The Edge (radio station)

The Edge is a youth-oriented New Zealand entertainment brand consisting of a national radio network, a music television channel, and an entertainment website. The radio network and website are owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand while the TV channel is owned by Discovery, Inc..
The station was founded in Hamilton in 1994 and is now based in Auckland; it broadcasts nationwide over multiple channels. Research International audience surveys suggest The Edge has approximately 424,000 listeners across all markets that are surveyed and the station makes up 7.0% of the New Zealand radio market.
The network is most successful in Waikato, Rotorua and Nelson surveys and in the 15–19 and 10–14 female demographics, whereas rival station ZM is most popular with listeners aged between 20 and 34. The station's breakfast programme is number two in the ratings for nationwide commercial breakfast radio; its 240,000 listeners compare with 325,600 listeners for the top-rating Newstalk ZB. This compares with the non-commercial Radio New Zealand National whose breakfast programme, Morning Report, has an audience of 522,000 listeners.
History.
Early years.
The modern The Edge radio network evolved out of a local top 40 Hamilton radio station, Buzzard 98FM. The station, a combination of urban and contemporary hit radio and aimed at men and women under 30, was started by locals Grant Hislop, Joe Dennehy and Martin Dempster on 1 December 1992 on the 97.8FM frequency still used by The Edge in the Hamilton market today. Buzzard 98FM was run alongside sister station The Rock 93FM which had launched a year earlier.
In 1994 both Buzzard 98FM, The Rock 93FM and The Rock 100FM in Taranaki were sold to the Taranaki-based company Energy Enterprises which operated Energy FM in the area. Buzzard 98FM was rebranded as The Edge 97.8FM and switched to a Top 40 format.
From 1998 The Edge began networking around the North Island to smaller markets where Energy Enterprises already operated other stations, such as Taranaki, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay. In 1999 Energy Enterprises merged with Radio Otago to form RadioWorks; the merger allowed RadioWorks to network their North Island based stations into the South Island. As a result, The Edge began broadcasting in Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill and later Queenstown and Nelson. In 2000 and 2001, The Edge continued to expanded further into other markets – Wellington, Palmerston North, Taupo, Gisborne, Whangarei, the Bay of Islands and Kapiti. Oamaru, Timaru and Ashburton began broadcasting The Edge in 2002.
Relocation to Auckland.
In 2001, The Edge prepared to enter New Zealand's largest radio market, Auckland, by moving their studios to the city. From late 2001 to early 2003 The Edge began broadcasting on Sky Digital channel 100 to allow the network to reach a limited portion of markets, such as Auckland, in which the network did not have an FM frequency. Programming on Sky Digital had its own set of nationwide advertisements and its own station id. In mid 2002, the Sky Digital feed became advert free, with fill in music played during advert breaks; this music was also heard on the radio if a local advert break ended sooner than scheduled.
While The Edge had been broadcasting from Auckland since 2001 it took until 2003 before the station could go on air in Auckland. Channel Z began broadcasting on 93.8FM through a transmitter outside of Auckland and took over the Sky Digital channel allocation. The Edge was able to take over the 94.2 Auckland frequency previously used by Channel Z. The Edge advertised itself nationally as "New on 94.2", recorded live from the Sky Tower on their first day of broadcast in Auckland, and repeated many of their most successful promotions such as 'Two Strangers and a Wedding'.
Further expansion.
The Edge has continued to expand the markets in which it operates. In 2004 The Edge started broadcasting to Central Otago and in Southland coverage was extended to cover Gore which resulted in a loss of sound quality for listeners in the rest of Southland and Dunedin. In April 2008 The Edge ceased broadcasting in Central Otago with The Rock taking over this frequency. On 1 December 2009 The Edge began broadcasting in Blenheim.
The Edge made a return to Sky Digital on channel 500 in early 2011, then channel 420 after Sky reshuffled some of the channel numbering. This channel allocation had been used by The Edge in 2001–2002 and was taken over by Channel Z followed by Channel Z's successor Kiwi FM. The Sky Digital feed included the same programming and advertising as Auckland. This feed was discontinued on 29 June 2016.
