Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic featured franchises for the first time, with the overall aim of increasing the public profile of the sport in New Zealand. The inaugural competition was contested between ten teams, including the Waikato Wildcats and the Bay of Plenty Magic. At the end of the first season both teams finished at the bottom of the ladder, with the Wildcats 9th and the Bay of Plenty Magic last. Both teams decided to merge for the 1999 season: a new franchise was developed adopting the team name from Bay of Plenty and the colours of Waikato, becoming the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic. Bay
Radio Bay of Plenty 26 December 1993 and ran to 6 February 1994. After many petitions, letters and phone calls Bayrock was brought back on a permanent basis on 8 July 1994. Bayrock still operates as a completely local radio station today. Q97Hits is broadcast throughout Bay Of Plenty on 97.7 and in Ohope Beach. The station's playlist consists of Top 40 hits and chart-topping favourites. The hosts generally keep listeners up to date on the latest entertainment and celebrity gossip between songs. Q97 keeps advertising and talkback with hosts to a minimum with the station's slogan reflecting this. The station's slogan is "Never