101.3 Sea FM
Encyclopedia
101.3 Sea FM is an Australia
n radio station
located on the New South Wales
Central Coast, part of the Southern Cross Media Group (ASX:SXL). Sea FM broadcasts from the Central Coast Radio Centre on Henry Parry Drive, in Gosford, along with sister station 2GOFM. The station was first broadcast from studios located in Mann Street, Gosford, where it was known on air as Coast Rock FM.
Sea FM is popular with both young and female Central Coast listeners. In the 2009 Radio Survey, Sea FM was number 1 in the 21-39 age category, taking out more than half the audience.
The station uses the Radio Computing Services
(RCS) NexGen Digital Automation system when on air, complemented by Adobe Audition
. Sea FM's three production suites utilize the latest Pro Tools
systems, and A-ware Software's MusicMaster
v4 is used for Music Scheduling. All songs, commercials and station identification information is played digitally from NexGen, using a high bit-rate proprietary version of the MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
codec. Sea FM, like most commercial radio stations, only use CD players as a back-up to their Automation System.
Central Coast Radio is also home to Southern Cross Media's network music library, a fully cataloged CD library consisting of over 200,000 High Definition music tracks. Research began for the CD library in 2006, gathering the required music from various sources, in preparation for the Network-wide rollout of the NexGen Digital Automation system. All songs for every station in the Southern Cross Media group, originate from this library. The music is usually transferred to all stations overnight via a proprietary data transfer system, originally built into NexGen for the Clear Channel group of stations.
Sea FM has been on the Central Coast for over 19 years, trading as either 'Sea FM', or formerly 'Coast Rock FM'.
The station is networked between 4pm and 5am taking programming from sister stations Fox FM, 2Day FM, and 90.9 Sea FM, on the Gold Coast.
On the 01/11/1989 Country Television Services was delisted from the ASX
when it was taken over by Roslyndale Securities Pty Limited.
Coast Rock FM was first broadcast from newly renovated studios located in Mann Street, Gosford on September 15, 1990. The first song officially broadcast was Start Me Up
by The Rolling Stones
.
Sometime in the early 1990s, Coast Rock FM was purchased by Queensland TV operators, and owners of rival station 2GOFM; The Sunshine Television Network/STQ
. In 1995 STQ was purchased by the Seven Network
. Due to broadcast regulations at the time, Channel 7 was restricted to owning just one "type" of media outlet in any given area. As the Central Coast is considered part of the Sydney Metropolitan area, controversially, the Central Coast and Sydney's broadcast area overlap quite significantly - this factor forced Channel 7 to divest Coast Rock FM to another operator.
Sea FM LTD purchased Coast Rock FM and 2GO FM from the 7 Network in January 1996. The company changed its name from Sea FM Limited to RG Capital Radio Pty Limited in 1996, due to the acquisition of 2GO FM - future plans would be to change Coast Rock FM to Sea FM, but in order to maintain a point of difference between the new Sea FM and 2GO FM, the parent company's name would have to change.
Later that year, Coast Rock underwent significant changes. In the space of one night, Coast Rock was essentially "switched off" at its Mann Street studios, and moved to join former rival 2GO in their studio complex in Henry Parry Drive. Previous Sea FM Program Director, Allan Cameron, was the last announcer to do a live shift from the old studios in Gosford. A few months later, Coast Rock was re-branded as Sea FM (to match RG Capitals' other radio properties - 90.9 Sea FM
(Gold Coast) and 91.9 Sea FM (Sunshine Coast). The first song to be played by the new Sea FM was Things Can Only Get Better (D:Ream song) by D:Ream
.
RG Capital Radio PTY LTD was floated on the ASX in October 2000, and subsequently changed its name to RG Capital Radio Limited.
In 2002, RG Capital entered into negotiations to sell 101.3 Sea FM to DMG Radio Australia
. The deal would have been a trade-off for the joint acquisition of a new FM broadcast license for the Central Coast, along with the purchase of number of existing radio licenses in regional Victoria. A full agreement could never be reached, however - and this saw the proposed venture fall through by December 2002. DMG eventually went on to successfully bid for the new FM license, thus paving the way for the birth of the Central Coast's third FM commercial radio station, Star 104.5.