The Edge TV.
The Edge TV is the brand's TV channel. It was launched on 27 June 2014 as a replacement of C4, and airs music videos, specialist music and pop culture shows and original video content filmed with The Edge radio hosts. It is available free-to-air on Kordia digital terrestrial and Sky satellite services, as well as online. On 1 July 2019, it moved to online only, with its terrestrial broadcast element being replaced by ThreeLife + 1. It returned to terrestrial broadcast on 26 March 2020, replacing ThreeLife. In September 2020, MediaWorks sold the TV portion of its business including Edge TV to Discovery, Inc.
Programs.
Weekdays.
Breakfast.
" airs 5–6 am, Monday–Friday and features clippings of the best segments from the previous day's shows.
", hosted by Dominic Harvey, Megan Mansell, and Clinton Randell, is The Edge's flagship breakfast programme which airs 6 am–10 am, Monday–Friday. They are joined by producers Hamish Phipps and Cal Payne. A podcast of the show is produced and released on Rova, Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud. Previous hosts of The Edge's breakfast show include Jay-Jay Feeney, Mike Puru, Jason Reeves, Martin Devlin, Malcolm Paul, Brian "Butt Ugly Bob" Reid, and Jesse Mulligan.
Workday.
" airs 10 am–3 pm, Monday–Friday and is hosted by Steph Monks.
Previous hosts of The Edge's days show include Guy Mansell, Sam Robertson, Megan Mansell, Sharyn Casey, Megan Sellers, Clint Roberts, Joe Cotton, Angelina Boyd, Tarsh Tolson, and Jay-Jay Feeney.
Afternoons.
" airs 3 pm–7 pm, Monday–Friday and is hosted by Sharyn Casey and Jayden King, with producer Dan Webby (or "Danimal" as he is also known). Previous hosts of The Edge's drive show include Jono Pryor, Ben Boyce, Guy Williams, Clint Roberts, Carl "Fletch" Fletcher, Vaughan Smith, Chang Hung, Alex Behan, Iain Stables, Blair Dowling, Jason Reeves, Jay-Jay Feeney, and Brian "Butt Ugly Bob" Reid.
Nights.
"" airs 7 pm–12 am, Monday–Friday, and is hosted by Sean Hill and Sophie Nathan (or "Social Soph" as she is also known). The show is host to the Edge Top 20 as voted for by listeners each night at 8 pm. In 2020, a second chart, the TikTok Top 10 was introduced. These charts replaced the Nightly Nineteen that featured in 2019. Prior to 2019, the show was named "The Edge 30", "The Edge Nightshow" and "Smash! 20". Previous hosts of The Edge's night show include Haylee Clarke, Marty Heheworth, Steph Monks, Guy Mansell, Sam Robertson, Brad Watson, Sharyn Casey, Carolyn Taylor, and Mike Puru.
Weekends.
" airs 6–9 am on Saturday and features clippings of the best segments from the week's "The Edge Afternoons" shows.
"" is an afternoon chart show and the station's flagship weekend programme. It is hosted by Marty Hehewerth and Steph Monks, and airs 2–5 pm on Saturday. The show was previously named "The Edge Fresh 40" and "The Edge Fat 40".
" airs Saturdays 9 pm–midnight and is an advertisement-free show with songs mixed by DJ Sean Hill. It was previously mixed by American electronic and dance duo The Chainsmokers, and Erika Moore.
" is a countdown of the eight best things that happened through the week on Dom, Meg & Randell's show and airs 7–9 am on Sunday.
From 9 am, other weekend slots are usually filled by presenters such as Fin Robertson, Ricky Bannister, Hamish Phipps, Max Baird, Sophie Nathan, Oscar Jackson, Shawn Cleaver and Jesse Williamson.
Notable promotions and competitions.
Strangers and a Wedding.
