With the plethora of words available in the English language, and then exponentially any combination of letters that make up new ones, there seems to be in audio circles a particular devotion to ‘heart’ brands and networks.
ARN has a license deal in place, till 2036, with iHeartRadio in Australia, although this year, for the first time, they’ve started rebranding some of their DAB+ stations in a move away from iHeart, changing iHeartAustralia to KIIS Australia in August, for example.
Then, at the end of October, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) launched the Heart Network, a new national music brand, on DAB+ and LiSTNR. It debuted with two stations, Heart and Heart Hits, targeting a female audience and an expansion of their 25-54 ‘audience that matters’.
Except for the name similarity on digital radio this shouldn’t have been an issue because Reg Grundy’s RG Capital group, which eventually became SCA, own the Heart brand for radio broadcasting services in Australia, registering the trade mark back in 1980.
But, with thanks to James Cridland‘s keen eyes, perhaps SCA may need to tick a few more boxes in their Heart checklist to ward off a jurisdictional challenge.
In the UK, Heart is the biggest radio brand. Owned by Global Media and Entertainment, that organisation has had a few dalliances with the Australian market, through their news podcasts and because they also currently own 14% of iHeartMedia in the US.
Now they’ve put in their own registered trademark application for Heart, on October 31, a couple of days after the SCA launch, and additionally they’ve a removal application for non-use.
I doubt this matter was on SCA’s Christmas list to wrap up 2025. As this is a Australian Government department matter, there is unlikely to be any resolution until some time next year.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo. email: [email protected]