In June 2004, Sea FM's parent company, RG Capital Radio LTD was acquired by Macquarie Bank for a reported A$173 m. The newly formed Macquarie Media Group (MMG) then purchased DMG Radio Australia's regional portfolio in September of the same year for A$193 m. Macquarie Regional Radioworks was formed to oversee the radio operations, and maintained a similar management structure to that of RG Capital LTD. November 2006 saw MMG purchase a 13.8 per cent stake in rival radio operator, Southern Cross Broadcasting, which put a number of Australian Television stations under the MMG umbrella. In December 2009, MMG security holders voted in favour of a conversion from a triple-stapled structure to a single ASX-listed company. MMG was renamed Southern Cross Media Group with former RG Capital Radio CEO Rhys Holleran as the Chief Executive Officer.
Paddy Gerrard - Breakfast Announcer
"Ciel" - Breakfast Announcer
Cameron "Cam" St.Clair - Morning Announcer
Sarah Maree Cameron - Afternoon Announcer
Matty Acton - Night Announcer
Maude Garrett - Night Announcer
Rebecca Dent - Late Night Announcer
Kiri Martin - Mid Dawn Announcer
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located on the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Central Coast, part of the Southern Cross Media Group (ASX:SXL). Sea FM broadcasts from the Central Coast Radio Centre on Henry Parry Drive, in Gosford, along with sister station 2GOFM. The station was first broadcast from studios located in Mann Street, Gosford, where it was known on air as Coast Rock FM.
Sea FM is popular with both young and female Central Coast listeners. In the 2009 Radio Survey, Sea FM was number 1 in the 21-39 age category, taking out more than half the audience.
The Station
Sea FM play Top 40 music generally from the past two decades. They also showcase popular new music, and get listeners to give feedback via the web promotion 'Rate the Hits'.The station uses the Radio Computing Services
Radio Computing Services
Radio Computing Services, also known as RCS Inc., is a provider of scheduling and broadcast software for radio, Internet and television stations. The company was established in 1979 by Dr. Andrew Economos. On January 26, 2006, Clear Channel Communications purchased RCS as a subsidiary...
(RCS) NexGen Digital Automation system when on air, complemented by Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is a digital audio workstation from Adobe Systems featuring both a multitrack, non-destructive mix/edit environment and a destructive-approach waveform editing view.-Origins:...
. Sea FM's three production suites utilize the latest Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
systems, and A-ware Software's MusicMaster
Musicmaster
MusicMaster may refer to:*Fender Musicmaster: an electric guitar*Musicmaster : a music scheduling program for Windows.*Music Master: an international record label company*MusicMaster : a music notation software package...
v4 is used for Music Scheduling. All songs, commercials and station identification information is played digitally from NexGen, using a high bit-rate proprietary version of the MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
MPEG-1 Audio Layer II or MPEG-2 Audio Layer II is a lossy audio compression format defined by ISO/IEC 11172-3 alongside MPEG-1 Audio Layer I and MPEG-1 Audio Layer III...
codec. Sea FM, like most commercial radio stations, only use CD players as a back-up to their Automation System.
Central Coast Radio is also home to Southern Cross Media's network music library, a fully cataloged CD library consisting of over 200,000 High Definition music tracks. Research began for the CD library in 2006, gathering the required music from various sources, in preparation for the Network-wide rollout of the NexGen Digital Automation system. All songs for every station in the Southern Cross Media group, originate from this library. The music is usually transferred to all stations overnight via a proprietary data transfer system, originally built into NexGen for the Clear Channel group of stations.
Sea FM has been on the Central Coast for over 19 years, trading as either 'Sea FM', or formerly 'Coast Rock FM'.
The station is networked between 4pm and 5am taking programming from sister stations Fox FM, 2Day FM, and 90.9 Sea FM, on the Gold Coast.
