The station first broadcast on 29 November 1931 as 3AK. In October 2003, amid growing debt and struggling ratings, 3AK operators
Data & Commerce Limited placed the station up for sale. In November, owners Data & Commerce Limited entered into a lease with the newly formed Sports Entertainment Network to create SEN 1116, a 24-hour
sports radio station. Headed by managing director Danny Staffieri, formerly of
FIVEaa, the new station was promoted as 'entertaining radio with a sports focus', and would rival
horse racing station
Sport 927. On 19 January 2004, SEN 1116 launched onto Melbourne's airwaves, with former AFL footballers
Garry Lyon,
Tim Watson and
Billy Brownless heading the station's "Morning Glory" breakfast show,
Richmond Football Club premiership player
Kevin Bartlett in mornings,
Radio National's
Francis Leach in afternoons, and
Dermott Brereton and
Anthony Hudson in drive. In the year's first radio ratings survey, the station jumped from reaching 1.2% of the Melbourne radio market as 3AK, to 2.1% as SEN, growing to 2.8% in the year's fourth survey despite the lack of coverage of any major sports. However, in July, the station secured broadcast rights to the
2004 Summer Olympics, alongside
2GB,
2CC,
FIVEaa,
6IX,
HO-FM and
Hot 100, among others. SEN also carried coverage of the
2004 NRL Grand Final from 2GB, and the
2004–05 FA Premier League from
BBC Radio 5 Live. In December 2004, the SEN brand was revealed to be expanded into
Adelaide, with Sports Entertainment Network leasing
news talk 5DN from
Australian Radio Network to create
SEN 1323. Launching on 1 February 2005, the station became a simulcast of its Melbourne sister station, with only one Adelaide-based programme – "The Boys Next Door", hosted by former FIVEaa presenter
Mark Aiston,
The Sunday Footy Show panelist
Mark Bickley and
Port Adelaide Football Club ruckman
Matthew Primus. However, while the station remained flat in Melbourne, ratings dwindled in Adelaide; despite gaining coverage of the
New Zealand cricket tour of Australia and the
2005 VFL season, Sports Entertainment Network entered
voluntary administration, citing $3.5 million in losses. The SEN 1323 lease was cancelled, resulting in ARN launching
easy listening-format
Cruise 1323. The Melbourne station was sold back to
Pacific Star Network, the renamed Data & Commerce Limited.
2010s In July 2015, the newsroom shared between SEN and sister station
3MP was closed, replaced with the Victorian news service from
Macquarie National News, based at
3AW. In November 2015, it was announced that
Francis Leach would depart
ABC Grandstand Digital following the axing of the
Grandstand Breakfast programme, and rejoin SEN, hosting
SEN Breakfast alongside
David Schwarz to replace
The Morning Glory. Co-host
Andrew Maher moved to afternoons, launching
SEN Lunch Break, moving
Daniel Harford into drive with Mark Allen.
Andrew Gaze and
Tim Watson, while losing regular timeslots, would remain with the station as a contributor. In April 2018, parent company Pacific Star Network merged with sports media business
Crocmedia, most notable for producing the
AFL Nation broadcast call heard across regional Australia. In July 2019, SEN has partnered with Crocmedia has purchased 23 narrowband radio licences across Australia including
Sydney,
Brisbane,
Perth,
Gold Coast,
Darwin and
Alice Springs. ==Notable announcers==