Easy listening smoothfm celebrates first birthday this week
Tuesday marks one year since radio station smoothfm opened with a campaign fronted by Michael Buble.
The announcement:
smoothfm, the newest station in the radio landscape, celebrates 12 months on air on Tuesday 21 May.
smoothfm 95.3 in Sydney and smoothfm 91.5 Melbourne launched as a distinctive and unique, soft easy listening format, with a marketing campaign fronted by Michael Bublé, on 21 May 2012.
smoothfm has experienced significant grown in both markets since the stations launched with smoothfm 95.3 experiencing 78% audience growth, and smoothfm 91.5 with 61% growth as well as the highest share and cumulative audience figures for the frequency.
In February this year the station became a national proposition with the launch of smoothfm on DAB+ Radio. Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth listeners are now able to access the station on DAB+ as well as via on-line streaming and iPhone app.
Paul Jackson, dmg Radio Australia’s Group Program Director said, “We launched the new radio brand smoothfm 12 months ago, after identifying a gap in the market for a music position that was unique to the Australian radio landscape. With a more music, less talk format and a playlist, not confined to a genre or era, comprised of great songs from world class artists including the Bee Gees, Michael Bublé, Whitney Houston, Adele, Aretha Franklin, Ed Sheeran, Elvis and even new discoveries like Passenger. We were confident that listeners would embrace smoothfm and the results to date are extremely pleasing.”
High profile artists, Michael Bublè, Seal, Ronan Keating, Ed Sheeran and Josh Groban, have all hosted their own weekend shows since smoothfm launched. Barry Gibb, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, Tina Arena and Marlon Jackson have also joined the station for special one off shows.
smoothfm has a strong weekday lineup with Bogart Torelli on Sydney’s breakfast show and Mike Perso heard in Melbourne, Ty Frost and Simon Diaz across the day and Drive with Sydney’s Byron Webb and Melbourne’s Cathy Dinn. Cameron Daddo is heard six nights a week, from Sunday to Friday, from 8pm to midnight.
On Saturdays and Sundays two popular personalities complement smoothfm’s week day lineup. Richard Wilkins is heard from 10am to 1pm, and has enlisted big names including Kylie Minogue, Michael Bublè, Barry Gibb and Olivia Newton John to join him during his shows, while David Campbell is heard across the weekend from 1pm to 4pm.
smoothfm has also given away over $400,000 in the station’s major signature competition smooth stars, with a cash prize of over $100,000 up for grabs each time the tactic has run.
Source: smoothfm press release