The Edge is the only radio station in New Zealand to ever try this competition, where the station selects male and female entrant(s) and marries the couple the minute they meet at the altar. While overseas stations have tried this promotion, the result has often seen the couple splitting after a short time.
The station first ran this competition in September 1999, entitled Two Strangers and a Wedding, then again in October 2003 under the same title.
In September 2007, the competition was called Three Strangers and a Wedding, where this time the bride was found first instead of the groom and two possible grooms were chosen. The bride then chose her groom when she met both grooms for the first time at the altar.
In August–September 2015, the station ran the competition for a fourth time, entitled Four Strangers and a Wedding. The groom was found first, who chose his bride from three potential brides, before meeting the one he chose at the altar.
All of the couples formed through this competition – Zane and Paula Nicholl (1999), Steve and Kersha Veix (2003), Paul and Chantelle Court (2007), and Aaron and Sade Schuurman (2015) – are still together today. The first three couples now have children; the fourth plan to in 2017.
Inmates.
This competition was run in March 2000, coinciding with The Edge's launch in Wellington. Five contestants were locked in a luxury Wellington apartment for six weeks where their only contact with the outside world was a computer each where they could chat to the public or by talking through an 0900 number. The public could view the Inmates actions through live Webcams and vote for their favourite Inmate and the Inmate with the fewest votes for the week went home. While this competition was very much like "Big Brother" or "Survivor", the concept was then new to New Zealanders as this competition took place before both these shows aired on New Zealand TV.
Elope to Las Vegas.
This competition was run in August 2000 and August 2011. A couple already intending on getting married was given the opportunity to have a secret wedding in Las Vegas. Various couples entered and the listeners chose the couple they wanted to see married, names were changed and voices disguised so no one had any idea who was getting married. After the wedding the winning couple had to then call the family and inform them they are in Vegas and have just been married.
Bank It, Or Burn It.
Listeners were given the opportunity to say why they needed $5000 and then once a winner was selected the public had to vote whether the winner was allowed to keep the money or whether the winner should have to burn it. The first time the competition was run, in July 2001, the winner stated she would use the money for a breast reduction, the listeners voted to burn the money and since it is not legal to burn New Zealand money the money was converted into Australian currency and then burnt. The second time, in March 2003, the prize money was $10,000 and the winner chose to bet all the money on the Canterbury Crusaders winning the 2003 Super 12 Final. Listeners voted for the winner to bank the money; however since the Crusaders did not win the final the winner ended up walking away empty handed.
Quit Your Day Job.
In Quit Your Day Job, listeners are given a chance to win a job working on The Edge.
It was first run in April 2004, with Vaughan Smith winning the competition. He left The Edge in December 2013 to take up the breakfast show on ZM along with other ex-The Edge presenters, Megan Sellers and Carl "Fletch" Fletcher.
The competition ran again in April 2006, and Sharyn Wakefield was the winner. She has since married Bryce Casey, host on the breakfast show of sister station The Rock, and changed her name to Sharyn Casey. She still works for The Edge, as a host for "#The Edge Afternoons with Jono, Ben & Sharyn" on the radio station.
Quit Your Day Job returned in November 2019 to find Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce's replacement on "The Edge Afternoons" with Sharyn Casey, with Pryor and Boyce leaving at the end of 2019 to go to Radio Hauraki (although they were moved to The Hits before starting at Radio Hauraki). Jayden King was successful and joined Sharyn for "The Edge Afternoons with Sharyn & Jayden" in January 2020.
Desperate Housewives vs Crazy Frog.
Run in September 2005, in order to win $3,000, three mothers and their children had a sit in a caravan while The Crazy Frog played over and over again; in order to win the mother and her child had to stay in the caravan until Axel F from The Crazy Frog had played for 72 hours (around 3000 times). There were various complaints about this competition and CYFS actually offered to give the contestant $2,000 if she forfeited from the competition immediately.
Boyband projects.