Establishment and Ownership
Gosford Communications first submitted an application for a broadcast licence in August 1987. The Australian Broadcasting Tribunal(ABT) granted a commercial FM broadcast licence to Gosford Communications LTD, a wholly owned subsidiary of Country Television Services; a private company owned by Ted and Miriam Rodgers, in August 1988. Within a month of being awarded the broadcast licence, Wesgo Communications PTY LTD (who owned the only other commercial station in the market at the time - AM station 2GO) launched an appeal against the ABT for granting a second commercial licence, and their appeal was upheld. A second appeal was launched by the ABT against the judges decision to uphold Wesgo's appeal. After time in front of the Full Bench of the Federal Court, Gosford Communications were finally given the go-ahead. Initially, Gosford Communications owned 60% of the station, the other 40% was publicly floated; with shares offered to the local community and employees.On the 01/11/1989 Country Television Services was delisted from the ASX
ASX
ASX may refer to:* Australian Securities Exchange, the primary stock exchange of Australia* Advanced Stream Redirector, a computer file format listing Windows Media files * Armstrong Siddeley ASX, a British experimental turbojet* John F...
when it was taken over by Roslyndale Securities Pty Limited.
Coast Rock FM was first broadcast from newly renovated studios located in Mann Street, Gosford on September 15, 1990. The first song officially broadcast was Start Me Up
Start Me Up
"Start Me Up" is a song by The Rolling Stones featured on the 1981 album Tattoo You. Released as the album's lead single, it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the UK Singles Chart.-Writing and recording:...
by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
.
Sometime in the early 1990s, Coast Rock FM was purchased by Queensland TV operators, and owners of rival station 2GOFM; The Sunshine Television Network/STQ
STQ
STQ is the call sign of a regional television station in Queensland, Australia.It can also mean:*STQ, the IATA airport code for St. Marys Municipal Airport in Pennsylvania*STQ, the ISO language code for the Saterland Frisian language*Skill testing question...
. In 1995 STQ was purchased by the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. Due to broadcast regulations at the time, Channel 7 was restricted to owning just one "type" of media outlet in any given area. As the Central Coast is considered part of the Sydney Metropolitan area, controversially, the Central Coast and Sydney's broadcast area overlap quite significantly - this factor forced Channel 7 to divest Coast Rock FM to another operator.
Sea FM LTD purchased Coast Rock FM and 2GO FM from the 7 Network in January 1996. The company changed its name from Sea FM Limited to RG Capital Radio Pty Limited in 1996, due to the acquisition of 2GO FM - future plans would be to change Coast Rock FM to Sea FM, but in order to maintain a point of difference between the new Sea FM and 2GO FM, the parent company's name would have to change.
Later that year, Coast Rock underwent significant changes. In the space of one night, Coast Rock was essentially "switched off" at its Mann Street studios, and moved to join former rival 2GO in their studio complex in Henry Parry Drive. Previous Sea FM Program Director, Allan Cameron, was the last announcer to do a live shift from the old studios in Gosford. A few months later, Coast Rock was re-branded as Sea FM (to match RG Capitals' other radio properties - 90.9 Sea FM
90.9 Sea FM
90.9 Sea FM is a radio station on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Southern Cross Media Hit Music Network, and is also the network hub for the Hit Music Stream, broadcasting shows from 4pm - 12am across the Sea, Star and Hot FM Networks across Australia.The Sea FM brand...
(Gold Coast) and 91.9 Sea FM (Sunshine Coast). The first song to be played by the new Sea FM was Things Can Only Get Better (D:Ream song) by D:Ream
D:Ream
D:Ream was a UK pop and dance band of the 1990s. They had a UK Number One hit with "Things Can Only Get Better" in 1994 as well as eight more top 40 hits. They released two albums, both of which reached the top five...
.
RG Capital Radio PTY LTD was floated on the ASX in October 2000, and subsequently changed its name to RG Capital Radio Limited.
