Nine has confirmed it will drop the name Macquarie Media for its radio division in favour of the call signs for top-rating stations 3AW, 2GB, 4BC and 6PR, while badging their news bulletins under the 9News brand.
For references to the group’s wider radio division, it will be known as Nine Radio.
Nine’s Managing Director – Radio, Tom Malone, says, “Across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth we have four famous brands in 3AW, 2GB, 4BC and 6PR and this move sees us looking to move them front and centre at the heart of the each of the cities they serve.”
Nine’s Director of News and Current Affairs, Darren Wick, says the expansion of 9News would consolidate its place as the leader in news and current affairs across television, radio and digital throughout Australia.
Wick says, “9News is a trusted household name across Australia and this move sees us extending that brand across all broadcast news.
“The television and radio news teams across all states have already been working hand in glove for the past few months. In now branding our radio bulletins with 9News we are simply giving Australians the signal that they can rely on us to stay up to date, wherever they are and regardless of the platform.”
The Macquarie Media brand will be phased out over the coming months. Nine News radio bulletins have already transitioned to 9News.
9News a trusted household name? Is it the 1st of April today?
Probably a change for the best, considering the real Macquarie Network the real Macquarie Network vanished years ago.
I wish to discuss a particular news theme used by the Macquarie Network used in the 1950s and 1960s. Stations 3AW and 2GB used this news theme. Rather I like to call it the news ID as it was not musical. It was short and sounded futuristic. The musical instrument(s) could not be identified, but was played in the key of G and its harmonics and its 7th semitone. The news ID sounded futuristic and was identified with the news lasted only a few seconds.
In addition news ID was used by the Macquarie Network during the 1950s and 1960s and till the early 1970s.
You can hear the news in the following locations. You cannot find it on the YouTube.
1. 3AW's Simon Owens has a recording of a broadcast of 3AW made on 26-02-1968. It was a broadcast of Peter James' Breakfast show with Fred Tupper and Geoff Manion. The segment is approximately 36 minutes. To hear the Macquarie News ID, move the cursor to 15:38 minutes (15 minutes 38seconds). from time pips, the news reader is Jim Archer then the news ID. It is only a few seconds.
The website is https://omny.fm/shows/simon-owens-radio-archive/ep-043-3aw-fred-tupper-geoff-manion-26-feb-1958 - yes it says 1958 even though it was 1968. Remember move your mouse cursor to 15:38 into the segment.
2. The Macquarie news ID can be heard as background sound in the Philip Noyce movie "Newsfront". The scene was in the Maguire family residence in Bondi during the 1950s. The Maguire couple was played by Bill Hunter and Angela Punch-McGregor.
Listen very carefully to the background sound where family and friends are in the family's dining room. If you listen carefully to the background sound you will hear the radio tuned to 2GB and can hear the same Macquarie news ID as the 1968 broadcast described earlier.
My version of "Newsfront" was the DVD version.
In sum, the news ID was futuristic, in the key of G, its harmonics and 7th semitone and was heard during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. The ID would not be out-of-place.
Thank you,
Anthony of musical and research-oriented Belfield
I also found the 2GB news ID amongst other radio news ID at 1 minute and 54 seconds into this video, https://youtu.be/TRFl072uSJk . The associated logos particularly the pointed arrow are associated with 2GB's brand in the late 1970s not early 1970s.
Unfortunately there is no search term for 2GB news theme or 2GB news ID at all in youtube.
Thank you,
Anthony of exciting Belfield.