In September last year Charles Darwin University (CDU)‘s radio station, Territory FM (TFM), made the move to a new city premises in Danala in the Education and Community Precinct.
Matt Bern, the station manager for the last 10 years but with the station 15 starting as a volunteer himself, had championed the move when it became clear the old home was well past its used by date. The University Vice Chancellor is so thrilled with the new studios where students can walk past and engage with the on-air action, he is forever bringing people through for a show and tell.
Matt Bern on-air in the new Territory FM studios and building – image supplied
Territory FM is 40 now. It has had a loyal listener and sponsorship base and consistency around what it plays, Darwin’s Hottest Hits. But, in the recent McNair Community Listener Survey in the six months since the move the ratings weren’t steady. Monthly listeners increased to 64,000 people, or up by around 10%. The biggest listening group was the 25-39s, more than a third of the audience, then 40-54, which surprised me as a University station and training ground.
When I spoke to Matt on the phone I think I discovered part of the answer. Matt has five full time staff, including himself (he is also content/music director and presents Drive) and a growing group of 25 volunteers. He exudes love for the station and cares about its music. There is a D category in the scheduling Matt has called ‘unflogged’ – songs that consistently (that word again) make listener respond because they haven’t heard it a while and remembered why they liked it.
TFM
They can do that too. Each song can receive feedback from listeners, so Matt know is something new is working or something existing has dated. He trains up new presenters and is seeing increased interest in multicultural programs again, something so important for a region with such history. Sponsors are local mum and dad businesses who feel heard, and that their investment in the station is working. And now there’s the added bonus that people are walking by, watching Greg Vincent (main image) on breakfast and thinking, “That sounds awesome. I’m going to give radio a try!”
Matt said:
“We try and run our own race. The Uni has been really committed to the station. They moved us. That was a massive outlay for the space but I did keep the tech budget in line.
We’ve got a new director and she’s a fan of the radio station. She said, let’s rebrand you. With the move we’ll keep the colours, but let’s let’s really rebrand Territory FM. I was a bit hesitant because I’ve been used to looking at the same logo for so long, but I believe it’s helped because it now fits in with all the other CDU brands and it’s easy to see. It looks good.
We’re on DAB+ as well. I’ve noticed a spike in listening over the last couple of books as well. More people are listening in their cars on DAB. That was a great thing that we joined in on. I could go on forever. When you start me talking about this place I don’t stop!”
New Territory FM branding
It’s been a week of phone conversations with people who keep reminding me what’s great about radio. For Matt and the team, a new home, brand refresh, dedicated training, music tailored for their audience and underlying consistency so that people know what they’ll get when they listen to Territory FM is paying off in audience growth and sponsor loyalty.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo. Email: [email protected]
Images supplied