4ZA
Encyclopedia
4ZA was a local radio station in Southland
New Zealand
. 4ZA began broadcasting in Southland on 864 AM
in 1956 as a commercial station operated by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service. Before 1989 Radio stations in New Zealand were assigned call signs, 4ZA was branded as its call sign name 4ZA until 1993 when it became Classic Hits ZAFM.
In 1979 John "Boggy" Mcdowall joined the station and years later took on the role as the breakfast show host. Despite all the changes made to the station Boggy still hosts a very similar breakfast show today.
4ZA made the move to FM
in 1991 when it began broadcasting on 98.8FM, 4ZA was the first commercial station in Southland to broadcast on FM. Years later 4ZA also switched to FM in Te Anau broadcasting on 90.4FM. Between 1991 and 1993 4ZA ran a country music show on the AM frequency on Sunday mornings and a Classic Hits show at the same time on the FM frequency, the same was done weekday mornings where Talkback would run on the AM frequency, it was at this time that announcers started calling the station Classic Hits 4ZA-FM. From 7pm to 6am the station carried RNZ Community Network programming in simulated stereo.
In 1993 Radio New Zealand rebranded many of their heritage stations as Classic Hits
but some of the stations maintained part of the heritage name into the branding. For 4ZA the station became known as Classic Hits ZAFM and for most locals the change was seamless it was like the announcers just started calling the station ZA-FM instead of 4ZA-FM. The 7pm to 6am show was replaced with a stereo feed from Auckland branded Classic Hits, and originally with Auckland advertising.
In 1994 Classic Hits ZAFM stopped broadcasting on AM and the 864AM frequency was used by Newstalk ZB
as it still is today. In 1996 Radio New Zealand sold their commercial operation as a result all Classic Hits branded stations were sold to The Radio Network
.
In 1998 Classic Hits ZAFM was reduced to just 4 hours of local programming between 6AM and 10AM 7 days a week, outside this time nationwide shows based from Auckland took over and the announcers simply called the station Classic Hits. The change has seen the station turn into a network station with a local breakfast show, competitions are now held nationwide. In the past local listeners enjoyed local competitions such as Rices Sound of Southland but now this is a nationwide competition known as The Secret Sound. Also calling the studio is done by using a nationwide 0800 phone number instead of a local Invercargill
number even during the breakfast show.
In 2001 all Classic Hits stations were renamed to included the full frequency in the branding for Classic Hits ZAFM this meant the station became Classic Hits 98.8 ZAFM. From 2005 onwards the "ZA" was dropped from much of the station branding particularly the case with branding created from Auckland however locally announcers still included the "ZA" in the branding. Today the station is branded as Classic Hits 98-8, local announcers normally call the station Classic Hits (as with the network announcers) or Southland's Classic Hits.
John "Boggy" McDowell still hosts the breakfast show and has been doing so for over 30 years now. His current co-hosts are Tracy Kilkelly and Andy Mack. Malcolm Gayfer reads local news, and Andy Mack also reads the sports news. The breakfast show still features Birthday Calls done by "Bertie Budgie" but since 2009 has used the same imaging as other Classic Hits stations for birthday calls. "Wooly Woofter Awards" on Wednesdays were a part of the breakfast show from the 1980s until recent years. While the breakfast show remains local and still has that Southland touch music played on the station is actually selected by the Programme Directors in Auckland and even the same songs play in the same sequence across all Classic Hits stations in the country.
At weekends breakfast programming remains local on Saturdays. This show was presented by Darren Ludlow who had worked on 4ZA in the late 1980s and early 1990s before moving to presenting breakfast on Foveaux FM
. Ludlow returned in 2006 to present the local Saturday breakfast. In 2010 funding was cut by The Radio Network for local weekend programming however the local breakfast show remained on the air thanks to Ludlow being prepared to present this show without pay. Ludlow left in 2011 to take on the role of station manager at Radio Southland and Andy Mack (who reads local sport during breakfast and also contributes on-air) began presenting the Saturday morning show.
2006 marked the 50th anniversary of 4ZA and Classic Hits ZAFM and in October a reunion was held for all employees that ever worked on this station.
Southland Region
Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. 4ZA began broadcasting in Southland on 864 AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
in 1956 as a commercial station operated by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service. Before 1989 Radio stations in New Zealand were assigned call signs, 4ZA was branded as its call sign name 4ZA until 1993 when it became Classic Hits ZAFM.
In 1979 John "Boggy" Mcdowall joined the station and years later took on the role as the breakfast show host. Despite all the changes made to the station Boggy still hosts a very similar breakfast show today.
