Today FM (as we know it) exits

AUCKLAND, Thursday: MediaWorks commercial director Liz Fraser writes: “I wanted to let you know that the MediaWorks board has confirmed its decision to take Today FM off air.”

The station was known to be fighting a losing, unsustainable battle against NZME’s talkback giant Newstalk ZB.

“This is a tough day for the talented team who put everything into building a new talk platform in Aotearoa,” Fraser said.

“They have worked tremendously hard to build the brand and there have been great successes along the way.

“However, while providing some incredible content and a highly engaged audience, Today FM needed time and significant marketing investment in order to grow its listenership.

“Looking ahead, the Today FM frequencies will now be used across other MediaWorks brands.”

“Unfortunately due to the current market conditions MediaWorks is unable to commit to the long-term expenditure on this brand.

“We are proud of the work the team has done. Our focus now is on supporting our people in their next steps and in ensuring the best outcomes for our customers.

If you have advertising booked on Today FM we will move this placement to relevant stations within the MediaWorks stable, ensuring the same or better audience delivery. Your account manager will be in touch directly to discuss this.

“Looking ahead, the Today FM frequencies will be used to increase audience reach across other MediaWorks brands and we’ll also be exploring some new content offerings.

“We will keep you updated on these developments.

“We remain committed to delivering results for our advertisers through our audio, digital and outdoor platforms. Thank you for your understanding.”