Just as the broadcasting industry in Australia celebrates its third anniversary of DAB+ broadcasts, Southern Cross Austereo has launched a new digital radio station called Stardust.
The station, which features easy listening/big band style music, opened with the song “Stardust,” followed by Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” Other artists played in the first hour were Dean Martin, Harry Connick Jr., Bobby Darin and Elvis Presley.
The first station jingle played is right out of the 1950s. Listeners say that it is like stepping back in time and listening to U.S. radio in the 1950s, except that reception is in DAB+.
Southern Cross Austereo also recently closed down its Main Stage soul format station and replaced it with a temporary pop-up station of continuous birdsongs labeled appropriately enough Bird Radio. According to the broadcaster, the response they received was overwhelming, saying listeners enjoy it and find it relaxing.
“The response to the temporary birds station was insane,” said Jaime Chaux, digital radio content director at Southern Cross Austereo. “Even in my time working as a music director on FM radio, I never got this type of response to anything we did on-air.”