4ZA made the move to FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
in 1991 when it began broadcasting on 98.8FM, 4ZA was the first commercial station in Southland to broadcast on FM. Years later 4ZA also switched to FM in Te Anau broadcasting on 90.4FM. Between 1991 and 1993 4ZA ran a country music show on the AM frequency on Sunday mornings and a Classic Hits show at the same time on the FM frequency, the same was done weekday mornings where Talkback would run on the AM frequency, it was at this time that announcers started calling the station Classic Hits 4ZA-FM. From 7pm to 6am the station carried RNZ Community Network programming in simulated stereo.
In 1993 Radio New Zealand rebranded many of their heritage stations as Classic Hits
Classic Hits FM
Classic Hits is an Adult Contemporary music radio network broadcasting in 25 markets throughout New Zealand, targeting 25 - 55 year olds. Its a family-focused radio network with some of New Zealand's most experienced broadcasters on air and behind the scenes. It currently has around 387,000...
but some of the stations maintained part of the heritage name into the branding. For 4ZA the station became known as Classic Hits ZAFM and for most locals the change was seamless it was like the announcers just started calling the station ZA-FM instead of 4ZA-FM. The 7pm to 6am show was replaced with a stereo feed from Auckland branded Classic Hits, and originally with Auckland advertising.
In 1994 Classic Hits ZAFM stopped broadcasting on AM and the 864AM frequency was used by Newstalk ZB
Newstalk ZB
Newstalk ZB is a nationwide New Zealand talk radio network operated by The Radio Network of New Zealand . It is available in almost every radio market in the country, and has news reporters based in many of them...
as it still is today. In 1996 Radio New Zealand sold their commercial operation as a result all Classic Hits branded stations were sold to The Radio Network
The Radio Network
The Radio Network is the wholly owned New Zealand division of radio company Australian Radio Network, a partnership of Clear Channel and APN News & Media. It is the owner and operator of the Newstalk ZB News service and nationwide Newstalk ZB, Classic Hits, ZM, Coast, Hauraki, Easy Mix, Flava and...
.
In 1998 Classic Hits ZAFM was reduced to just 4 hours of local programming between 6AM and 10AM 7 days a week, outside this time nationwide shows based from Auckland took over and the announcers simply called the station Classic Hits. The change has seen the station turn into a network station with a local breakfast show, competitions are now held nationwide. In the past local listeners enjoyed local competitions such as Rices Sound of Southland but now this is a nationwide competition known as The Secret Sound. Also calling the studio is done by using a nationwide 0800 phone number instead of a local Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
number even during the breakfast show.
In 2001 all Classic Hits stations were renamed to included the full frequency in the branding for Classic Hits ZAFM this meant the station became Classic Hits 98.8 ZAFM. From 2005 onwards the "ZA" was dropped from much of the station branding particularly the case with branding created from Auckland however locally announcers still included the "ZA" in the branding. Today the station is branded as Classic Hits 98-8, local announcers normally call the station Classic Hits (as with the network announcers) or Southland's Classic Hits.
John "Boggy" McDowell still hosts the breakfast show and has been doing so for over 30 years now. His current co-hosts are Tracy Kilkelly and Andy Mack. Malcolm Gayfer reads local news, and Andy Mack also reads the sports news. The breakfast show still features Birthday Calls done by "Bertie Budgie" but since 2009 has used the same imaging as other Classic Hits stations for birthday calls. "Wooly Woofter Awards" on Wednesdays were a part of the breakfast show from the 1980s until recent years. While the breakfast show remains local and still has that Southland touch music played on the station is actually selected by the Programme Directors in Auckland and even the same songs play in the same sequence across all Classic Hits stations in the country.
At weekends breakfast programming remains local on Saturdays. This show was presented by Darren Ludlow who had worked on 4ZA in the late 1980s and early 1990s before moving to presenting breakfast on Foveaux FM
Foveaux FM
Foveaux FM was a local radio station in Invercargill New Zealand that began operating in around 1981. The station was started by a group of investors as 4XF Foveaux Radio, the station began broadcasting on 1224 AM...
. Ludlow returned in 2006 to present the local Saturday breakfast. In 2010 funding was cut by The Radio Network for local weekend programming however the local breakfast show remained on the air thanks to Ludlow being prepared to present this show without pay. Ludlow left in 2011 to take on the role of station manager at Radio Southland and Andy Mack (who reads local sport during breakfast and also contributes on-air) began presenting the Saturday morning show.
2006 marked the 50th anniversary of 4ZA and Classic Hits ZAFM and in October a reunion was held for all employees that ever worked on this station.