MediaWorks New Zealand


MediaWorks New Zealand is a New Zealand–based company specialising in radio, outdoor advertising and interactive media. It is owned by Australian out-of-home advertising company QMS. It operates eight national radio brands, eleven websites and one locally operated radio station.
On 1 December 2020, MediaWorks sold its entire television division, MediaWorks TV to Discovery, Inc. and the subsidiary company, MediaWorks TV Limited was renamed Discovery NZ Limited.
Oaktree Capital Management formerly held a 45% stake in Mediaworks. On 7 April 2025, it was announced that QMS had purchased this share taking full control of the company.

History

Television

MediaWorks was created in 24 June 2004 following the merger of TVWorks and RadioWorks, and owned the nationwide free-to-air television channels TV3 and C4 through the MediaWorks TV subsidiary.
On 7 September 2020, MediaWorks confirmed that it would be selling its entire television arm including Three, Bravo, The Edge TV, Breeze TV, streaming service ThreeNow, and current affairs service Newshub to Discovery, Inc.
The acquisition of MediaWorks TV by Discovery, Inc. was completed on 1 December 2020.
In November 2021, Discovery NZ Ltd announced it would be ending its agreement with MediaWorks to broadcast The Edge TV and Breeze TV services and would be relaunching the channels.

Radio

MediaWorks Radio has its origins as a Taranaki-based radio company Energy Enterprises. Energy Enterprises was started in the 1980s when local station Energy FM was started in Taranaki. During the 1980s and 1990s Energy Enterprises expanded their operation by starting up new stations around the North Island of New Zealand or taking over existing privately owned stations. In the late 1990s Energy Enterprises amalgamated with Radio Pacific and became known as Pacific/RadioWorks Group. The company purchased seven North Island stations owned by Dunedin-based Radio Otago in 1997 allowing Radio Otago to expand their operations to other markets in the South Island. The two companies Radio Otago and Pacific/RadioWorks group merged in 1999 to become RadioWorks.
The merger of Pacific/RadioWorks Group and Radio Otago allowed RadioWorks to expand their North Island stations into the South Island. By 1999 RadioWorks consisted of The Edge FM and The Rock, Solid Gold, Radio Pacific and a collection of local one-off stations in each market. Some markets even had more than one local station. From 1999 onward, all of the local stations were marketed as LocalWorks stations. Between 2000 and 2001, CanWest purchased RadioWorks, awaiting company restructuring before completing the year-long takeover, and moved its existing MORE FM group assets, including Channel Z and The Breeze Wellington, into the company.
In 2004, CanWest Global Communications combined television company TVWorks and radio company RadioWorks to form the new MediaWorks company. On 29 July 2004, 30% of this new company was sold on the NZSX. Three years later, in July 2007, CanWest sold its stake of the company to Ironbridge Capital, a group of Australian investors, who subsequently obtained the remaining 30% from other investors.
In 2011, MediaWorks received a $43 million loan guarantee for the Government to renew its licenses until 2030. The deal went against official advice, and then Communications Minister Steven Joyce was accused of having a conflict of interest as the past managing director of the company's RadioWorks division. The loan was described by AUT's Centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy as a form of corporate welfare, and was criticised by blogger Sarah Miles as a case of governmental interference in the media. Among other companies, Radio Bay of Plenty secured commercial loans, The Radio Network covered its own costs, and Rhema Broadcasting Group covered the cost with no-interest loans.
The US-based Oaktree Capital Management bought $125 million of loans to MediaWorks in 2012. These were converted to equity in 2013. In June 2013, with over NZ$700 million in debt, MediaWorks NZ was put into receivership. It came out of receivership in November 2013. Oaktree Capital Management took 100% ownership of the business in 2015.
In August 2014, Mark Weldon was appointed CEO, replacing Susan Turner, who had resigned in July 2014. Weldon resigned in May 2016 at the same time that a large number of long serving and high-profile staff were leaving the company under his leadership. CFO David Chalmers replaced him in an acting capacity.
Since its inception in 2004, MediaWorks has moved its local stations over to More FM and The Breeze network; all these stations now carry the network branding and some or all of the network's programming. At the same time, MediaWorks have rolled out new networks Radio Live and Kiwi FM, converted Radio Pacific to LiveSport, and purchased networks Mai FM and George FM. MediaWorks owns Radio Dunedin in Otago. Previously the company owned and operated Times FM in Orewa and Coromandel FM on the Coromandel Peninsula; these two local stations were rebranded as More FM in 2015.
All MediaWorks-owned and -affiliated stations read or carry Newshub updates hourly or half hourly during their weekday breakfast programmes. Most also carry pre-recorded news and sports updates hourly at other times. RadioLive News took over from the RadioWorks news service, Global News, with the launch of Radio Live in 2005; RadioLive was incorporated into Newshub in 2016.
In October 2021, MediaWorks said it would be ending its content supply agreement with Newshub. MediaWorks announced it would instead establish its own radio newsroom again and would employ over 20 news and sports journalists, editors and correspondents.
In November 2021, MediaWorks announced it would replace Magic Talk with a new talk radio network called Today FM which launched on 21 March 2022. Newshub's political editor at the time, Tova O'Brien, was announced as breakfast host, with broadcasters Duncan Garner, Rachel Smalley, Polly Gillespie, Leah Panapa, Mark Richardson, Lloyd Burr, Wilhelmina Shrimpton, Nigel Yalden, Robett Hollis, Mark Dye, Carly Flynn, Nickson Clark, Dave Letele and Dominic Bowden all named as part of the lineup.
In December 2021, MediaWorks announced it had acquired and its existing frequency.
On 1 January 2022, The Rock moved from 90.2 FM to 106.2 FM in Auckland and was simulcast on both frequencies until the launch of Today FM. In addition to Auckland, Today FM broadcast on FM frequencies nationwide, including
the frequency of 95.3 FM in Christchurch.
On 30 March 2023, Today FM was abruptly taken off the air during Duncan Garner Today and replaced by music. At 5:12pm that same day, a pre-recorded announcement aired confirming the closure of Today FM. The frequencies of the now-former Today FM were reallocated to different brands.
On 8 May 2023, the frequencies not yet allocated to other brands from Today FM became Channel X, a new music brand that focused on classic alternative music with no interruptions. Music runs 24/7 and there are no news breaks, ads or hosts.
On 22 March 2024, MediaWorks confirmed that a hacker had stolen the personal data of 403,000 individuals who had participated in its online competition.

