Vega has been on air for only seven months but it’s already clear hardly anyone seems remotely interested in checking it out. And it’s not just Sydney, exactly the same thing has happened in Melbourne.

In a feature article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald, Sue Javes says the concept seemed appealing, even clever, on paper. Establish a niche market drawing on baby boomers who don’t want all music or all talk but rather a mixture of classic hits, new releases and intelligent talk. Javes asks: so what went wrong?

The question on everyone’s lips is how such experienced radio hands – the same executives who steered Nova to the top – could get it so wrong the second time around.

DMG executives knew Nova was going to be a tough act to follow. With that station focusing on the under-40’s market it was pre-ordained Vega had to target older listeners The executives knew baby boomers would be unreceptive to marketing, reasonably happy with the choices already available and less likely to try something just because it was new.

But even forewarned, management appears to have seriously misjudged the audience, signed off on a flawed marketing campaign, and in the short term at least, failed to produce a compelling product.

KPMG analyst Bernard Salt tells the SMH he believes Vega executives misunderstood the target audience. “Having people remind you all the time about how young and sexy you were 30 years ago and now you’re a sad middle-aged has-been is not really what you want.”

“Maybe it’s a concept five or ten years before its time. When baby boomers are 50 through 69 they will be in a more receptive frame of mind. The really sad thing would be for Vega to lose it and have someone else come back with the proposition in 2010 and absolutely cream the market. It may be that Vega may have to limp along for another four years and have the market grow into it.”