ABSTRACT
This chapter covers 30 years of developments in New Zealand radio since the late 1980s, a period of significant change for the entire sector. This period includes a shift from largely state-controlled radio to a deregulated market-driven commercial radio system and the rise of indigenous and alternative radio services that interest group pressure and evolving government priorities also created space for. Multiple niche audiences are now catered for on the New Zealand radio dial, despite earlier misgivings about the utility of the dominant commercial radio duopoly that arose from the consolidation of radio stations into nationwide brands aimed only at lucrative consumer audiences. New Zealand radio has matured during the period studied here, becoming a notably diverse, dynamic, and successful part of the national media mix that still attracts significant audiences.
