2UE

2UE Talking Lifestyle is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by Macquarie Radio Network. It is Sydney's as well as Australia's oldest commercial national radio station, first broadcasting on 26 January 1925 on 1025 kHz AM before moving to 950 kHz in 1935 when virtually all Australian radio stations were assigned new frequencies. In 1978, 2UE moved to 954 kHz. It is located at the studios in Greenwich, New South Wales in Sydney's North Shore.

History

Cash for comment

2UE was the centre of the cash for comment affair, an Australian scandal that broke in 1999. It concerned paid advertising on talk back radio that was presented to the audience in such a way as to sound like editorial commentary. The affair was first reported on the ABC program Media Watch by reporters Richard Ackland, Deborah Richards and Ann Connelly. They revealed that 2UE hosts John Laws and Alan Jones had been paid to give favourable comment to companies including Qantas, Optus, Foxtel, Mirvac and major Australian banks, without disclosing this arrangement to listeners. The Australian Broadcasting Authority found that John Laws, Alan Jones, and 2UE had committed 90 breaches of the industry code and five breaches of 2UE's license conditions. 2UE was fined $360,000 for John Laws's improper conduct.^[2]

Station ratings and market position

In the eighth and final ratings survey for 2013, released on 10 December 2013, overall 2UE scored a 4.2% market share well behind market leader 2GB on 13.3 which was ahead of next placed ABC702 on 10.4. This rating placed 2UE tenth out of the 14 surveyed stations. During this survey period, its Monday to Friday share slipped to 3.2 per cent of the available audience, putting it behind Macquarie Radio Network’s 2CH which averaged 4.6 per cent and meant 2UE was only ahead of three stations. The 2UE drive show slipping a further 0.7 points after the firing of Jason Morrison in the middle of the survey, and evenings slipping further losing 2.6 points, its biggest drop in the survey.^[3]

In a statement Fairfax Radio said the station will undergo significant changes to its line-up in 2014, with national content director Clark Forbes saying: “The changes to 2UE will reveal a new and reinvigorated station that better reflects our influential and informed audience. “We’d like to thank outgoing presenters Paul Murray and Jason Morrison from the Morning and Drive programs and wish them well in the future. We’re preparing for a big year for 2UE in 2014.”^[4]

Current

Today, 2UE broadcasts a news talk format, involving current affairs oriented programs with talkback across the day and more relaxed programming at nights and on weekends. News updates are broadcast at the top of every hour, provided by Macquarie Radio Network. Prior to April 2015, and before the merger of Fairfax Media's radio assets with the Macquarie Radio Network, bulletins were provided from their own newsrooms, and syndicated to stations including 2CC.

Over the years 2UE has been a constant rival of another Sydney station 2GB, which offers a similar format. In recent times, however, 2UE has slipped badly in the ratings.^[3] 2UE suffered major blows when long time breakfast program host Alan Jones moved across to the 2GB breakfast program and when broadcaster John Laws retired from radio, leaving his 2UE morning program at the end of 2007. In April 2015, 2UE and 2GB would both be owned by the newly merged Macquarie Radio Network. On 9 April 2015 the 2UE newsroom was closed after 90 years, the last news report broadcast at 6pm that day. This is a result of the merger from April 1 of the Fairfax Radio Network with the Macquarie Radio Network which 2GB is part of. The news teams of both stations are being merged with "significant job cuts."^[5][6]

In September 2016, 2UE relaunched with new branding and programming moving away from its news talk position to a lifestyle format.^[7]

Programming

As of September 2016, programming and presenters were:

• Breakfast with John Stanley and Garry Linnell
• Mornings with Tim Webster
• Afternoons with Ed Phillips
• Drive with Luke Bona
• Evenings with David Prior
• Australia Overnight (syndicated) with Tony Moclair

Additional regular presenters include Graham Richardson and Dr Ross Walker.

Cricket

On 1 November 2013, 2UE's parent company, Fairfax Radio Network (FRN), announced that it had signed a five-year contract commencing with the 2013/2014 Australian cricket season, to broadcast the Boxing Day and Sydney Test matches, all One Day Internationals, the Big Bash League (BBL) and International T20 matches on network stations including 2UE. Subsequently, in December 2013, FRN decided on an earlier start to their coverage by including the Perth test match which commenced on 13 December 2013.^[8] Fairfax stated that "Fairfax Radio Network will bring to its coverage more than 60 years’ experience of broadcasting sport, assembling a star-studded commentary line up".^[9] The coverage will provide a ball-by-ball commentary of all broadcast matches.^[10]

The commentary team is anchored by Tim Lane and Bruce Eva, together with a panel consisting of the following experts^[11]

Controversy

A number of parties have attempted to sue 2UE for defamation. In February 2012 Mamdouh Habib won his claim and was awarded almost $150,000.^[12] 2UE was found to have defamed journalist Ray Chesterton in an August 2005 broadcast made by John Laws.^[13]

See also

• List of Australian radio stations

References

External links

• 2UE Talking Lifestyle website