dmg: Smooth "6% in a year"

This week dmg confirmed the relaunch of 91.5 and 95.3 as Smooth on 21 May (read here). The exact strategic position the brand will look to occupy won't become entirely apparent until launch, however dmg executives are certainly bullish about the potential of the format.

To get a feel for the new format, watch dmg's 'sizzle reel' that was shown to media, staff and clients below, and click 'read more' to see comments from Tony Thomas, dmg's Group Marketing Director, including giving his ratings forecast for Smooth.

Speaking about the format and brand she has overseen, CEO Cathy O'Connor commented at the launch "we've identified a gap in the market for a music position that is unique, and we're confident listeners will embrace Smoothfm". 

dmg have referenced highly successful AC stations such as Lite FM New York, Coast FM Auckland and Magic London presumably as stations achieving results that the company will be planning to replicate in time.

Group Marketing Director Tony Thomas commented in Mediaweek this week; 

"The reason this makes a lot of business sense is that it is broader than what we have now. There are a lot of older females reluctantly listening (to) 2Day and Fox. We also expect to draw listeners from Mix and 2CH (and) WSFM and Gold FM.....when we look at our audience analysis it will be very broad"

"(Smooth will target) females 35-54 who have busy lives, our marketing will skew female, school drop off, pick up, rest moments, the workplace.....we will make noise in the market around this station.........we will be investing in the millions"

"There is no reason (Smooth) shouldn't be on a 6% share or better in 12 months".

6%+ in a year is a bold call without a Breakfast show, however you certainly can't accuse dmg of a lack of confidence in the new brand.

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Anonymous (7:15pm 05 May 2012)

It sounds exactly like Koffee, does it not?

Anonymous (8:54pm 05 May 2012)

It all sounds logical. And the reel is pretty impressive. It would be worth checking back on the share in 12 months but the thinking looks solid from my POV

Anonymous (9:18pm 05 May 2012)

I look forward to the wall to wall power ballads and the 3 minute blocks of retirement home commercials...

Anonymous (12:08am 06 May 2012)

I wish them well - again. But as a woman in that target market, I've been waiting for years for DMG to get it right. And this sounds as boring as bat-shit.
Time after time, stations are programmed by men who cannot know what women want - especially working mothers.
Just because we've had children and our priorities have changed (which includes leaving screaming prize pigs in the past) it doesn't mean we are brain dead.
We want great radio - where is it?
The pap we are served up is depressing. Nobody is doing anything remotely stimulating any more.
We're too young for the ABC and too bored to listen to generic networked cost-cutting programmes, that forget about the most important person. The local listener.
I can't find anything I want to listen to in the mornings. So I'm now listening to community radio.

Anonymous (11:17pm 06 May 2012)

If all their listeners are supposedly female (as the pictures suggest) why is there only one female presenter among the line-up?

Anonymous (10:20am 07 May 2012)

Easy listening formats have spent long periods at number one in most capital cities in the past when AM ruled.
Now that time has moved on, it's probably time for FM to do likewise.
It's hard to believe, but not everyone wants to hear heavy rock or the latest from One Direction ,Bieber etc.
As they say - be first, be best or be "DIFFERENT".

Sharon Thompson (10:41am 07 May 2012)

As someone who is also waiting for a (commercial)rad io station that doesn't a, live in the past, and b, play the same or similar playlists as other so called adult stations, I not only listen to community radio, I do just the sort of show I want to hear.

Peter Holden (11:53am 07 May 2012)

Right, for those who live in Melbourne, raise your hand if after the first few songs on that reel you thought "that sounds like 1377 MyMP (3MP)".

Anonymous (1:08pm 07 May 2012)

Wow! Finally! A strategy that targets those bored '35-54' gettin older females, just sitting there reluctantly flicking between 2CH and 2day FM. Some smooth toons to listen to, between picking up the kids after school and then heading over to play Gin-rummy, with the girls at the nursing home.

Wtf? Val Doonican into James Blunt - do it!!! Yeah, a huge opening. Bob Rogers just crapped his white corduoroy dacks.

Can't this poor Mkt Director see that the programmers have lined him up beautifully? Not a word from that department...? I feel sorry for him, surely the quotes were at a launch party, after a few too many sherry's.

Calling a '6'? & 'Older females'... The CEO will surely have a 'not so smooth' - word.

Anonymous (3:13pm 07 May 2012)

Wow, that's a bad vo, with the same inflection over and over. This is a regional station with regional jingles, regional vo's, regional or ex info-mercial presenters, no strong chicks on air, no draw card breakfast show, no localism, probably very few live breaks, no vibe, I thought triple M were spending big to only pull 3's. You know, unless you do something right soon Sydney radio it's going to be community radio or tunein pro killing it. So generic, so boring!

Anonymous (4:47pm 07 May 2012)

Re the Smooth One.....Here we go again FRAGMENTATION...let's take a little percentage from here and there ...yeah, that will give us about 6% just enough to survive. Talk about fatigue factor.let me guess.....less talk, less community involvement ,less creativity, tighter bare bones news casts. Come on radio people, this is not being creative, this will be background with no "wow" factor. Thank god for ever evolving community radio and my IPod and IPad and my 10,000 plus tracks of great variety music without the diatribe.At this rate, technology and the internet will kill the radio star !

Anonymous (5:01pm 07 May 2012)

We're in an age where content is king, more so than ever. With the internet/iPhones/soscial media/TV/print (hah) all beging for our attention, all bursting with compelling content, radio HAS to stay relevant and engaging to survive. So do all media outlets.

I don't feel like DMG are helping the cause much. 'Older females' have iPods too. Can't wait to laugh in years time when they're still nowhere near 6%.

While I'm sticking the boot in... there was nothing at all 'sizzling' about that real. Terrible copy.

Anonymous (11:51am 08 May 2012)

Probably too early to say that a 6 is out of reach after a year. They haven't even launched it yet, only evolving the format and they are a 4.3 in Melb and 4.2 in Syd in survey 3.

The marketing guy would be right to want a point and a half in 12 months. He'd probably have to have a conversation with the CEO if they forecast any less off the beach of their good survey result.

I hope they do well