Magic is a New Zealand oldies radio network owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. The network targets New Zealand's growing population of baby boomers with a line-up of veteran broadcasters. Its breakfast show, McCormick & McCarron (formerly Magic in the Morning, Magic Breakfast and Bunting in the Morning respectively), is hosted by Gary McCormick and Mark McCarron.
Magic operated Magic Talk, a nationwide Auckland-based talkback, news and sport radio network formed by the 2019 rebrand of Radio Live. The station competed directly against New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) station Newstalk ZB. Magic was rebranded as Magic Music, and some programmes shared with Magic Talk. This change took effect in mid-January 2019, with a large number of Radio Live hosts leaving the station due to the restructure. The first programme aired on Magic Talk was Overnights with Tony Amos. The station ceased on 20 March 2022 ahead of its delayed rebranding as Today FM on 21 March 2022.
History
Magic was launched on 20 April 2015 in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Rotorua, Hawke's Bay and Dunedin, some stations were launched on frequencies MediaWorks acquired in radio spectrum 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 previously used by The Breeze. New frequencies in Wanganui, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, Blenheim, Nelson, Queenstown, Southland and Rodney were added, followed by Palmerston North, Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Taupō, Taranaki, Thames, the Seabird Coast, Paeroa, the 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 down in 2001, Magic 828 & 98.6FM in Palmerston North which was rebranded 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 studios in Auckland. Kiwi was an independent non-profit music broadcaster, wholly owned by MediaWorks. It operated as ten years as Kiwi FM, and had previously operated as ten years as Channel Z. The network attracted 28,000 listeners each week and was responsible for about one percent of local music airtime on New Zealand radio. However, its popularity and long-term viability had been undermined by new websites offering direct access to local music, and MediaWorks decided to focus its youth resources on the nationwide roll-out of George FM and Mai FM.
MediaWorks hoped the Magic network would increase its market share of the one million New Zealanders aged 50-74. In New Zealand this demographic is growing in size, is more likely to listen to the radio and listens to radio for longer hours. People in this group also have fewer family commitments, and have more assets and disposable incomes. MediaWorks secured a network of new frequencies in the 2014 radio spectrum auction in markets with large baby boomer populations. The company says that includes markets where Magic can go head to head with Coast, and markets with no Coast stations where Magic can secure a monopoly or gain a competitive advantage.
In November 2018, it was announced that sister station Radio Live would be merging with Magic to form a talk-music radio hybrid known as Magic Talk, which started on 19 January 2019. Former TVNZ news presenter Peter Williams was the first host revealed for the new network.
In November 2021, MediaWorks announced 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 breakfast host, with broadcasters Duncan Garner, Rachel Smalley, Polly Gillespie, Leah Panapa, Mark Richardson, Lloyd Burr, Wilhelmina Shrimpton, Nigel Yalden, Robett Hollis, Mark Dye, Carly Flynn, Nickson Clark, Dave Letele and Dominic Bowden all named as part of the lineup. Today FM commenced in March 2022 and ceased abruptly on 30 March 2023.