Southern Cross Austereo


Southern Cross Austereo is an Australian group of companies formed in July 2011 by the merger of Southern Cross Media Group and Austereo Group. The Group's parent company, Southern Cross Media Group Limited, is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
Southern Cross Media was previously known as Macquarie Regional RadioWorks, prior to the absorption of the remaining assets of Southern Cross Broadcasting that were purchased by Macquarie Media Group in 2007.
Previously known as Macquarie Media Group, Southern Cross Media began its life after Macquarie Media internalised its management and recapitalised in late 2009. It owns a collection of regional radio and television stations.
SCA's head office is in South Melbourne, where Fox FM and Triple M are located.

History

Southern Cross Media

The company owned several regional radio stations, as a result of takeovers of stations formerly owned by DMG Radio Australia and RG Capital Radio Network. The company also owned the stations forming the Southern Cross Television and Southern Cross Ten networks around regional Australia and Tasmania, which hold varying affiliations with the Seven Network and Network Ten.
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.

Austereo

The company was founded by Paul Thompson, and when commercial FM broadcasting was introduced into Australia it acquired the licence for metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia; SAFM commenced transmission in late 1980. The next station to join the network was FOX FM in Melbourne, Victoria in 1986, eventually to be followed by 2Day FM in Sydney, New South Wales and 4BK in Brisbane, Queensland for which the company was successful in converting to the FM band in 1990. Austereo also purchased AM radio station 6IX in Perth, Western Australia with the intention of converting the station to FM. 6IX, which had been re-launched by Austereo as The Eagle 1080 AM, was consequently sold off after being outbid for either of the two new FM licences by rivals 6KY and 6PM, which Austereo now own.
The mid-1990s saw a monopolistic arrangement take place whereby Village Roadshow purchased the Hoyts owned Triple M network, and Triple M in turn merged with Austereo to form a single umbrella company.
The merger was part of a single deal that was unpopular due to the fierce rivalry between the two radio networks, and the fact that Village Roadshow and Hoyts were also direct competitors in the film industry.

Merger

In March 2011, Southern Cross Media launched an A$714 million takeover bid of national radio broadcaster, the Austereo Group. On 6 April 2011 shareholders of the Austereo Group accepted the takeover bid, giving SCM a more than 90% share in the company. Southern Cross Media and Austereo merged in July 2011 to form Southern Cross Austereo.
On 23 August 2012, Guy Dobson was announced as Chief Officer of Content for the Southern Cross Austereo network, working across radio and television.

Brands

Television

The format of each station is defined by one of two common formats:
Agreements were reached between Southern Cross Austereo, DMG and Prime Television to ensure that existing brand names owned by DMG Radio in regional markets could continue to be used by both Southern Cross Austereo and Prime.

Programming

Radio

Southern Cross Austereo produces its own networked programming across both brands, which include:
NetworkShow NameAnnouncer/sDescription
HitThose Two GirlsSarah Wills & Lise CarlawPre Breakfast program
HitCarrie & TommyCarrie Bickmore & Tommy LittleAfternoon program
HitHughesy & EdDave Hughes & Ed Kavalee Drive program
HitAsh London LiveAsh LondonNight program
HitTom & OllyTom Bainbridge & Oliver MorrisLate Night program
HitWeekend BreakfastDylan Alcott & Angus O’LoughlinWeekend Breakfast program
Triple MKennedy/MolloyJane Kennedy & Mick MolloyDrive program
Triple MThe Danny Lakey ShowDanny LakeyNight program
Triple MNight Shift with Luke BonaLuke BonaLate Night talkback program
Triple MMoonman Across AustraliaLawrence Mooney, Jess Eva & Chris PageWeekend mornings

Some of its stations picked up the Continuous Call Team when Broadcast Operations Group could not resolve broadcast rights issues with 2GB and the National Rugby League. The most notable was Triple M 102.9 in Newcastle, who also picked up rights to cover games of the Newcastle Knights.

Television news

SCA produces regional television news services for its stations affiliated with the Seven Network. Full evening news programs air in Tasmania and the Spencer Gulf and Broken Hill region with short updates airing in remote Central and Eastern Australia and Darwin.
SCA's Nine-affiliated stations in southern New South Wales & ACT, regional Victoria and regional Queensland air statewide Nine News programs produced by the Nine Network each weeknight with opt-outs for local news in each licence area.

Criticisms

Syndicated news and programming

One major criticism of the regional stations owned by Southern Cross Austereo is its reliance on networking news and also programs outside of breakfast from one of four networking centres:

Radio stations

Queensland

New South Wales

1. Translators for 2BDR on 90.1 MHz in Omeo and 96.5 MHz in Corryong. There is also a translator for 2AAY in Corryong on 95.7 MHz.

2. Translators on 100.7 MHz and 102.3 MHz in Port Macquarie.

Australian Capital Territory

Victoria

1. Re-transmitter at 97.9 MHz FM in Traralgon.

Tasmania

South Australia

Western Australia

1. 6TZ also re-transmitted via 1134 kHz AM in Collie, and 756 kHz AM in Busselton and the Margaret River region.

Television assets

New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory

1. Southern Cross has a monopoly on commercial television in this market. The services other than GTS and BKN are retransmissions from Adelaide with local advertising.

2. This station was launched as a digital-only service, co-owned by the two existing commercial broadcasters in the market.

Digital Radio

Southern Cross Austereo broadcasts a number of digital only radio stations, including:
They also own and operate the PodcastOne application and podcasts meaning that they hold the rights to all of said podcasts.

Advertising Sales

As well as advertising sales for all their own assets they are also in charge of this for the nine owned and operated NBN tv.

Former owned and operated stations

Due to conditions placed upon the takeover of DMG Radio's regional stations in 2005, Macquarie Southern Cross Media had to sell these stations to other parties:
Further, due to conditions triggered by the purchase of the assets of Southern Cross Broadcasting, Macquarie Media Group was required to sell further stations to meet further diversity requirements at the time; the transactions to satisfy this being completed on 2008-03-14:
Southern Cross Austereo was made to sell 91.9 Sea FM and 92.7 Mix FM on the Sunshine Coast, due to the larger than allowed overlap between the stations' licence area and that of Brisbane. In 2013, the two stations were sold to Eon Broadcasting.