Jump to content

Radio Sport

From Alfawiki
Radio Sport
Company typeRadio network
IndustryBroadcasting
PredecessorSports Roundup
Founded1996
Defunct2020-03-30
FateCeased broadcasting
Headquarters
New Zealand
Area served
New Zealand
ProductsSports radio programming and live sports commentary

Radio Sport—previously known as Sports Roundup—was a New Zealand-based sports radio network and the talkback counterpart to Newstalk ZB. It held broadcasting rights for a wide range of sporting events, including most cricket matches, both international and domestic rugby union fixtures, NRL rugby league games, trans-Tasman basketball contests, and New Zealand tennis competitions.

In addition to these, the network also covered golf, bowls, and various other sports, offering talkback segments alongside hourly updates on news and sports when live commentary was not being aired.

Sports Roundup

The origins of Radio Sport trace back to Sports Roundup, a programme under Radio New Zealand during the 1980s and early 1990s that provided live commentary on summer sports such as cricket. It was broadcast on multiple frequencies shared with the AM Network, which were formerly allocated to The Concert Programme.

Radio Sport

Following the privatisation of the sports commentary division in 1996, Sports Roundup was succeeded by the dedicated Radio Sport network.

Aimed primarily at male sports enthusiasts, Radio Sport operated as a sister station to Newstalk ZB. It supplied all sports news content for Newstalk ZB’s news service and also supported Classic Hits FM, ZMFM, Radio Rhema, Radio Hauraki, Southern Star, Coast, and Life FM with sports coverage. When not transmitting live events, it simulcasted Newstalk ZB programming Monday through Thursday from 19:00 to 20:00 and on weekends from 6:00 to 9:00 and again from 12:00 to 18:00.

Due to the widespread suspension of major sporting events amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Radio Sport ended its broadcasts at 1 pm on 30 March 2020. It was replaced by a continuous simulcast of Newstalk ZB.

Programmes

Radio Sport delivered nationally syndicated domestic and international sports shows, allowing local stations to insert advertisements and seasonal content during breaks.

The station also maintained an internal sports news service that was updated frequently throughout the day.

Early Breakfast

The Country's 'Early Edition,' hosted by Rowena Duncan from Dunedin, aired weekdays between 5 am and 6 am. This programme previewed the midday show and connected listeners with the Radio Sport Breakfast team.

Breakfast

The flagship morning show, Radio Sport Breakfast, ran from 6 am until 9 am. Since 2017, hosts Kent Johns, Nathan Rarere, and Marc Peard led the programme, which featured news and sports updates every half hour. Previously, Tony Veitch was the presenter until his resignation in 2008 following assault allegations. He was succeeded by D'Arcy Waldegrave who co-hosted alongside former cricketer Mark Richardson. Andrew Mulligan joined late in 2013 for the Crowd Goes Wild Breakfast segment. Richardson left midway through 2015 and was replaced by ex-cricketer Simon Doull. The show continued until the end of 2016.

Mornings

Jason Pine and Sam Hewitt hosted Radio Sport Mornings. From 2009 to 2013, experienced broadcaster Brendan Telfer occupied the 9 am to noon slot. Martin Devlin took over in 2014 after transferring from sister station Radio Hauraki; Jason Pine and Sam Hewitt returned as hosts in mid-2018. The programme included interviews with correspondents, talkback sessions, sports forecasts, and entertaining features inspired by television game shows and a vintage BBC style from the 1950s.

Afternoons

The Country with Jamie MacKay aired from Dunedin between noon and 1 pm across all stations except Auckland.

In Auckland only, an afternoon talkback show hosted by Daniel McHardy from Wellington broadcast from 12 pm to 1 pm due to The Country occupying that timeslot elsewhere; following that hour it was available nationwide. This programme emphasized listener call-ins and featured weekend sports predictions on Fridays.

Drive Show

Weekday drive programming from 4pm to 7pm was presented by D'Arcy Waldegrave and Angus Mabey. The show included frequent guest appearances, interviews, and recaps of the day's most significant sports news.

Sportstalk

Sportstalk, hosted by D'Arcy Waldegrave, aired Monday through Thursday evenings between 7pm and 8pm, simultaneously broadcast with Newstalk ZB.

Evenings

From 8pm to 10pm, Reloaded was hosted by Eli Mwaijumba, featuring interviews, key highlights, audience reactions, and live sports coverage. Prior to 2017, the evening slot was occupied by The Night Train, a talkback-oriented program.

Overnights

Overnight content consisted of programming from FOX Sports Radio in the United States via live internet streaming or simulcasts of Talksport broadcasts during the English Premier League season.

Weekends

Weekend schedules concentrated on live sports commentaries and shows led by Veitch (until 2018), Watson, along with simulcasts from Newstalk ZB:

  • Fridays 7 pm–10 pm – Live Super Rugby commentary
  • Fridays 10 pm–12 am – The Continuous Call Team
  • Saturdays 6 am–9 am – The All Sports Breakfast with Nigel Yalden (Simulcast)
  • Saturdays & Sundays 9 am–12 pm – Radio Sport Weekender with Mark Watson
  • Saturdays & Sundays 12 pm–6 pm – Weekend Sport with Mark Watson (Simulcast)
  • Saturdays 2 pm–5 pm – Regional rugby programming including Saturday Rugby Club (Wellington), Otago Score Board (Dunedin), and Sportswave (Nelson)
  • Saturdays 6 pm–12 am – Saturday Night Sport featuring live commentaries
  • Sundays 6 am–8 am – Sunday Mornings with The Resident Builder (Simulcast)
  • Sundays 8 am–9 am – The Sports Power Hour with Mark Watson (Simulcast)
  • Sundays 6 pm–8 pm – NRL Live' presented in partnership with ABC Radio Grandstand

Frequencies

At the time of its closure on 30 March 2020, Radio Sport transmitted on the following frequencies:

After the station ceased operations, the former Radio Sport AM channels along with Wairarapa and Taupō LPFM frequencies were rebranded as Gold AM starting from 1 July 2020, maintaining live match commentaries within Gold's lineup. Other FM frequencies underwent rebranding: Blenheim transitioned to Radio Hauraki, while Westport and Greymouth adopted the branding of ZM.

Historic frequencies

Previous frequency allocations included:

  • Auckland – 882 AM
  • Hamilton – 792 AM
  • Napier – 909 AM
  • Wellington – 657 AM
  • Christchurch – 963 AM
  • Dunedin – 900 AM
  • Invercargill – 1026 AM

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Radio_Sport&oldid=50140"