The Sound, formerly known as Solid Gold FM, is a New Zealand radio network owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Solid Gold began broadcasting on October 13, 1997, and was renamed The Sound on January 1, 2012. The Sound has a classic rock format, playing “the best music of all time” from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The station appeals to an older audience than most pop and rock stations in New Zealand.
History
Solid Gold FM began in Auckland on October 13, 1997, broadcasting on 93.4FM. This frequency was previously used to broadcast Kool 93, a station that played a format similar to Solid Gold. After The Radio Network acquired Kool 93’s parent company, Prospect Media Ltd, the Commerce Commission ruled that The Radio Network had to sell or divest some of its frequencies in Auckland as a condition of the sale, and as a result they closed Kool 93, a frequency going to power companies.
For a few months in 1997, 93.4FM was used to play a temporary program informing listeners of the new station’s imminent launch. The original lineup of Solid Gold was Breakfast with Blackie and Jennifer (Kevin Black and Jenny Marcroft), Adam “Boom Boom” Butler (10:00 – 14:00), Big Tony Amos (14:00 – 19:00) and Brian Staff (19:00 – midnight). After launching in Auckland, Energy Enterprises (which later became RadioWorks) rolled out the station throughout New Zealand as they were able to secure frequencies in each market. In some markets, local stations were closed and replaced with Solid Gold, as there were markets where RadioWorks had taken over more than one local station. Solid Gold eventually became available in 25 markets in New Zealand.
In the station’s early days, the playlist included mostly music from the 1950s and 1960s. Music from the 1950s was discontinued in the early 2000s, and the station focused on music from the 1960s and 1970s for most of the decade. The station ran several promotions, sending listeners abroad, for example, to see Bruce Springsteen, to Graceland, 10 friends in Fiji, 10 friends in the Gold Coast, a countdown of the 1000 greatest hits of the 60s and 70s, and more.
In 2009, longtime Breakfast host Kevin Black retired and Blackie’s Big Breakfast (featuring Alan (AJ) Whetton and David Burke-Kennedy) was replaced by Muzz in the Morning with host Murray Inglis. A former breakfast host on Auckland’s Radio Hauraki, Black was once the highest paid private radio DJ in New Zealand. His 12-year stint with Solid Gold between 1997 and 2009 was his last on-air role until he died in 2013, shortly before his 70th birthday. Murray Inglis left the breakfast show in late 2010 and was replaced by Mark McCarron.
On December 25, 2010, the station changed its positioning to “Greatest Hits of All Time” and no longer played only music from the 1960s and 1970s. Daytime announcer Macca, who had been with the station since 1998, had his last show with Solid Gold on December 30, 2011 and did not continue with The Sound. Afternoon host Rick Rennie and former evening host Peter Dakin also left.