Hot time on the Sunshine Coast with new station owner

As a result of last week’s station sales, things are expected to get even ‘hotter’ on the airwaves of the sunshine coast over the next 12 months.

AMI Radio Pty Ltd, owner of HOT 91.1, says the success of HOT 91.1, soon to celebrate its second birthday, had been a significant reason in influencing it’s investors to target a second station on the Sunshine Coast – The Heat 96.1, which AMI bought from Bill Caralis last week.

While the names of the stations are both hot stuff, the two stations will target quite separate audiences according to the new owners.

Managing Director Rob Gamble has told radioinfo: “One advantage we have is that both our stations are independently owned and locally operated. This means if we want to [go] to a beach concert, spend a day at the races, take a leisurely drive in the HOT rods, or support a local event….we can – 24/7.

“The other competing stations in the market are Sydney based Macquarie Banks’ SEA fm and MIX fm.”

HOT 91.1 is a pioneer of ‘clutter free’ commercial radio in Queensland and promises no more than 4 ads in a row.

“The other thing that sets us apart is our clean environment; it’s good for the whole family – our audience and advertisers alike. Research shows that 87% of listeners change radio stations when they hit a large block of commercials.”

HOT 91.1 is looking forward to sharing its resources with The Heat in order to create “another innovative and dynamic radio option for the people of the Sunshine Coast.”

“The Heat 96.1 team has been serving Noosa and the northern areas of the coast very well. We hope that the additional resources we can provide will enable The Heat to offer an even better service to its audience and advertisers.”

The Heat was launched from its Noosa studio in 1997 and has built an audience from Maroochydore to Gympie. Hot 91.1 was launched from Maroochydore in November 2003.