge in the Hamilton market. In 1994 the station was rebranded as The Edge FM and introduced its current programme schedule.
From 1998 The Edge began networking around the North Island to smaller markets where Energy Enterprises already operated other stations, such as Taranaki, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay. In 1999 Energy Enterprises merged with Radio Otago to form RadioWorks, the merger allowed RadioWorks to now network their North Island based stations into the South Island. As a result, The Edge began broadcasting in Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill and later Queenstown and Nelson. In 2000 and 2001 The Edge continued to expanded further into other markets – Wellington, Palmerston North, Taupo, Gisborne, Whangarei, the Bay of Islands and Kapiti. Oamaru and Timaru began broadcasting The Edge in 2002.
Relocation to Auckland
In 2001, The Edge prepared to enter New Zealand's largest radio market, Auckland, by moving their studios to the city. From late 2001 to early 2003 The Edge began broadcasting on Sky Digital channel 100 to allowing the network to reach a limited portion of markets such as Auckland in which the network did not have an FM frequency. Programming on Sky Digital had its own set of advertisements using nationwide advertisements, the Sky Digital station also had its own station id, in mid 2002 the Sky Digital feed became advert free with fill in music played during advert breaks this music was also heard on the radio if a local advert break ended sooner than scheduled.
While The Edge had been broadcasting from Auckland since 2001 it took until 2003 before the station could go on air in Auckland. Channel Z began broadcasting on 93.8FM through a transmitter outside of Auckland and took over the Sky Digital channel allocation. The Edge was able to take over the 94.2 Auckland frequency previously used by Channel Z. The Edge advertised itself nationally as "New on 94.2", recorded live from the Sky Tower on their first day of broadcast in Auckland, and repeated many of their most successful promotions such as 'Two Strangers and a Wedding'.
Further expansion
The Edge has continued to expand the markets in which it operates. In 2004 The Edge started broadcasting to Central Otago and in Southland coverage was extended to cover Gore which resulted in a loss of sound quality for listeners in the rest of Southland and Dunedin. In April 2008 The Edge ceased broadcasting in Central Otago with The Rock taking over this frequency. On 1 December 2009 The Edge began broadcasting in Blenheim.
The Edge made a return to Sky Digital on channel 500 in early 2011. Then on 1 June Sky TV channel's changed The Edge can now be heard on Sky channel 420. This channel allocation had been used by The Edge in 2001-2002 and was taken over by Channel Z followed by Channel Z's successor Kiwi FM. This reverted to The Edge. Today the Sky Digital feed includes the same programming and advertising as Auckland. It is currently the most popular music radio station in New Zealand.
The Edge TV
On 27 June 2014, TV channel The Edge TV was launched as an extension of the radio brand. Available on both digital terrestrial and satellite platforms, The Edge TV play music videos, screen specialist music and pop culture shows and broadcast original video content filmed with The Edge radio hosts. The Edge TV replaces C4 which was a music channel run by MediaWorks.
The Edge TV was announced as a replacement for music channel C4. The first broadcast of The Edge TV was at 4 pm on 27 June 2014 opening with a video giving a brief history of The Edge and the presenters introducing themselves before going into the first show which was Hot Right Now. The very first music video to play on The Edge TV was "Problem" by Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea.[7]
Programming for the radio station
Weekdays
Breakfast
The Edge Breakfast with Jay-Jay, Dom & Randell, hosted by Jay-Jay Harvey, Dominic Harvey and Clinton Randell, is The Edge's flagship breakfast programme which airs 6 am–10 am, Monday–Friday. They are joined by newsreader Mel and producers Carl Thompson & Kerry Gregory. Jay-Jay Harvey (née Feeney) joined the programme in 1996, and her boyfriend at the time, Dominic Harvey, joined in 2002. Mike Puru joined in 2004, and was replaced by Clinton Randell in 2015. A podcast of the show is also produced and released on iTunes, The Edge website and its iOS and Android apps.
Days
The Edge Workday of Awesome airs 10 am–3 pm, Monday–Friday and is hosted by Megan Annear.
