New Gold FM radio station will bring classic tunes to Bay of Plenty listeners

Andrew Dickens will be the morning presenter of NZME's new radio station, Gold FM. Photo / File

The Bay is getting its first serving of gold on the airwaves this morning with Bowie and the Beatles set to make an appearance.

And if that doesn't tickle your fancy, one of New Zealand's most experienced broadcasters, Andrew Dickens, will host the breakfast show on Gold, NZME's newest radio network.

The broadcaster's new venture is the morning host slot on the recently announced, station, dubbed Gold.

It will feature a hybrid strategy, aimed at listeners in the 45+ age bracket, that combines a greatest hits playlist on FM frequencies with a rural and sport element added into the Gold AM frequencies.

Gold will launch on 99.0FM Tauranga, replacing the current Mix network frequencies across New Zealand from today. Gold will also be on AM, occupying the Radio Sport frequency, with the same great music but with a hybrid talk and music format aimed at rural audiences – including the week-day Country Sport Breakfast show hosted by Lee Piper and The Country with Jamie McKay from midday each weekday. Live sport commentaries will also feature on the AM frequencies.

While NZME does broadcast Coast, chief marketing officer Katie Mills said that NZME had decided to add a brand to its portfolio dedicated to those older than 45.

"This audience is certainly under-served when they are a key demographic," Mills said.

"We've created an environment to super-serve these fans -  deliberately lighter on the chat and leaning into tracks that have stood the test of time."

Mills said listeners should get their ears ready for the Stones to Springsteen, Prince to the Police and thousands more popular artists.