3ZE

3ZE
Ashburton ;
Frequency	89.3MHz
Programming
Language(s)	English language
Format	Adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner	Radio New Zealand until 1996 ; The Radio Network after 1996
History
First air date	1937;86 years ago
Technical information
Transmitter coordinates	43°54′16″S171°44′41″E / 43.9043195°S 171.7446111°E
Links
Website	Official website

Last updated September 09, 2023

3ZE was a radio station in Ashburton, New Zealand.

The station was originally launched on 873 AM frequency as a local station operated by the government owned Radio New Zealand, the station was originally branded as its callsign 3ZE. The station operated out of the second floor of the former Loan Society Building on Tancred Street, before moving across the road to Highgate House in the early 1990s.

Change of ownership

In July 1996 the New Zealand Government sold off the commercial arm of Radio New Zealand, the sale included 3ZE. The new owner was The Radio Network, a subsidiary of APN News & Media and Clear Channel Communications, which operated as a division of the Australian Radio Network.^[1]

In 1998 The Radio Network grouped all their local stations in smaller markets together to form the Community Radio Network. 3ZE continued to run a local breakfast show between 6am and 10am but outside breakfast all stations part of the Community Radio Network took network programming from a central studio based in Taupo. The station added an FM frequency which improved reception and suited the inclusion of a significant amount of music within its programme, becoming 92.5 3ZE FM. 3ZE's AM frequency is now used to re-broadcast Newstalk ZB.

Rebranding to Classic Hits 92.5 ZEFM

On December 1, 2000 the Community Radio Network was discontinued and all stations become part of the Classic Hits FM network, as a result 3ZE was rebranded as Classic Hits 92.5 ZEFM. The station continued to run a local breakfast but now outside breakfast all programming originated from the Classic Hits studios in Auckland. In the early 2010s the station moved to the newly redeveloped Somerset House.

Rebranding to The Hits

On April 28, 2014 all stations part of the Classic Hits network were rebranded as The Hits. A networked breakfast presented by Polly Gillespie and Grant Kareama was introduced to almost all The Hits stations with the former breakfast announcer moved to present a 6-hour show between 9am and 3pm. At this stage breakfast presenter, Phill Hooper, was moved to the 9am-3pm timeslot.

Replacement with Hokonui

When the station was branded from Classic Hits to The Hits feedback from local listeners in the Ashburton region was not positive, both with the removal of the local breakfast and change in music format. A decision was made later in 2014 to network Gore based radio station Hokonui into the Ashburton market using the 92.5FM frequency and have Phill Hooper present a local breakfast on this station to Ashburton listeners.

The Hits remains in the Ashburton region on 89.3FM running total network programming.

Related Research Articles

More FM is a New Zealand radio network that plays hot adult contemporary music. It is operated by MediaWorks New Zealand.

The Breeze is a New Zealand radio station playing an adult contemporary music format owned by MediaWorks New Zealand, playing a variety of music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s as well as current hits. The Breeze is heard in 25 markets across New Zealand and each market shows a mix of local and network programmes.

The Sound, previously known as Solid Gold FM, is a New Zealand radio network owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Solid Gold began broadcasting on 13 October 1997 and was rebranded as The Sound on 1 January 2012. The Sound has a classic rock format, playing "the greatest music of all time" from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The station appeals to an older audience than most popular and rock music stations in New Zealand.

The Hits is a Hot adult contemporary music radio network, broadcasting to 26 markets across New Zealand. It was set up by Government broadcaster Radio New Zealand in 1993 by consolidating existing stations into a single brand and has been privately owned since 1996. The Hits has had the broadest broadcast reach of any radio network in the country since 1996, and is now available on 40 full-power FM frequencies and 18 iHeartRadio streams.

Hokonui is an Adult Contemporary radio station that first launched in Gore, New Zealand, broadcasting across Southland and now also broadcasts across South Otago and Mid Canterbury. Hokonui also from April 2015 was broadcasting in Taranaki until late in 2020 when it was disestablished by NZME and replaced by Gold AM. The name Hokonui comes from the Hokonui Hills which can clearly be seen in Gore and the Southland Plains.

Radio Marlborough was a New Zealand radio station based in Blenheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4ZA</span> Radio station in Invercargill

4ZA was an adult contemporary radio station in Southland, New Zealand.

Radio Caroline was a radio station in Timaru, New Zealand.

Radio Forestland was a radio station in Tokoroa, New Zealand.

Wairarapa FM was a radio station in Wairarapa, New Zealand broadcasting from studios in Masterton.

Lakeland FM was a New Zealand radio station based in Taupō.

Radio Northland was a radio station based in Whangarei, New Zealand.

2ZB was a radio station based in Wellington, New Zealand. This station was run by Radio New Zealand and eventually spawned a second FM station called B90FM. Today 2ZB and B90FM are part of a nationwide networks Newstalk ZB and The Hits respectively.

4ZB was an adult contemporary radio station in Dunedin, New Zealand.

River City FM was a radio station in Whanganui, New Zealand.

Geyserland FM was a radio station in Rotorua, New Zealand.

ZGFM was a radio station in Gisborne, New Zealand.

2ZA was a radio station in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

1ZH was a New Zealand radio station based in Hamilton, New Zealand.

3ZB was a radio station based in Christchurch, New Zealand. This station was run by Radio New Zealand and eventually spawned a second FM station called B98FM. Today 3ZB and B98FM are part of a nationwide networks Newstalk ZB and The Hits

References

↑ "Radio Network says expansion possible". The Christchurch Press. 21 September 1996. p. 29.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[expansion-1] "Radio Network says expansion possible". The Christchurch Press. 21 September 1996. p. 29.

[1]

3ZE

Contents