Drive
The Edge Afternoons with Guy, Sharyn & Clint debuted in January 2014 after Fletch & Vaughn left for rival station ZM. It airs 3 pm–7 pm, Monday–Friday and is hosted by Guy Williams, Sharyn Casey, and Clint Roberts.
Nights
Smash! 20 airs 7 pm–10 pm, Monday–Friday and is hosted by Martijn Hehewerth and Stephanie Monks. Marty Hehewerth has been hosting since 2011, Steph Monks has been hosting since 2013, and Oscar has been producing the show since 2014. From 8 pm, the show plays the Smash! 20, the twenty most voted for songs by listeners. Prior to 2015, the show was named The Edge Nightshow.
The After Party with Oscar is a requests show that airs 10 pm–midnight, Monday–Thursday and is hosted by Oscar Jackson. Listeners can ring and/or send a text to The Edge requesting that a song be played. Some requests are aired, others are not.
The Edge Hit Music Mix with Jetski Safari airs 10 pm–midnight on Friday, and features songs mixed by DJ Jetski Safari.
Weekends
The Edge Likey Likey airs 8–9 am on Saturday and features clippings of the best segments from the week's shows.
The Edge Fat 40 with Guy, Sharyn & Clint is an afternoon chart show and the station's flagship weekend programme. It airs 2–5 pm on Saturday.
The Edge Mix with Erika Amoore airs 9 pm Saturday–2 am Sunday and is an advertisement-free show with songs mixed by Erika Amoore.
Greatest 8 is a countdown of the eight best things that happened though the week on Jay-Jay, Dom & Randell's show. It is presented by Carl Thompson, one of their producers, and airs 8–10 am on Sunday.
From 6 am, other weekend slots are usually filled by presenters Megan Annear, Carl Thompson, Oscar Jackson, station voice Michael Kooge, Monika Barton, Dean Campbell, Sean Hill, Janelle, and Ollie.
Programming for The Edge TV
The Edge TV airs mostly airs music videos, interspersed with video clips from the radio shows and advertisements, in a show entitled All The Hits, after the station's slogan. Before the station's slogan change from Hit Music Now to All The Hits, the show was called Hit Music Now. Other shows, mostly half an hour long, also air throughout the week from 9 am and the weekend from 8 am.[8]
Hot Right Now, hosted by Clint Roberts, counts down the top six music videos on The Edge.
The Music Lab, hosted by Sharyn Casey, showcases new and exclusive music videos from New Zealand and around the world.
The Slab, hosted by Megan Annear, is a New Zealand on Air-funded show that features exclusively New Zealand artists.
SMASH! is a 90-minute show that airs on weekdays from 4 pm and is hosted by Marty Hehewerth and Steph Monks, who also host the radio show of the same name. It features the latest in music and entertainment, plus celebrity interviews, behind-the-scenes access, and competitions.
…NOW features six videos from one particular artist or theme.
UChoose allows viewers to send through ten songs via The Edge's website or its iOS or Android apps with the viewer's Twitter handle and profile picture appearing on screen.
Top 10 is an hour-long show that features a series of ten music videos based around a given subject.
This vs That is a show where two genres, concepts, or artists rotate.
The Edge Hit Music Mix airs on Saturday evenings, from 9 pm–midnight, and is simulcast on the radio station. It is an advertisement-free show with songs mixed by Erika Amoore.
The Edge Fat 40 airs on Saturday evenings, from 6 pm–9 pm chart show counts down the Top 40 songs in New Zealand right now.
Perve is an hour long show that airs at 10 pm on Sundays, and features "the sexiest clips in the world today".
Scandal is an entertainment news and celebrity gossip segment played every other hour from 11am each day with either Jay-Jay, Megan, Sharyn or Steph.
Decent Exposure is a New Zealand on Air-funded segment that features new New Zealand artists.
Notable promotions and competitions
Strangers and a Wedding
The Edge is the only radio station in New Zealand to ever try this competition, where the station selects male and female entrant(s) and marries the couple the minute they meet at the altar. While overseas stations have tried this promotion, the result has often seen the couple splitting after a short time.
