2Day FM Relaunches With Youth-Leaning Format, Commits to a ‘Big Spotlight on Domestic Artists’

When 2Day FM spun Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” at 6am, it represented a new dawn for Sydney and for the commercial network.

Following a secretive, months-long overhaul, 1041 2Day FM today relaunches with a fresh, youth-leaning format and a new mission – to play more new music and to lift its game with Australian content.

Its strapline: “The Hits, Before They Hit!”

“We’re going to lead the way not just international artists but we’ll put a big spotlight on domestic artists, breaking them and giving them a platform,” Hit Network’s senior music director, Kiri Martin, tells The Music Network.

“We are all about playing those hits, playing them hard, getting them familiar and we’ll see who follows who now in the Sydney media landscape.”

Sydney, she says, is “ready for a change. And we have to give our under-30s what they want.”

Part of Southern Cross Austereo’s Hit Network, 2Day FM’s reinvigorated commitment to Australian-made tunes will be music to the ears of the artist community and the business behind it.

Like few other moments in recorded music history, Australian artists are struggling to be heard in their homeland, as artists from abroad, particularly the United States, dominate the airwaves and consumption charts.

Moving forward, expect 2Day FM to roll with works from the likes of Troye Sivan, Doechii, The Kid LAROI, SZA, Kita Alexander, Kendrick Lamar, Dom Dolla, Sabrina Carpenter, Young Franco, Drake, Billie Eilish, Tobiahs, and CYRIL.

Kita Alexander

“It’s a day-by-day process,” Martin continues. “We’re going to listen to what the Sydney audience wants. We’re making sure that we’re living up to what we say, playing the hits before they hit. We believe it’s so important to get Australian music out to the listeners in those peak listening hours and heard on commercial radio. Aussies are really proud when they find out they’re listening to an Australian artist. It’s a super-exciting time.”

Doubling-down on this love-in with homegrown artists, Kita Alexander performed at an exclusive SCA Sunset Sessions event in Sydney last night. There, SCA’s chief content officer Dave Cameron confirmed Alexander is now on high rotation at 2Day FM with her latest single, “Press Pause”. 

The changes kick on with a locked-in breakfast team, which welcomes Emma Chow alongside Jimmy Smith and Nath Roye. The renamed Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma, replacing the Hughesy, Ed & Erin breakfast show, which called time abruptly in the second half of 2024 as ratings dipped to a small single-digit audience share, reportedly at 3.6%.

2Day FM’s Jimmy Smith, Emma Chow & Nath Roye

“Sydney is craving something fresh and relevant and that’s exactly what we’re delivering,” comments SCA’s Cameron.

“In a city saturated by old shows with old voices, all doing the same old dirty gear, and playing the same old songs day after day — without supporting new music and new artists — 1041 2Day FM is stepping up with a format that’s forward-thinking, energetic, and focused on bringing exciting new music to listeners, alongside exciting new voices at breakfast.”

SCA Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron

The new changes will be supported by a social-first marketing campaign and outdoor creative across Australia’s most populated city.

“It’s all about finding a soundtrack or a music format to go alongside an exciting fresh, young breakfast show. We’re going to tap into that younger end,” insists Martin. “I’ve been through a lot of format changes on 2Day FM. This one is by far the most exciting.”