Youth Music Station Launches In Northland
PANUI PAPAHO / MEDIA STATEMENT
Te 24 o nga ra o Mahuru 2003
YOUTH MUSIC STATION LAUNCHES IN NORTHLAND
New Zealand's leading independent radio broadcaster, Mai FM, will officially launch its third youth music station this
weekend - this time in Northland.
Mai FM 97.8 in Whangarei joins top-rating stations Mai FM 88.6 in Auckland and Mai FM 96.7 in Rotorua as part of the
multi-media company, Mai Media Limited, owned by Auckland tribe Ngati Whatua.
A three-day launch party for Mai FM 97.8 kicks off with a free gig for the under-18s - 'Mai FM Hip Hop Jam - DJ Jarm's
Street Mix' - at the Adrenalin Sports Bar tomorrow night (25/9) with more than 700 tickets snapped up by local teenagers
in just four days.
Salmonella Dub and The Black Seeds perform at Adrenalin on Friday night (26/9) followed by Mai Music reggae act
Katchafire and professional DJ crew GS3 on Saturday (27/9).
Mai Media Limited managing director Graham Pryor says the company hopes to duplicate the success of Mai FM in both
Auckland and Rotorua with the addition of the third frequency in Whangarei. Although branded as Mai FM, each station
broadcasts its own unique programme.
"Ngati Whatua had a dream to create a radio station which embraced multi-cultural Auckland and sent a message to all
people to stand proud and look forward to their future," Mr Pryor says. "We're ecstatic to be able to spread that
message further afield."
Mai FM was launched by Te Runanga o Ngati Whatua in July 1992 and has established itself as the country's most
successful Maori broadcaster. It rocketed to top-rating rangatahi station in less than three years and achieved its
highest result ever in 2002, taking out the number one position in Auckland.
The station plays the latest and greatest in hip hop, R'n'B, dance and pop music - both local and international - and is
committed to the promotion of Maori language and culture. It was one of the first local stations to fully computerise
its broadcast, and the first to transmit from the Sky Tower.
As well as the three Mai FM stations, Mai Media also operates the urban music record label, Mai Music; the national
Maori language news and current affairs service, Ruia Mai; songwriting copyright administrator, Mai Publishing; and new
public relations arm, Mai Communications.
ENDS