After weeks of bird noises, and a humorous distraction
involving the star wars theme, Queensland’s newest commercial radio station Hot 91, is now on-air.

Before the launch there were rumours going around the local industry players that the station would be branded ‘novar’ (nova regional).

The new Maroochydore station has borrowed aspects of it’s website layout from it’s big sister Nova, and also some of it’s promotional concepts like the “Wheelie Bin of Fortune.”

To counter the launch, RG Capital Sunshine Coast rival Sea FM ran a Craig David promotion the weekend leading up launch, and put it’s own breakfast team back on-air at midday monday with a $10,000 fugitive bounty.

Hot FM’s other rival, The Heat at Noosa was also monitoring the launch activity closely. Program Manager of 96.1 FM The Heat, Alan Doblo, says he was always expecting new opposition on the coast, but thinks his station’s strength is it’s localism.

“You can get very aggressive when a new station comes into the market, or you can concentrate on what you are doing. When Hot 91 launched, my message for the staff was to focus on what we do and on doing that to the best of our ability,” Doblo told radioinfo.

With the busiest season around the corner, it is inevitable that things
will be warming up on the Sunshine Coast for Hot, Heat and Sea.