The Hits (radio station)
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| City | 25 markets |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | New Zealand |
| Slogan | 90's Till Now |
| Frequency | 89.1 FM - 106.1 FM |
| First air date | 1993 |
| Format | Hot adult contemporary |
| Language(s) | English language |
| Audience share | 282,000 weekly listeners (2014, TNS Q2) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 36°50′49″S 174°45′54″E / 36.847°S 174.765°ECoordinates: 36°50′49″S 174°45′54″E / 36.847°S 174.765°E |
| Former callsigns | 1ZM in Auckland |
| Owner | New Zealand Media and Entertainment |
| Webcast | 18 webcasts via iHeartRadio |
| Website | thehits |
The Hits (formerly known as Classic Hits) is an Hot adult contemporary music radio network, broadcasting to 25 markets across New Zealand. It was set up by Government broadcaster Radio New Zealand in 1993 by consolidating existing stations into a single brand and has been privately owned since 1996. The Hits has had the broadest broadcast reach of any radio network in the country since 1996, and is now available on 40 full-power FM frequencies and 18 iHeartRadio streams.
Most of the individual stations started out as local AM stations owned by state broadcaster Radio New Zealand. Many have given a platform to broadcasting names like Selwyn Toogood, Paul Holmes, Peter Sinclair, Jenny-May Coffin and Jason Gunn.John "Boggy" McDowell was an announcer on the Southland station for 33 years. Despite a major reduction in local programmes since 1993, most stations still have a local three-hour breakfast programme or a six-hour daytime programme.
An estimated 282,000 people listen to The Hits every week, including 85,000 people in Auckland region. The network targets 25- to 54-year-old homeowners, socially-active parents and price-conscious household shoppers. In April 2014, the network re-branded from Classic Hits to The Hits to attract more younger listeners. Later that year, it came under the ownership of New Zealand Media and Entertainment.
The Hits was originally known as Classic Hits up until April 2014. Classic Hits unofficially began in Auckland in 1987 when 1ZM (also known as 1251ZM at the time) changed music format to play "classic hits" music and branding was changed to Classic Hits Twelve Fifty One. In 1989 Auckland's Classic Hits moved to FM, becoming Classic Hits 97FM. The ZM station that exists in Auckland today is a new station created in 1997 to replace Magic 91FM.
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