The station first ran this competition in September 1999, entitled Two Strangers and a Wedding, then again in October 2003 under the same title.
In September 2007, the competition was called Three Strangers and a Wedding, where this time the bride was found first instead of the groom and two possible grooms were chosen. The bride then chose her groom when she met both grooms for the first time at the altar.
In August–September 2015, the station ran the competition for a fourth time, entitled Four Strangers and a Wedding. The groom was found first, who chose his bride from three potential brides, before meeting the one he chose at the altar.
All of the couples formed through this competition – Zane and Paula Nicholl (1999), Steve and Kersha Veix (2003), Paul and Chantelle Court (2007), and Aaron and Sade Schuurman (2015) – are still together today. The first three couples now have children; the fourth plan to in 2016–2017.
Inmates
This competition was run in March 2000. Five contestants were locked in a luxury Wellington apartment for six 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
This competition was run in August 2000 and August 2011. A couple already intending on getting married was given the opportunity 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.
Bank It, Or Burn It
Listeners were given the opportunity 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 winner should have to burn it. The first time the competition was run, in July 2001, 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 to burn New Zealand money the money was converted into Australian currency and then burnt. The second time, in March 2003, 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 winner to bank the money; however since the Crusaders did not win the final the winner ended up walking away empty handed.
Quit Your Day Job
Listeners were given a chance to actually win a job working on The Edge as well as many other prizes. The prize was given to an entrant who had the most suitable voice for talking on the radio. It was first run in April 2004, with Vaughan Smith winning the competition. He left The Edge in December 2013 to take up the breakfast show on ZM along with other ex-The Edge presenters, Megan Sellers and Carl "Fletch" Fletcher. The second time the competition was run, in April 2006, Sharyn Wakefield was the winner. She has since married Bryce Casey, host on the breakfast show of sister station The Rock, and changed her name to Sharyn Casey. She still works for The Edge, as a host for The Edge Afternoons with Guy, Sharyn & Clint on the radio station and the host of The Music Lab on The Edge TV.
Desperate Housewives vs Crazy Frog
Run in September 2005, in order to win $3,000, three mothers and their 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 for 72 hours (around 3000 times). There were various complaints about this competition and CYFS actually offered to give the contestant $2,000 if she forfeited from the competition immediately.[9]
Boyband projects
In September 2006, auditions were held throughout the country to find New Zealand's first-ever manufactured novelty boyband. The criteria for the entrants for the band to be named Boyband were that each of its members had to fit a certain stereotype. Filling the five stereotype roles were Rob Arnold from Wellington as Gay Boy, Gerard Clark from Auckland as Bad Boy, Jay Coote from Bluff as Fat Boy, Chris Murray from Whakatane as Mummy's Boy and Pieter T from Hamilton as Hot Boy. The band manager and creator was Will Maisey from The Edge station. The aim was to get the Boyband formation to release a single to reach the top of the New Zealand music charts. This was achieved on the 9th of October, 2006 when the Boyband cover of The Kinks classic "You Really Got Me" reached number 1 in New Zealand.
In July 2012, The Edge announced a search for a new New Zealand's boyband. This time a more serious campaign was launched searching the whole country for young talents. Live auditions were held in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. On 26 July 2012 live auditions were held in the radio station's studios with further auditions online. The final 10 boys were sent to a "boot camp", and then the top six were picked as eventual members of the band. The group formed called themselves Titanium and was made up of Andrew Papas, Zac Taylor, Jordi Webber, T.K Paradza, Shaquille Paranihi-Ngauma and Haydn Linsley. Their first single, "Come On Home" debuted at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
Jinglebail
From 1999 until 2006, The Edge ran an annual fundraiser every Christmas called Jingle Bail. The Morning Madhouse presenters locked themselves in a makeshift jail cell somewhere in the country and stayed there 24 hours a day (except for shower and toilet breaks and to fundraise)[10] until the target amount was raised. The deserving children were nominated by listeners, and were children who are sick or have been through a rough time.
