The New Edge 96.ONE is launching three more shows this weekend to expand its offerings to lovers of rap, hip hop and urban music.

Program Director Charlie Fox has told radioinfo about the three shows:

On Saturdays between 5 and 7pm it’s ‘FIGG’s Lockdown Radio Show’ featuring rapper FIGGKIDD (2005 winner of ‘New Artist to Radio’ award) and co-hosted by The Edge’s Mike E. The show will feature Urban music news, world Urban charts and of course lots of Aussie hip hop.

Australia’s most popular hip hop DJ, Nino Brown (with 5 gold albums for his Blazin’ series) starts the ‘Trailblazin’ Radio Show’ Sundays at 4pm to 6pm. With exclusives, interviews and blazin’ mixups.

The ‘Saturday Nite Hype!’ 7pm to 3am Sunday morning, commercial free, features mixups from ‘The Edge Mixmasters’, Australia’s best hip hip and R&B DJs, including DJ Nino Brown, DJ Mac (Old Skool), DJ Nick Toth, DJ Peter Gunz and Tickelz, The Edge’s DJ Koolkut and special guest DJs like Boston’s DJ Clinton Sparks.

Meanwhile, rival station Nova, is also responding to “Sydney’s increasing demand for a greater variety of Urban Hip Hop & RnB” by signing DJ Samrai and Sean Ray to present the ‘Takeover Radio Show’ Saturday evenings between 7-10pm and on Sundays between 8-10pm. The show will also be heard on Nova 937 Perth.

In the last ratings survey Nova admitted The Edge was having an impact on its younger audience, and this new show is part of its strategy to defend against this new threat.

radioinfo understands the pair of Nova presenters were also in discussions with The Edge, but that Nova ended up securing them.

Assistant Nova PD Seth Clancy says Nova has “always delivered a good balance of urban music,” and with the increased demand from this audience the new shows are an exciting new component of the station’s programming.