In 2002, RG Capital entered into negotiations to sell 101.3 Sea FM to DMG Radio Australia
DMG Radio Australia
DMG Radio Australia operates commercial radio networks in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia. The company is 50% owned by United Kingdom company, Daily Mail and General Trust Group. Lachlan Murdoch's Illyria Pty Ltd bought 50% of the company in November 2009.DMG Radio Australia was formed...
. The deal would have been a trade-off for the joint acquisition of a new FM broadcast license for the Central Coast, along with the purchase of number of existing radio licenses in regional Victoria. A full agreement could never be reached, however - and this saw the proposed venture fall through by December 2002. DMG eventually went on to successfully bid for the new FM license, thus paving the way for the birth of the Central Coast's third FM commercial radio station, Star 104.5.
In June 2004, Sea FM's parent company, RG Capital Radio LTD was acquired by Macquarie Bank for a reported A$173 m. The newly formed Macquarie Media Group (MMG) then purchased DMG Radio Australia's regional portfolio in September of the same year for A$193 m. Macquarie Regional Radioworks was formed to oversee the radio operations, and maintained a similar management structure to that of RG Capital LTD. November 2006 saw MMG purchase a 13.8 per cent stake in rival radio operator, Southern Cross Broadcasting, which put a number of Australian Television stations under the MMG umbrella. In December 2009, MMG security holders voted in favour of a conversion from a triple-stapled structure to a single ASX-listed company. MMG was renamed Southern Cross Media Group with former RG Capital Radio CEO Rhys Holleran as the Chief Executive Officer.
Current Announcers
Dan Taylor - Breakfast AnchorPaddy Gerrard - Breakfast Announcer
"Ciel" - Breakfast Announcer
Cameron "Cam" St.Clair - Morning Announcer
Sarah Maree Cameron - Afternoon Announcer
Matty Acton - Night Announcer
Maude Garrett - Night Announcer
Rebecca Dent - Late Night Announcer
Kiri Martin - Mid Dawn Announcer
Weekday Programming as of October 2011
| Time Slot | Show Name | Announcer/s | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:00am – 9:00am | Paddy, Ciel and Dan | Paddy Gerrard And Ciel Stowe, anchored by Dan Taylor | Traffic every 15 minutes, news every 30 minutes. |
| 9:00am – 12:00pm | Mornings | Cam St Clair - "Cam" | News every hour. |
| 12:00pm – 4:00pm | Afternoons | Sarah Maree Cameron | News every hour. |
| 4:00pm – 6:00pm | Fifi and Jules (M-Th) & Hamish and Andy (Fri) | Fifi Box and Jules Lund - anchored by Byron Cooke, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee - panelled by Ben Wasley. | Traffic every 20 minutes, news every hour. Networked from FOX FM Melbourne. |
| 6:00pm – 7:00pm | Kyle & Jackie O Hour Of Power | Kyle Sandilands & Jackie Henderson | Traffic every 20 minutes |
| 7:00pm – 10:00pm | Hot 30 Countdown | Matthew Acton & Maude Garrett | Networked from 2Day FM Sydney |
| 10:00pm – 12:00am | Landed | Rebecca Dent | Networked from Sea FM Gold Coast |
| 12:00am – 5:00am | Truck Radio | Kiri Martin | Networked from Sea FM Gold Coast |
Saturday Programming as of February 2011
| Time Slot | Show Name | Announcer/s |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00am – 6:00am | Red Eye Radio | Danny Lakey |
| 7:00am – 8:00am | Paddy and Ciel's Weekend Extra | Paddy Gerrard and Ciel |
| 8:00am – 2:00pm | Hit Music Weekend | Varies |
| 2:00pm – 6:00pm | Take 40 Australia with Kyle and Jackie O (Networked from 2DAYFM Sydney) | Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O |
| 6:00pm – 12:00am | Party People (Networked from 2DAYFM Sydney) | Matty Acton and Maude Garrett (Mixed by DJ's Special Ed and Havana Brown) |
Sunday Programming as of February 2011
| Time Slot | Show Name | Announcer/s |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00am – 6:00am | Red Eye Radio | Danny Lakey |
| 6:00am – 8:00am | Automated Music | N/A |
| 10:00am – 2:00pm | Hit Music - 10 In a Row (Local) | Brownie |
| 2:00pm – 6:00pm | The Hot Hits Live from LA (Syndicated from KIIS-FM Los Angeles) | Andrew G and Natalia Perez |
| 6:00pm – 12:00am | Automated Music | N/A |
Notable Former Announcers
- Bob Peters - Breakfast and PD, took Coast Rock FM to its first survey win over 2GO. Now Voice over artist with Network Ten, Fox Sports and various radio stations.
