Adelaide radio station hit107 will revert to its old name, SAFM
It’s an old song, but we like it. Adelaide radio station hit107 is expected to change its name – going back to SAFM just six years after it made the change.
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Adelaide radio station hit107 will revert back to its old name SAFM, less than six years after it made the change.
Former SAFM host, Anthony “Lehmo” Lehmann, is also set to join the breakfast team alongside current duo Rebecca Morse and Andrew “Cosi” Costello.
Adelaide’s first commercial radio station to broadcast on the FM band, SAFM was reinvented as hit107 in October 2014, with owner Southern Cross Austereo promising to “deliver an all new sound, new shows and new energy.”
At the time, then-SCA national content director Craig Bruce said dwindling ratings played a part in the decision to steer away from the SAFM brand, with the new-look station targeting women under 40.
“Of course the ratings played a big part in the decision, there’s no denying that but I think to be able to start all over again is exciting,” he said in 2014.
“SAFM’s history became a bit of an anchor for us. The things we became famous for, like Skyshow and the secret sound, were for an audience who had moved on.
“We were in this battle with Nova and we really were the daggier brand. After 34 years, it was hard to not be that. We were the station your parents listened to.”
In the last Adelaide radio ratings survey, hit107’s Bec and Cosi breakfast show was in equal seventh spot with triple j, and equal fifth on the FM band behind Mix 102.3, Nova919, Triple M and Cruise1323. Overall, station hit107 was languishing in seventh place.
An Adelaide radio industry source said switching back to SAFM was a “bold move”.
“They’re obviously going back to their roots... to try to capitalise on their SAFM heritage. Cosi and Lehmo were the original SAFM guys,” the source said.
“They’ve looked at the situation and said, ‘How can we make maximum noise for minimum spend?’. They’re going for it.
“SCA Adelaide is repositioning themselves for the 35-59 age demo(graphic) and really going after the Mix (audience).”
SAFM was established in 1980 under the call sign 5SSA, paving the way for FM radio in Adelaide.
Over its history, the station kickstarted the careers of Australian comedy stars like Adam Hills and Lehmann and was also the force behind the popular public fireworks event, “Skyshow”, which ran from 1985 until 2006.
Broadcaster SCA, which runs hit107 and Triple M radio networks, is also expected to relaunch its major Brisbane radio station hit105 under its original name B105.