Super Radio Network’s reclusive chairman, Bill Caralis, who has developed a penchant for wild animals, says he is “hopping mad again” as Sydney radio and television stations continue to “steal” his network’s news presenters.
Reminiscent of his digital station’s logo, Bill was in a cranky mood when he told radioinfo, “Here we go again, why can’t they train their own people and leave my network alone? We’ve had five journos stolen in the last 12 weeks – another one today – which turns into hundreds over the past few years and I’ve had enough of this.
“What is wrong with these big so called wealthy networks, can’t they get off their backside and train some people or do they expect me to look after the development of Australian talent on my own?”
Industry insiders say that as far back as anyone can remember, it has always been this way in Radio. Most new talent comes from the cities and, like it or not, tends to use regional radio as a stepping stone to return to a metro market as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
At present journalists, with good on-air presence, are almost as hard to come by in the bush as doctors, although not as scarce as broadcast technicians.
But Caralis insists that it is the other radio networks who are to blame for his woes, “We have to change the ridiculous scenario where The Super Radio Network spends the money to find the talent, we then spend the money to train the talent and then the talent is poached by the Network vultures without even a word of thanks let alone some financial compensation.”
Still, Bill managed to crack a smile as he suggested, “Things are so bad I’m taking elocution lessons from our 2SM news director Dianne Coveney Garland so that I might share the news bulletin responsibilities with Graham Hughes and Bill Harrigan.”
just keep training them mate. Its the way it works. people move on to bigger things
Oh Bill, settle down. The reason people leave your network is because of low pay and unprofessional surroundings. If you payed a bit more and offered your staff the chance to make great radio instead of poor radio then maybe people would hand around a little longer.
Well Bill you really are full of it. So much for training new talent and spending money on it only to be poached. Well how about you tell the world how bad the conditions are, that you only employ women in your 2SM newsroom and how you've employed a number of journalists only to sack them three months later. Oh and then re-advertise six weeks after that for more journalists.
Everyone knows journalists leave 2SM for better working conditions, and most of them probably find their own jobs.