Radio Otago

Radio Otago was a radio company that operated a group of local radio stations in radio markets around New Zealand from the 1970s to the late 1990s. Radio Otago was started in 1971 when Dunedin station 4XO was started, 4XO was originally branded as Radio Otago 4XO. During the 1980s and 1990s Radio Otago expanded their operations by starting up stations around Otago and the rest of New Zealand, and also by purchasing existing stations.
The company sold its seven North Island stations in 1997 to Energy Enterprises and funds from the sale were used to purchase C93 FM Limited allowing Radio Otago to compete in the Christchurch market. In 1999, Energy Enterprises merged with Radio Pacific to become Pacific/RadioWorks Group. Then, Pacific/RadioWorks merged with Radio Otago, forming RadioWorks.
These North Island stations were sold to Energy Enterprises in 1997.
  • Classic Rock 92FM Tauranga
  • 90.2 Hot FM Rotorua: started as a summer station before it became 96FM permanently. This summer station recruited local talent as well as bringing in seasoned veterans from the Hawkes Bay. Many went on to have long careers in local and international radio.
  • 93.5 Kis FM Taupo
  • 96FM Rotorua
  • Classic Gold 1548 Rotorua: closed down and the station was used as a second frequency for Lakes 96FM, and today is used for TAB Trackside.
  • Hot 93 Hastings
  • 92 MORE FM Napier: operated as a franchised station, this station became Hawkes Bay's 92FM and later was replaced with network station Solid Gold, Classic Rock 92FM in Tauranga also was replaced with Solid Gold.
  • Star FM Wanganui
Kis FM, Lakes 96FM, Hot 93 and Star FM were all rebranded as More FM in late 2004/early 2005 when RadioWorks rebranded the majority of their heritage stations as More FM.
Prior to the sale of the company in 1999, Radio Otago operated the following South Island stations:
  • Fifeshire FM Nelson
  • Fireshire Classic Nelson - closed down by RadioWorks in 1999 and replaced with Solid Gold.
  • Easy Listening i94FM Christchurch - Rebranded as Lite FM in 1998, and in 2004 rebranded again as The Breeze
  • C93FM: later networked from Christchurch with the Southland station now branded as C93FM despite broadcasting on 90.8FM. Following the merger, C93FM in Dunedin and Invercargill was replaced with network station The Rock, C93FM continued to broadcast in Christchurch but now with a change of format to Adult Contemporary and The Rock launched in Christchurch on a separate frequency. The change of format for C93 was not popular and the station was shut down in 2001 and replaced with Solid Gold.
  • Lite FM. Lite FM in Dunedin and Invercargill were replaced with Solid Gold following the merger of Radio Otago and RadioWorks. Lite FM remained in Christchurch and was rebranded as The Breeze in 2004 after RadioWorks rebranded all their Easy Listening stations as The Breeze.
  • 4XO Dunedin
  • 93Rox Dunedin - rebranded as C93FM originally separate from the Christchurch station and networked to Invercargill as C91FM.
  • Mosgiel FM
  • Radio Dunedin
  • Radio Central, Central Otago
  • Radio Wanaka: sold to a different operator
  • Resort Radio Queenstown
  • Big River Radio Balclutha - rebranded as a fully networked More FM station in 2018
  • Foveaux FM Southland
4XO, Fifeshire FM, Radio Central, Resort Radio and Foveaux FM were all rebranded as More FM in late 2004/early 2005 after RadioWorks rebranded most of their heritage stations as More FM.