In 1999, $10,000 was raised in one day for the Salvation Army. In 2000, $50,000 was raised to send eight deserving children and their caregivers to Disneyland. From 2001, the funds raised were 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. In 2005, $155,000 was raised – the highest amount raised in the promotion – allowing 24 children to travel to the Gold Coast. In 2006, the last year Jingle Bail took place, $125,000 was raised.
Summer Jam
Every summer between 2001 and 2006 The Edge 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. The first Summer Jam took place in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch in 2001 and featured Zed, Stellar*, Breathe, Garageland and international act Killing Heidi. The second Summer Jam in 2002 featured Silverchair as the international act and New Zealand bands The Feelers, Tadpole, Che Fu and Rubicon.In 2003, with The Edge now broadcasting in Auckland the city became a venue alongside Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch with Good Charlotte playing alongside Taxi Ride, Zed, Nesian Mystik, Rubicon, Carly Binding and Elemeno P.[11]
Summer Jam became known as Edgefest in 2004, Shihad, Alien Ant Farm and Yellowcard playing with Elemeno P, The Feelers, Scribe, Blindspott, Zed, Che Fu and the Krates, Nesian Mystik and Steriogram;. The 2005 event included Chingy, Blindspott, The Feelers, P-Money, Steriogram, Fast Crew, 48 May, Dei Hamo, Misfits of Science, Savage and Goodnight Nurse. Another Edgefest took place in 2006 with P.O.D., Presidents of the United States of America, Matafix, The Living End, Thirsty Merc and Elemeno P, Nesian Mystik, Frontline, Savage Feat. Aaradhna and Goodnight Nurse. The Edge Summer Jam was revived in 2009 with The Veronicas, Metro Station, P-Money, and Midnight Youth, taking place in Hamilton but not Dunedin.[12]
Person X
From 9 March 2015, clues were given out on the radio station revealing the identity of someone in New Zealand. As the clues narrowed the description of the person (entitled Person X), people were able to call and guess whether they are Person X. If Person X called and identified themselves they would have won $10,000. People who didn’t fit the description of Person X could call and say if they think they know who Person X is. If they were correct, they would split the prize money with Person X and receive $5,000 each.[13] On 17 March, Becky Jefferson rang up the station to ask if she was Person X. The Edge Programme Director, who was among the few people to know the identity of Person X, confirmed that she was Person X, and she won the $10,000.
Cash claw
The Edge $80,000 cash claw
From 3 August until 18 September 2015, a claw crane was set up in a corner of The Edge studio. Each weekday (except the week that the Aaron and Sade's wedding took place, 7–13 September) during the breakfast, day, and drive shows, a presenter of the show nominated by a listener (or occasionally listeners who had entered at the station's website) would attempt to win a toy from the machine. For the first five weeks of the promotion, each toy had a nominal dollar value attached to it that the listener would win. For the final week, each draw was worth $1000, with each failed attempt increasing the next draw's value by $1000. For the final draw on 18 September, it took three attempts to win the final $1000.
The Edge Santa Claw
In the final week of regular broadcast for 2015, 14–18 December, the machine was stocked with gift-wrapped cash and prizes. Again, draws took place in the breakfast, day, and drive shows.
Star Pluckers
To promote the station's new slogan, All The Hits (despite its similarity to the name of rival radio station The Hits), to replace Hit Music Now, a recording of the sting (The Edge: All The Hits) voiced by five celebrities (Ryan Gosling, Katy Perry, David Beckham, Justin Bieber, and Ellie Goulding respectively) was played. Listeners would then call the station when the cue-to-call played and guess what celebrity voiced which word. The five people to correctly guess a celebrity and which word they said went in the draw to win a trip to the United States. The three musicians were guessed in the first week of the competition; because nobody was guessing other celebrities, on Monday of the second week of the competition, a clue was given that not all the celebrities had to be musicians. On Tuesday, a caller rang up and guessed both remaining celebrities; she went in the draw twice and won the trip.