- Dave KirwanDave KirwanDave Kirwan is an Australian television and radio host who works as a presenter on The Weather Channel.. He was also formerly the only Australian radio announcer in New York City, the number one media market in the USA, being a DJ on CBS owned FM radio station 923-KROCKHis twelve year media career...
- weekend and fill-in announcer, weekends at K-ROCK New York City, reporter with NBC New York, now with Foxtel's The Weather Channel (Australia)The Weather Channel (Australia)The Weather Channel is an Australian 24 hour cable and satellite channel that broadcasts weather news and information. The Weather Channel is available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
and voicing some imaging for SEA FM. - Mike ChristianMike ChristianMike Christian, known as Nollsy or MC, is an Australian radio announcer. He started his career in his hometown of Gilgandra in a small community station, before completing the full time Australian Film Television and Radio School radio course...
- Was Afternoon Announcer until September 2008. - Rachel "Rach" Corbett - Was Breakfast Announcer with Paddy until 2006, and has also worked on Austereo's Hot 30. Now with Paul Murray on Triple M networked night show.
- Neil "Wilko" Wilcock - Was afternoon announcer until 2006, now imaging voice of digital channel GO!Go! (Australian TV channel)GO! is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 9 August 2009.-Origins:...
and also works as breakfast announcer with Mandy on Star 104.5FM Central Coast. - Elle Bowles - was part time announcer in 2005, now working on air in HobartHobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
. - Jason MorrisonJason Morrison (radio broadcaster)-History:Jason was born in 1971 and raised in Hornsby, which is a suburb of Sydney's North. He went to St. Leo's College at Waitara and is Catholic. He has given little away about his family but has revealed that his father is an Engineer and his mother is a Librarian.He trained at 2GB in a...
- was part time announcer and news reporter in 1990/91. Now with 2GB2GB2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...
.
Executive
- NSW Group General Manager: Tim Davenport
- General Manager: Paul "Wriggles" Wrigley
Content
- Content Director: Andrew Very
- Music Director: Sarah Maree Cameron
- Music Support: Cameron St. Clair
News
- News Editor: Troy Carey
- 5am-12pm News Presenter: Mitch Clifton
- 1pm-6pm News Presenter: Troy Carey
- Weekend News Presenter: Josh Mehmet
Promotions
- Marketing Manager: Sarah Ferman
- Promotional Car "Sea Cruiser" Drivers: Cal, Jimi Love, Brie, Maddy, Buzz
Production
- Imaging Producer: Matt Clark
- Commercial Producer/Production Manager: David Horspool
- Commercial Producer/Commercial Voice Overs: Marc DwyerMarc DwyerMarc Dwyer is an Australian radio presenter and former actor.He appeared as Dylan in Ray Lawrence's 2000 acclaimed film Lantana, playing the son of Anthony Lapaglia and Kerry Armstrong. This was followed by a 2001 double episode of the Australian drama All Saints...
- Imaging Voice Over Artists: Benjamin Wasley, Cymone Rose, Howard Ritchie, Harry Legg
Technical
- Chief Engineer/Automation Support (Network): Shayne "Fox" Bartlett
- Automation Support (Network): James Dearness
External links
- The Radio Sea FM official Portal Website
- http://twitter.com/seafm Sea FM Twitter
- 101.3 SeaFM - Radio Station - Gosford, Australia | Facebook Sea FM Facebook Fan Page