2DayFM switches music format to Adult Contemporary

A new Breakfast team wasn’t the only change at 2DayFMthis week, with Southern Cross Austereo also overhauling the station’s music strategy.

It was clear during Em, Grant and Ed‘s Breakfast show the music had shifted on 104.1. Gone is the ’Hits and Old School’ branding to more of an Adult Contemporary format. It could be described as ’Hits and Memories’, a format that goes back to the 80’s.

The increased spins of 80s and early 90s tracks, with fewer contemporary hits among them, could be part of a strategy to open 2DayFM to an older demographic.

Between 6am and midday, tracks by George Michael, Michael Jackson, The Choirboys, Madonna, The B52’s, Roachford, Crowded House, Haddaway and Tone Loc were among songs from that era copping spins.

Anyone aged 15 in 1987 is now 45, so a lot of these 80’s songs would have influenced listeners in their teenage pomp, making the new format appealing to older listeners of Australian Radio Network’s WSFM and KIIS FM and, to a lesser extent, perhaps even Nova Entertainment’s smoothfm.

“It sounds like RnB Friday’s had an orgy with the smoothfm and Triple Ms playlist,” a rival radio insider told TMN.

It’s definitely possible that the move could be a consequence of 2DayFM’s new lineup, with Em Rusciano, Grant Denyer and Ed Kavalee on Breakfast and Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek on Drive. All personalities are around 40, some late 40’s and one aged over 50.

It seems unusual that 2DayFM would let go of its Hit music appeal, leaving the CHR music position to Nova 96.9 and market leader KIIS106.5.

The changes may bear an impact on label strategy when servicing new music to the station, and could cause anomolies toarise in TMN’s weeklyMost Added chart.

The only question left to answer is will it be enough to pull them out of the ratings doldrums?