In September 2006, auditions were held throughout the country to find New Zealand's first-ever manufactured novelty boyband. The criteria for the entrants for the band to be named Boyband were that each of its members had to fit a certain stereotype. Filling the five stereotype roles were Rob Arnold from Wellington as Gay Boy, Gerard Clark from Auckland as Bad Boy, Jay Coote from Bluff as Fat Boy, Chris Murray from Whakatane as Mummy's Boy and Pieter T from Hamilton as Hot Boy. The band manager and creator was Will Maisey from The Edge station. The aim was to get the Boyband formation to release a single to reach the top of the New Zealand music charts. This was achieved on 9 October 2006 when the Boyband cover of The Kinks classic "You Really Got Me" reached number 1 in New Zealand.
In July 2012, The Edge announced a search for a new New Zealand's boyband. This time a more serious campaign was launched searching the whole country for young talents. Live auditions were held in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. On 26 July 2012 live auditions were held in the radio station's studios with further auditions online. The final 10 boys were sent to a "boot camp", and then the top six were picked as eventual members of the band. The group formed called themselves Titanium and was made up of Andrew Papas, Zac Taylor, Jordi Webber, T.K Paradza, Shaquille Paranihi-Ngauma and Haydn Linsley. Their first single, "Come on Home" debuted at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
Jingle Bail.
From 1999 until 2006, The Edge ran an annual fundraiser every Christmas called Jingle Bail. The Morning Madhouse presenters locked themselves in a makeshift jail cell somewhere in the country and stayed there 24 hours a day (except for shower and toilet breaks and to fundraise) until the target amount was raised. The deserving children were nominated by listeners, and were children who are sick or have been through a rough time.
In 1999, $10,000 was raised in one day for the Salvation Army. In 2000, $50,000 was raised to send eight deserving children and their caregivers to Disneyland. From 2001, the funds raised were used to send deserving children and their caregivers to the Gold Coast of Australia. In 2003, excess funds raised were used to send 15 children to a Rugby World Cup game in Sydney. In 2005, $155,000 was raised – the highest amount raised in the promotion – allowing 24 children to travel to the Gold Coast. In 2006, the last year Jingle Bail took place, $125,000 was raised.
Jingle Bail returned in 2018 on sister network More FM, with the inmates being the hosts of the afternoon drive show and all proceeds going to Koru Care. Due to the success of the 2018 edition, it was once again bought back for 2019, still using the same inmates and charity.
Summer Jam and Edgefest.
Every summer between 2001 and 2006, The Edge put on major concerts featuring popular bands from its playlists. Starting as Summer Jam, the concert series grew significantly over the years, featuring a steadily increasing number of international acts. The first Summer Jam took place in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch in 2001 and featured Zed, Stellar*, Breathe, Garageland and international act Killing Heidi. The second Summer Jam in 2002 featured Silverchair as the international act and New Zealand bands The Feelers, Tadpole, Che Fu and Rubicon.In 2003, with The Edge now broadcasting in Auckland the city became a venue alongside Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch with Good Charlotte playing alongside Taxi Ride, Zed, Nesian Mystik, Rubicon, Carly Binding and Elemeno P.
Summer Jam was rebranded to Edgefest in 2004. Edgefest 04 was held on 6, 7, 12, and 13 March 2004 in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland, and Hamilton respectively. It featured performances from Shihad, Alien Ant Farm and Yellowcard playing with Elemeno P, The Feelers, Scribe, Blindspott, Zed, Che Fu and the Krates, Nesian Mystik, and Steriogram.
Edgefest 05 was held on 12, 13, 18, and 19 March 2005 in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch respectively. It included performances from Chingy, Blindspott, The Feelers, P-Money, Steriogram, Fast Crew, 48 May, Dei Hamo, Misfits of Science, Savage and Goodnight Nurse.
Edgefest 06 was held on 23, 24, 25, and 26 March 2006 in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland, and Hamilton respectively. It featured performances from P.O.D., Presidents of the United States of America, Matafix, The Living End, Thirsty Merc and Elemeno P, Nesian Mystik, Frontline, Savage Feat. Aaradhna and Goodnight Nurse.
