Now back in Australia, Aussie Clint Drieberg looks back on what he has learnt over the past decade working in Europe.
When I look back at my journey from the Australian radio scene to the streets of Dublin, it’s been a wild ride! At my first meeting with CEO Kevin Branigan I immediately realised he didn’t just want to be competitive; he wanted to be Number 1.
Back 10 years ago that was an ambitious idea, Radio Nova 100 was 6th in the market of Dublin’s music stations but I shared with Kevin the great Aussie saying, “We’re not here to fuck spiders”. He wanted a number 1 radio station, and I wanted to work on a number 1 breakfast show and so I joined the station as Assistant Programmer and Breakfast Show Executive Producer and we got to work.
The Power of the Rolodex
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my transition from Producer to Content Controller, it’s that this industry is built entirely on the strength of your relationships. I’ve always been a relentless networker; I go to an opening of an envelope, but always for the purpose of connecting with new people as I believe everyone has something to offer.
Moving around Australia that was always my approach, get to know everyone that I could help and that could help the radio station. I took this attitude with me as soon as I arrived in chilly Dublin.
A focus on the connections that I made allowed us to pull off moves that were unheard of for a station of our size. I successfully negotiated exclusive contracts with the management of global icons like Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses to have them personally present and produce their own radio shows for us. It wasn’t just about the “big name”, it was about having the credibility and the long-standing relationships to convince their teams that we were the right home for their artist.
PJ Gallagher, Clint and Jim McCabe
The Great Breakfast Swap
The real turning point for Nova came from a bold programming move. When the owners of Nova bought Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio, we had two great brands and two great shows, but they were in the wrong places. PJ and Jim were anchoring breakfast on the female-friendly pop station, while Colm and Lucy were fronting Radio Nova with male-skewed guitar-based tunes.
I’d always felt there was a mismatch, but it wasn’t until we brought in consultant Dave Kelly and Liam Thompson that the vision truly locked into place. They came on board with fresh eyes and while the idea seemed radical to some, I was an immediate vocal champion of it because I’d seen it before, when I was part of the strategy that saw Brig and Lehmo move from Mix 101.1 to Gold 104.3 in Melbourne, a move that started Gold’s rise to Number 1.
On April 1 2021 (no joke!) we moved PJ and Jim to Nova where their Dublin fun energy came alive and shifted Colm and Lucy to Classic Hits where they were always meant to be. It was a masterstroke. The talent clicked, the audiences followed, and as the most recent ratings show, Nova now have the Number 1 breakfast show on a music station in Dublin.
Taking Down the Giant
For 30 years, FM104’s breakfast show, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, was the immovable beast of Dublin radio. They weren’t just a station; they were a habit. To break a 30-year habit, you don’t just play better music; you have to offer a better friendship.
By leaning into the authentic Dublin psyche, PJ and Jim never wanted to sound like a traditional radio show they wanted to be the conversation you have with your mates at the pub – a really fun and funny one.
I worked closely with PJ and Jim on the radio elements surrounding their conversation, ensuring the show was as structured as it was hilarious. We came up with ideas that had never been done before. Giving away PJ’s mum’s (unroadworthy) car as a prize, cycling across the city live on air to raise money for a children’s charity both which won awards and amplified the show and the lads as a pair outside of the radio station with strong media relations and PR.
That hard work didn’t go unnoticed by the industry and in 2024 we were incredibly proud to take home Gold at the IMRO Radio Awards for Best Breakfast Show, a clear sign that the peers in the industry could feel the momentum shifting.
PJ Gallagher, Clint Drieberg, Jim McCabe, Morning Glory with PJ Gallagher and Jim McCabe on Radio Nova winners of Breakfast Programme at the IMRO Radio Awards 2024 held at the Lyrath Estate Hotel on Friday 4th October 2024. Photo by Andres Poveda.
The Power of Connection
A prime example of PJ & Jim authentic connection that I loved amplifying, was our coverage of Irish Olympic legend Kellie Harrington at the Paris games. PJ and Jim aren’t sports experts, but like the rest of Dublin, they are massive fans. Kellie herself is a regular listener to the show, but we were absolutely floored when, after her opening win, Kellie used her post-fight press conference to credit PJ and Jim on LIVE TV as the inspiration that gets her going every morning.
To have an Olympic champion cite your breakfast show as her daily fuel was an incredible honour, and I knew we had to be there for her. With a crazy idea that was supported by a relentless search for the funds to make it happen by our Sales Director Garrett Gunnigle, we rebranded the show to “Golden Glory” and I got the team to Paris in a matter of days, becoming the only independent Irish breakfast show broadcasting live from the Olympic city and we didn’t even have accreditation!
By interviewing other gold medallists and being on the ground to witness Kellie make history with her second gold medal, PJ and Jim brought the raw emotion of Olympic moment back to Dublin in their own unique way. It wasn’t sports reporting, it was two mates cheering on a friend, and the audience got onboard and lived every heartbeat of it with them.
What I Learned
When the station officially became the Number 1 music station in Dublin in 2024, I mostly felt “my work here is done” and made the tough decision to finally return home to Australia and be back closer to my family. CEO Kevin Branigan asked me several times to reconsider my decision to leave, and we eventually came to the agreement of me being retained as Nova’s Breakfast Show Consultant and Director of Special Projects to help complete the transformation of Radio Nova.
With the latest ratings this month, the circle was indeed completed: Morning Glory with PJ and Jim finally toppled FM104’s 30-year breakfast reign. Watching the JNLRs come in and seeing that #1 spot next to Nova was the validation of a decade of hard work and some long nights, now working with Ireland from Australia.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from bridging these two markets, it’s this: We’re in the business of ears and hearts. Whether you’re having your toast in Perth or a commuter on the M50 in Dublin, people crave connection. You can go anywhere for your music choice these days, but radio is a club that should offer personality and companionship you can’t find elsewhere. It’s something that radio has always down really. Add to that staying faithful to your brand, firm on your music position and apply a little relentless, high standard down under work ethic, you can move mountains. Or in our case, you can move an entire city to a new frequency.
About Clint Drieberg After 10 years living and working in Europe, Clint has returned to Sydney to be closer to family. He continues to consult to the station he made number 1 in Dublin, Radio Nova. He is also freelance with Nine Radio & TV and working with some PR clients. Clint was a judge and an organiser for Ireland’s National Radio Awards and is currently one of the judges for the Australian Audio Awards. Photographer: Paul Sherwood
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