This change took effect in mid-January 2019, with a large number of Radio Live hosts leaving the station due to the restructure.

New frequencies in Wanganui, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, Blenheim, Nelson, Queenstown, Southland and Rodney were added,[2] followed by Palmerston North, Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Taupō, Taranaki, Thames, the Seabird Coast, Paeroa, the Hauraki Plains and Hamilton.

[4] MediaWorks secured a network of new frequencies in the 2014 radio spectrum auction in markets with large baby boomer populations.

[8][9] Newshub's political editor at the time, Tova O'Brien, was announced as breakfast host,[10] 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.

[14] Magic's main competitor is NZME's network station Coast which has been broadcasting under this name since 2002 originally just in the Hawke's Bay area but began expanding to the rest of New Zealand in 2004.

The change in format for The Sound meant MediaWorks were no longer catering to an older audience of listeners, a gap filled by Magic.

[1] Magic targets older listeners who have a "youthful, active approach to life" and want "fantastic music and a feel-good attitude".

[5] Its playlist, drawn from the late 1950s to 1970s, includes music from Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield and Rod Stewart.

Magic's playlist includes tracks from Elvis Presley, the Bee Gees, The Supremes, The Beatles, The Rat Pack, Motown, Frank Sinatra, and Rod Stewart's Great American Song Book.

The Magic website also features news and showcases music from Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Dusty Springfield, Percy Sledge, Paul McCartney, Hot Chocolate and Simon and Garfunkel.

[19][20] Magic is a proud sponsor of Repco Beach Hop, a rock 'n' roll and hot rod festival held in Whangamatā every March.