The Edge Summer Jam was revived in 2009 with The Veronicas, Metro Station, P-Money, and Midnight Youth, taking place in Hamilton but not Dunedin.
Edgefest returned in 2017, branded KFC Edgefest. It was held on 3, 4, and 5 November 2017, in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland respectively. It featured performances from Jason Derulo, Jonas Blue, Kings, Astrid S, Mitch James, P Money, Savage, and Openside.
Person X.
From 9 March 2015, clues were given out on the radio station revealing the identity of someone in New Zealand. As the clues narrowed the description of the person (entitled Person X), people were able to call and guess whether they are Person X. If Person X called and identified themselves they would have won $10,000. People who didn't fit the description of Person X could call and say if they think they know who Person X is. If they were correct, they would split the prize money with Person X and receive $5,000 each. On 17 March, Becky Jefferson rang up the station to ask if she was Person X. The Edge Programme Director, who was among the few people to know the identity of Person X, confirmed that she was Person X, and she won the $10,000.
The second iteration began on 28 March 2017. On 12 October, Trinity Rowe rang up the station to ask if Person X was Ashlee Cooper; she was correct, and the two received $5,000 each. Using the clues that Person X had climbed Mount Maunganui recently and was a blonde female, Trinity searched Instagram for Mount Maunganui, and Ashlee Cooper was the first blonde female in the search results.
Cash claw.
The Edge $80,000 cash claw.
From 3 August until 18 September 2015, a claw crane was set up in a corner of The Edge studio. Each weekday (except the week that the Aaron and Sade's wedding took place, 7–13 September) during the breakfast, day, and drive shows, a presenter of the show nominated by a listener (or occasionally listeners who had entered at the station's website) would attempt to win a toy from the machine. For the first five weeks of the promotion, each toy had a nominal dollar value attached to it that the listener would win. For the final week, each draw was worth $1000, with each failed attempt increasing the next draw's value by $1000. For the final draw on 18 September, it took three attempts to win the final $1000.
The Edge Santa Claw.
In the final week of regular broadcast for 2015, 14–18 December, the machine was stocked with gift-wrapped cash and prizes. Again, draws took place in the breakfast, day, and drive shows.
Star Pluckers.
From 18 January 2016, to promote the station's new branding, including its new slogan, All The Hits (replacing Hit Music Now), a recording of the sting (The Edge: All The Hits) voiced by five celebrities (Ryan Gosling, Katy Perry, David Beckham, Justin Bieber, and Ellie Goulding respectively) was played. Listeners would then call the station when the cue-to-call aired and guess what celebrity voiced which word. The five people to correctly guess a celebrity and which word they said went in the draw to win a trip to the United States. The three musicians were guessed in the first week of the competition; because nobody was guessing other celebrities, on Monday of the second week of the competition, a clue was given that not all the celebrities had to be musicians. The next day, a caller rang up and correctly guessed both remaining celebrities; she went in the draw twice and won the trip.
The promotion was run again from 30 May 2016 to win another trip to the United States. The five celebrities voicing the sting were Christina Aguilera, Macklemore, Gordon Ramsay, Max Key (son of John Key), and Selena Gomez.
The promotion was run for a third time from 27 February 2017 to win a VIP pass and flights to see Justin Bieber in Australia and New Zealand. This time, the phrase was "The Edge: All The Biebs", and the five celebrities were Liam Malone, Zara Larsson, Chris Pratt, Alessia Cara, and Jimmy Fallon. It was then run the following week to win flights to and accommodation in LA to see Zara Larsson; the phrase was changed back to "The Edge: All The Hits".
Accessibility.
The Edge is accessible via FM radio throughout the North and South Islands of New Zealand, and online via a webcast.
Other channels.
The Edge is also available globally through its website, theedge.co.nz, and MediaWorks Radio's app, Rova.