Local radio gets a revamp

Tauranga Classic Hits presenter Will Johnston is giving up his daytime golf game to take on a new slot as part of a nationwide radio reshuffle.

From April 28, Will, who currently hosts the morning drivetime show with Bridget Hastie, will move to a daytime 9am – 3pm Tauranga-based show.

Will Johnston will be on-air from 9am to 3pm. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

The morning slot on Classic Hits will be filled by popular ZM husband and wife team Polly Gillespie and Grant Kereama, who will host a nationwide morning show on the renamed ‘The Hits' channel.

'Essentially what's happening with Classic Hits is they [The Radio Network] are completely refreshing the brand,” says Will.

As well as a name change from Classic Hits to The Hits, the station will undergo rebranding and a refreshed music lineup, says Will.

'There's also a change in on-air staff as well, Polly and Grant, who are currently doing the national ZM breakfast show, are going to be doing The Hits breakfast show out of Wellington.”

Polly and Grant will be on-air from 5am, when they will have a Best Of hour until 6am, before their show from 6am to 9am.

Carl Fletcher, Vaughan Smith and Megan Sellers will be taking over Grant and Polly slot on ZM with a younger focus for The Radio Network station.

'My show will be from 9am to 3pm. I will be here in the Bay and essentially it doubles the local hours on-air. It's a different time slot and I get a sleep in, which I can't be more excited about.”

Will says the changes are interesting because it's a completely new direction in terms of where radio is going.

'It's a pretty cool way for us to target more local listeners and it's great for advertisers as well with more local hours they can advertise in.

'It also means I can do more stuff out of the studio. At breakfast time it's cool to go out and on the street, but there is hardly anyone around.”

Bridget will stay within the Radio Network and will be reading the news in the afternoons.

The new timeslot gives Will a chance to get out and about in the community, during the day and busy lunchtimes.

'I'm pretty excited about it.

'The only two negative things about the change is the new t-shirt they have got me is too big. It's like wearing a sheet. The second is, I now can't play golf during the day, but I'm sure I will get over that.”

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2 comments

Sad

Posted on 15-04-2014 13:04 | By maggiebop

The change also means that after 35 years of listening to this station, getting the local weather etc in the mornings and personal interaction, I'll be changing stations altogether cause I don't listen to day time radio. Sorry Will and Bridget :(


Music recommended by Government agency

Posted on 15-04-2014 14:03 | By The Tomahawk Kid

The Tauranga classic hits show that does EVERYTHING EXCEPT play Tauranga made music. That only plays NZ music recommended by a Government agency (NZ On Air) by bands deemed acceptable by a govt agency and who have applied for and accepted taxpayer funding.


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