River 94.9
| Company type | Commercial radio broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Predecessor | Star 106.9, QFM |
| Founded | February 1990 |
| Headquarters | Ipswich , Australia |
Area served | South East Queensland |
| Owner | ARN (Australian Radio Network) |
| Website | www |
River 94.9 (callsign: 4MIX) operates as a commercial radio broadcaster catering to the South East Queensland region. It originally commenced transmission in February 1990 under the name Star 106.9, initially airing on 106.9 MHz before transitioning to the 94.9 MHz frequency. The station was once part of the Star Broadcasting Network owned by Rural Press & Bundaberg Broadcasters, subsequently acquired by Grant Broadcasters, and is currently under the ownership of the ARN.
As QFM
Between its inception and 1997, QFM adopted a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format.
As Star 106.9
In 1997, the station rebranded from QFM to Star 106.9, simultaneously shifting its format from CHR to classic hits.
Prior to relocating to 94.9 MHz, the station’s callsign was altered from 4QFM to 4MIX as a strategic measure to prevent ARN’s 97.3 FM from utilizing the Mix Network branding employed by its affiliated stations. Star 106.9 concluded its broadcasts on 12 October 2001 at 4pm, marking the closure of that chapter on its original frequency.
As River 94.9
Following transmitter testing, at 6pm on the same day, the station upgraded and moved to 94.9 MHz under the new identity River 94.9. This frequency change was designed to enhance signal coverage into Brisbane by avoiding interference from strong neighboring transmissions such as ABC Classic FM at 106.1 and triple j at 107.7. The adjustment expanded the broadcast reach westward toward Brisbane and Toowoomba, attracting considerable regional advertising interest. The station branded this evolution as the 'Riverlution' and introduced a contemporary hit radio format. Beginning January 2001, late-night slots featured 'Wild Nights', a dance music program licensed from Central Station Records and inspired by community broadcaster Wild FM. In response to complaints from major Brisbane stations in 2005, River transitioned to an Adult variety format, realigning focus primarily on its Ipswich license area.
Despite its broadcast presence in Brisbane, River 94.9 is excluded from that city’s ratings surveys; however, it achieved dominance in Ipswich’s inaugural radio survey in 2017, capturing a 26.4% audience share.
In 2008, River 94.9 acted as South-East Queensland’s official broadcaster for the Macquarie Radio Network’s Olympic coverage. That same year, ownership shifted from Fairfax Media to Grant Broadcasters due to regulations imposed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority restricting overlapping market licenses.
In November 2021, ARN acquired River 94.9 along with other Grant Broadcasters stations, enabling access to ARN’s iHeartRadio platform within regional areas. The transaction finalized on 4 January 2022. To adhere to regulatory limits on station ownership within a single market, ARN divested 4KQ in May 2022 to the Sports Entertainment Network.
Current programming
Weekdays 5-9am: Breakfast with Marnie (Marnie Titheradge) & Campo (Paul Campion) Weekdays 9am-1pm: Mornings hosted by Ilija (Ilija Dugandzic) Weekdays 1-6pm: Drive time with Hinksy (Greg Hinks) Sunday to Friday 6-7pm: Simulcast of Nine News Queensland television broadcast Weeknights 7-9pm: 20/20 Retro Countdown presented by Andrew Thain Saturday mornings 6-10am: The Saturday Start-Up
Outside these hours, programming consists of a network feed sourced from ARN’s regional hub at Hot Tomato located on the Gold Coast.