Hit Network

Hit Network

Type	Radio network
Branding	Hit Network
Country	Australia
Slogan	Australia's Most Listened To Radio Network
Broadcast area	Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth Canberra Newcastle Hobart Regional Australia1
Owner	Southern Cross Austereo
Launch date	1980 (1980)
Former names	Austereo Network Today's Austereo Network Today's Hit Network
Official website	Hit Network

The Hit Network is a network of contemporary hit radio stations run by Southern Cross Austereo in Australia.

History

The Hit Network started in 1980 as the Austereo Network, with Austereo securing the first commercial FM licence in Adelaide in 1980. Double SA FM would be joined by Fox FM in Melbourne in 1986, B105 FM Brisbane in 1988 and 2Day FM in Sydney in 1989. The network also grew through joint-ventures in Canberra with 104.7 and NXFM in Newcastle (now fully owned). Austereo expanded into Perth in 1998 when it purchased PMFM, now known as hit92.9, although it wasn't until 2005 that the station exclusively joined the Today Network, after also being affiliated with sister station Triple M for many years and taking programming from both networks.

The network was previously known as Today's Austereo Network and the Today Network.

After Austereo was purchased by Southern Cross Media, it began incorporating its regional CHR network into the Today Network. Only some of its Sea FM stations, including those in Hobart and the Gold Coast, began adopting similar branding to the metropolitan stations.

In December 2014, Southern Cross Austereo announced that, off the back of re-branding SAFM as hit107, the network would be re-branded as Today's Hit Network.^[1] The rebrand took place on Wednesday 14 January 2015 - by mid-2015, the station would drop the Today moniker as the Hit Network.

In December 2015, Southern Cross Austereo and Australian Radio Network announced that FM104.7 will re-brand to hit104.7 on Monday 18 January 2016.^[2]

In February 2016, Southern Cross Austereo forged ahead with rolling out the Hit Network branding to more markets. The launch saw the regional centric Sea FM Hobart brand dropped to be replaced with hit100.9.^[3]

In December 2016, all Star FM and Hot FM stations were re-branded with the Hit branding, however Sea FM on the Gold Coast, Central Coast and Bundaberg retained their Sea FM name but adopted the Hit logo (like Fox FM and 2Day FM). Bundaberg's Sea FM station has since been re-branded and joined the Triple M Network.

Stations

Network shows

• Carrie & Tommy
• Hughesy & Kate
• Ash London Live
• Collective Noun
• Danny Lakey (Late Nights)
• Those Two Girls - Sara & Lise (Early Breakfast)
• RNB Friday Nights with Bow Wow
• Weekend Breakfast with Tanya Hennessy
• Trending 20 with Angus O'Loughlin & Ash London
• Old School House Party with Tim Lee
• The Queen Sesh with Constance Hall and Annaliese
• Boxed In with Fifi Box
• Ash London Live & Local

Digital radio

The Hit Network simulcasts each metro station in the network on digital radio in their local markets.

• Buddha Hits, The very best music that sooths your mind and feeds your soul. Buddha Hits lets listeners chill out with pop, electronica and acoustic vibes with a café music feel.
• Oldskool Hits, Oldskool Hits is pure pop nostalgia. Focused around the 90s and 00s, it’s all about flashback favourites.
• Easy Hits, an up-tempo, feel good, sing-along format of mainstream faves. Easy Hits is perfect for at-work and at-home listening.
• Urban Hits, Playing the Hottest Hip-Hop and RnB.

Choose The Hits was a station only broadcast on digital radio and ran between 1 February 2010 and 24 May 2010.^[4]

The Hit Network launched Caravan Radio on 24 May 2010. It was a "pop up" Digital Radio station that played the best bits from Hamish & Andy's Caravan of Courage journeys while they toured the United Kingdom on their fourth Caravan of Courage.^[5]

See also

• List of radio stations in Australia

References

External links

• Southern Cross Austereo
• Hit Network