Flava (radio station)

Flava (formerly Cool Blue 96.1) is a New Zealand Hip Hop and contemporary R&B music radio network. The network is owned by NZME Radio, and is operated and produced from the company's Auckland offices and studios on the corner of Cook and Nelson Streets. It competes directly with MediaWorks New Zealand's Auckland long-running urban music station Mai FM.^[1][2][3]

The Flava brand reaches an estimated 226,000 listeners every week, with 11,000 average daily unique visitors to its website and about 141,000 likes on its Facebook page. The network claims to provide "fresh and funky beats" for "urban consumers", with a focus on the metropolitan and cosmopolitan culture of Generation Y. The target audience is educated, upwardly-mobile with strong family ties and a community orientation. It is under 35 with a female skew. The station features advertising for concerts, cars, phones and other consumer brands.^[3]

Flava broadcasts popular hip hop and R&B music. The network features music from artists like Miguel, Travie McCoy, Arcee, Vic Mensa, Kanye West, Rita Ora, Dr. Dre, Juicy J, David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Timbaland, Ed Sheeran, Ciara, Wiz Khalifa and Chris Brown.^[4] It also promotes local New Zealand artists, like Six60, Majic, Israel Starr, Mana Lion, Winston Anthony, Tha Feelstyle, Merchants of Flow, Tipene, MZ J, Thug Redeemd, L40 and Big Sima.^[5] A competition in 2011 invited listeners to record over tracks, for the chance to have to the track professionally recorded and played on Flava.^[6]

History

Cool Blue 96.1FM

Flava began as Cool Blue 96.1FM.

Flava began as Cool Blue 96.1FM, broadcasting on 96.1 FM in Auckland between 2001 and 2004. Unlike other radio stations operated by The Radio Network, Cool Blue was only available in the Auckland region and was not networked to other regions.

Weeks after Cool Blue was replaced by Flava, a similar Cool Blue station resumed broadcasting online as an independent non-commercial non-profit internet-only radio station. It played jazz and blues music with some elements of R&B, rock and roll and folk music.^[7]

Flava

The existing Auckland frequency of Cool Blue became Flava in 2004.^[1] It moved to 95.8 FM in July 2010, one of dozens of frequencies to change ahead of the Ministry of Economic Development's reallocation of frequencies under new 20-year license management rights in April 2011.^[8] Flava was launched in Tauranga in 2004, but was replaced by Easy Mix in April 2012, and replaced again with Radio Sport when Easy Mix was closed in June 2012. The Radio Network brought the network back in March 2013, in response to what they said was strong demand from the public and advertisers.^[9]

By 2013, the station had frequencies in Northland, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier and Christchurch, and its Rotorua station was the most popular station in its market. Former content director Christian Boston says there had been requests for Flava stations from Dunedin to the Gold Coast, and the station was particularly popular with teenage listeners adopting new radio brand loyalties. He said people had offered to establish low power transmitters on their houses.^[10] The station launched in Wellington at midday on 19 July 2013, with 4000 songs being broadcast back-to-back on the frequency.^[10] However in January 2015 the station was removed from Wellington's airwaves, and the 104.5FM frequency previously used by Flava became the new frequency for George FM.

Programmes

The Wake Up Call with Sela, Pua and Tarsh

Flava's flagship breakfast programme, the Wake Up Call, is hosted by Pua Magasiva, Sela Alo and Tarsh Ieremia and produced by Miles Blumsom. News and sport scoured from the NZME newsroom is heard on the hour, with weather being heard every 30 minutes, read out by Ash Thomas. The show covers life, parenting, entertainment, music and Pacific culture.^[11]

In 2014 the Online Media Standards Authority rejected a complaint against a Facebook post by the Full Phat Breakfast (the name of the Flava breakfast show was known at the time). The post featured an image of a Pacific woman selling bags of popcorn at a market with the sign reading "bobcorn". The post read, "FOB needs a Job must have got a job".^[12] The complainant said the post was derogatory towards Pacific people, and asked for the photo and caption to be removed and for the station to apologise. Flava was a member of the authority, but the authority chairman ruled it was not a news media website within the authority's jurisdiction. The chairman also said the post may have less offensive because Flava was a network specifically targeting Māori and Pacific New Zealanders.^[13]

Other shows

Other weekday shows include Days with Athena Angelou, Drive with Daz Suasua and Ast Nathan and The Turnt Up 10 with Angelou.^[14]

Stations

This is a map of Flava frequencies operating in 2016.

Frequencies

Other services

Events and promotions

The network sponsors basketball and rugby league events, including the New Zealand Breakers and New Zealand Warriors. It has been the official radio station of Auckland Council's Matariki celebrations for many years,^[15] and sponsored the construction of a giant poppy at Auckland Domain on Anzac Day in 2015.^[16] The network has sponsored a range of Auckland concerts, including the 2Clean Album Release Party in 2013, a Nelly tour later the same year, and a Soulfest music festival featuring Lauryn Hill, Miguel and Mary J. Blige in 2015.^[17][18][19]

Flava carries out a range of promotional activities with promotional vehicles. One was a Hummer with branded exterior and eight fitted stereo speakers.^[20] Another was a Nissan Pathfinder with subwoofers, speakers and audio video gear encased in a custom fibreglass enclosure.^[21] The network has also supported local events in other parts of the country, including the 2014 Flava Rotorua Foam Party and the 2015 Loaded Tough Guy and Gal physical challenge.^[19][22]

News and information

Flava broadcasts its news, sports, traffic and weather bulletins from the NZME newsroom every hour during breakfast. It broadcasts weather updates throughout the day.^[2] In 2008, it trialled the use of two "feels like" indexes in its forecasts — wind chill reflecting the temperature of moving air, and humidex reflecting heat and humidity. Forecaster Philip Duncan defended his decision to use the indexes, arguing people would be more interested in those measures than the day time high when deciding what to do or wear.^[23]

Website and social media

The official Flava website includes event guides, music videos, topical videos, entertainment news, prizes and event pictures.^[1] Flava streams live on iHeartRadio.^[2] It also operates the Flava Old School station, available exclusively on iHeartRadio.^[24] The station features old-school hip hop and classic R&B like Tupac, Biggie, TLV, Aaliyah, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Missy Elliott, Ice Cube and Salt-N-Pepa, and is aimed at older listeners who may not find Flava's music line-up appealing.^[25]

References

External links

• Flava Official Website
• Radio Network's Information Site About Flava