Magic is a New Zealand radio network producing vintage sounds owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. The network targets New Zealand’s growing baby boomer population with a number of broadcasting veterans. Its breakfast show (formerly Magic in the Morning, Magic Breakfast and Bunting in the Morning respectively) is hosted by Mark McCarron.
Magic Talk, operated by Magic, is an Auckland-based nationwide talk, news and sports network formed by the rebranding of Radio Live in 2019. The station competed directly with New Zealand media and entertainment (NZME) station Newstalk ZB. Magic also operated Magic Music as its music arm. This change came into effect in mid-January 2019, when a large number of Radio Live presenters left the station due to restructuring. The first program launched on Magic Talk was Nights with Tony Amos. Magic Talk ceased operations on March 20, 2022, before a delayed rebranding to Today FM on March 21, 2022. Magic Music was relaunched as Magic and is still active as a music brand.
History
Magic was launched on April 20, 2015 in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Rotorua, Hawke’s Bay and Dunedin, some stations were launched on frequencies acquired by MediaWorks in radio frequency auctions, others were secondary frequencies used by other MediaWorks stations, such as in Dunedin. The 99.8FM frequency was previously used by Radio Dunedin and Wellington’s 891AM, which was previously used by The Breeze. New frequencies were added in Whanganui, Kapiti, Wairarapa, Blenheim, Nelson, Queenstown, Southland and Rodney, followed by Palmerston North, Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Taupo, Taranaki, Thames, Seabird Coast, Pairoa, Hauraki Plains and Hamilton. The Magic brand name has been used in other regions, such as Magic FM in Northland, which was owned by MediaWorks but closed in 2001, Magic 828 & 98.6FM in Palmerston North, which was renamed The Breeze in 2004, and Magic 91FM, which was a local station in Auckland during the 1980s.
The launch of Magic was made possible by the closure of Kiwi FM on March 31. Magic took over the former Kiwi FM studio in Auckland. Kiwi was an independent, not-for-profit music company that was wholly owned by MediaWorks. It operated for ten years as Kiwi FM and previously operated for ten years as Channel Z. The network attracted 28,000 listeners each week and was responsible for approximately one percent of local music time on New Zealand radio. However, its popularity and long-term viability has been undermined by new websites offering direct access to local music, and MediaWorks has decided to focus its youth resources on the nationwide rollout of George FM and Mai FM.
MediaWorks hopes that the Magic network will increase its market share among the one million New Zealanders aged 50-74. In New Zealand, this demographic is growing, listening to radio more often and listening to radio for longer. People in this group also have fewer family obligations and have more assets and disposable income. MediaWorks secured a network of new frequencies in the 2014 radio frequency auction in markets with large baby boomer populations. The company says this includes markets where Magic could face Coast and markets without Coast stations where Magic could secure a monopoly or gain a competitive advantage.
In November 2018, it was announced that subsidiary station Radio Live would merge with Magic to form a talk music hybrid known as Magic Talk, which launched on January 19, 2019. Former TVNZ news presenter Peter Williams was the first presenter revealed for the new network.
In November 2021, MediaWorks announced that it would replace Magic Talk with a new talk radio network called Today FM. Newshub’s political editor at the time, Tova O’Brien, was announced as the breakfast host with TV personalities Duncan Garner, Rachel Smalley, Polly Gillespie, Leah Panapa, Mark Richardson, Lloyd Burr, Wilhelmina Shrimpton, Nigel Yalden, Robbie Hollis, Mark Dye, Carly Flynn, Nixon Clarke, Dave Letelier and Dominic Bowden all named as part of the line-up. Today FM began in March 2022 and abruptly ceased on March 30, 2023.