Caralis goes bananas over journo poachers

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.”