Accessibility
The Edge is accessible via FM radio throughout the North and South Islands of New Zealand, online via a webcast, on Sky Digital, and the Optus D1 satellite. The webcast, Sky feed, and satellite feed carry Auckland's call signs and advertising.
North Island frequencies
| Market | Location | Transmitter | Frequency | Founding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northland | Whangarei | Maungataniwha & Parahaki | FM 94.0 | 2002 |
| Auckland | Auckland | Sky Tower | FM 94.2 | 2003 |
| Coromandel | Whangamata | Tirohanga Drive | FM 93.1 | |
| Waikato | Hamilton | Ruru | FM 97.8 | 1994 |
| Bay of Plenty | Tauranga | Kopukairua | FM 99.8 | 1997 |
| Rotorua | Rotorua | Pukepoto | FM 99.9 | 1998 |
| Taupo | Taupo | Whakaroa | FM 88.8 | 2000 |
| Gisborne | Gisborne | Gisborne | FM 99.7 | |
| Hawke's Bay | Napier | Mount Erin | FM 98.3 | 1998 |
| Taranaki | New Plymouth | Mount Egmont | FM 94.0 | |
| Whanganui | Wanganui | Bastia Hill | FM 88.8 | |
| Manawatu | Palmerston North | Wharite | FM 93.0 | |
| Wairarapa | Masterton | Popoiti | FM 95.9 | |
| Kapiti | Paraparaumu | Ngarara | FM 97.5 | 2010 |
| Wellington | Wellington | Fitzherbert & Kaukau | FM 91.7 | 2008 |
South Island frequencies
| Market | Location | Transmitter | Frequency | Founding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | Nelson | Grampians | FM 88.8 | |
| Marlborough | Blenheim | Wither Hills | FM 104.9 | 2009 |
| Canterbury | Christchurch | Sugarloaf | FM 95.3 | 1999 |
| Otago | Dunedin | Mount Cargill | FM 91.8 | 1999 |
| Queenstown | Wanaka | Mount Maude | FM 98.6 | |
| Queenstown | Peninsula Hill | FM 95.2 | ||
| Southland | Invercargill | Hedgehope | FM 97.2 | 1999 |
Franchised frequencies
The frequencies below are franchised by Port FM, and carry the same call signs (alternately Ashburton 93.3, Timaru 95.5, and Oamaru 96.0) and advertising.
| Market | Location | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Ashburton | Ashburton | FM 93.3 |
| Canterbury | Twizel | FM 99.8 |
| South Canterbury | Timaru | FM 95.5 |
| North Otago | Oamaru | FM 96.0 |
Other channels
| Channel | Availability |
|---|---|
| Sky Digital | Nationwide through Sky Digital Channel 420 |
| Optus D1 | Free nationwide through a Digital receiver |
| Online | Global |
External links
References
- ↑ "Radio Scope Ratings April 2008". RadioScope. 4 April 2008.
- ↑ "The Edge Network Audience Distribution vs. All Commercial Radio, Mon-Sun 6am-12pm". The Radio Bureau. 4 April 2008.
- ↑ "ZM Network Audience Distribution vs. All Commercial Radio, Mon-Sun 6am-12pm". The Radio Bureau. 4 April 2008.
- ↑ "Radio Chick Radio Ratings October 2007". 25 October 2007.
- ↑ "Radio New Zealand About Us". 28 November 2011.
- ↑ "The Edge TV takes off". stuff.co.nz. stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ↑ "The Edge TV: What you need to know". nzherald.co.nz. www.nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ↑ The Edge TV: What you need to know
- ↑ McIvor, Kerry (8 October 2005). "Kerre Woodham: Crazy Frog caravan stunt pretty close to child abuse". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ↑ Wakelin, Yvette (11 December 2006). "Edge crew seek Jingle Bail aid". Bay of Plenty Times. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ↑ NZ Girl Summerjam
- ↑ Revenge is sweeter: The Edge Summer Jam Music Festival
- ↑ "The Edge’s $10,000 PERSON X COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS" (PDF). The Edge. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
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