Radio Northland
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Founder | Radio New Zealand (then New Zealand Broadcasting Service) |
| Defunct | 2014 |
| Fate | Rebranded as The Hits |
| Headquarters | Whangārei , New Zealand |
| Parent | Radio New Zealand (until 1996), then The Radio Network |
Radio Northland operated as a radio broadcaster situated in Whangārei, New Zealand.
Established in 1949 by Radio New Zealand (known then as the New Zealand Broadcasting Service), the station originally used the callsign 1XN, which was later updated to 1ZN. Its initial transmissions were on 970AM in Whangārei (1ZN), 1220AM in Kaikohe (1ZE), and 1440AM in Kaitaia (1ZK). The station’s studios were located on Bank Street in Whangārei.
When the AM band spacing changed from 10 kHz to 9 kHz in 1978, the frequencies for Whangārei and Kaitaia shifted to 1026AM, with Kaikohe moving to 1215AM.
In 1993, Radio New Zealand consolidated its longstanding stations under the Classic Hits brand, resulting in Radio Northland being renamed Classic Hits Radio Northland, which was later abbreviated to Classic Hits Northland.
The commercial division of Radio New Zealand, including Classic Hits stations, was sold by the New Zealand Government in July 1996 to The Radio Network, a joint venture between APN News & Media and Clear Channel Communications, operating within the framework of the Australian Radio Network.
By 1998, local programming on Classic Hits Northland was scaled back to four hours daily from 6 am to 10 am, with Auckland-produced nationwide shows filling the remaining schedule; this breakfast segment was further shortened to three hours in 2012.
In 2001, Classic Hits Northland began broadcasting on FM at 96.0FM in Whangārei while maintaining its AM service. The 1026AM frequency was reassigned to network station Newstalk ZB, although AM transmissions continued in Kaikohe and Kaitaia. FM coverage expanded over subsequent years: Dargaville received 96.0FM, Kaikohe 97.2FM, and Kaitaia 97.6FM by 2005; the Bay of Islands area added 96.8FM in 2006. From that point onward, AM frequencies exclusively carried Newstalk ZB.
A frequency reorganization occurred in 2010, moving Whangārei broadcasts to 95.6FM, Kaikohe and Kaitaia transmissions to 96.4FM, and Bay of Islands reception to 106.1FM; additionally, programming was introduced for Doubtless Bay at 105.9FM.
On April 28, 2014, all Classic Hits stations underwent a rebranding as The Hits, launching a networked breakfast program hosted by Polly Gillespie and Grant Kareama. Former breakfast host Mike Plant shifted to a six-hour daytime slot from 9 am to 3 pm, which is currently presented locally by Charmaine Soljak.