Comment from Peter Saxon

I’m sure that the stage direction “exit stage right (or left)” predates the plays of Shakespeare. As far back as the ancient Greeks, who are credited with the birth of modern theatre, it was up to the prompt to loudly whisper,”Έξοδος δεξιά της σκηνής” which translated to modern Greek is “Exodos dexiá tis skinis” to remind forgetful actors of what they were supposed to do next.

Enter Snagglepuss!

Photo Credit- Shutterstock

It wasn’t until the mid 20^th Century that a Hanna-Barbera cartoon creation in the guise of a pink puma (himself a fan of the bard) brought these obscure stage directions into common usage using common language. You could say it was an idiot introducing an idiom to the masses… or not, if you so choose.

But I Digress…

These days I find myself digressing far too often before getting to the point. And the point of this post is this:

I’m exiting, Peter Saxon has left the business… unsure whether to go left or right, which only serves to expose a new level of indecisiveness with which I am unaccustomed. For these and many other reasons – which I’ll explain later if you care to stick around – I’m resigning my role as Managing Editor at Radioinfo and Radio Today, effective as of right now, as you read this post.

Without wishing to second guess you, gentle reader, I’m guessing that the first question on your lips is whether Saxon jumped, was pushed or gently nudged to vacate the position he’s held for the past 27 years?

The answer is: there was a succession plan in place, in which I was a willing participant going back several years, that was always going to arrive at this conclusion. I would leave the business when the time was right.

Why is now the right time?

As they say in this business, “We’ll be back shortly after this message from our sponsor.”

A Brief History

The origins of Radioinfo are (as they say in this business) “shrouded in time/mystery/history.” Take your pick of cliches.

It was founded by one Steve Ahern in the last century at the dawn of dial-up internet, before broadband, and went by the URL of AMT.com.au – AMT being the acronym for Steve’s private and eponymic company: Ahern Media & Training. Steve taught himself to write html code and hosted the website on his own server in the days before professional server hosting and instant website creation software.

In 1998 Ahern was offered the position of Head of Radio at AFTRS which required that he divest himself of any assets that may present a conflict of interest. So, he approached Radiowise P/L, a partnership between Peter Rubinstein and me which, at the time, was an independent content distributor that covered the entire radio industry. Ahern felt that we might be the perfect buyer for his fledgling organisation. Rubinstein and I had no idea of what we were getting into, but as they also say in this business, “bite off more than you can chew and then chew like buggery.” So, we took a punt, changed the name from AMT to Radioinfo and built the brand from a site of mostly blue links updated once a week, to a content rich environment updated daily.

In 2007, Rubinstein and I decided to split Radiowise in an amicable divorce that saw me take Radioinfo and he take the rest. The old Radiowise has since morphed into Media Heads, an international award-winning producer/consultancy with CEO Dave Carter running the show.

Soon after, with his 10-year contract about to finish with AFTRS, Ahern contacted me, now that I was sole proprietor of Radioinfo, with a proposal to buy back into business and gradually take it over in its entirety. And now, some 17 years later, the business has been returned to the founder. AMT owns the lot, including radioinfo.com.au, radioinfo.asia, radioinfo.africa and radiotoday.com.au.

The time for me to retire now is right because I find myself the oldest codger at every industry function I attend. Codger is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as an “old man, especially one who is strange or humorous in some way.”

If people see me as “strange,” I can live with that. If some think I’m “humorous,” then I’d be thrilled to take that as my legacy and take my leave.

You see, I always promised myself that I would leave the industry before my “Best Before” date. To be honest, I fear I passed that some time ago and have now reached my “Use By” date.

Like it or not, Audio Media is a young persons’ business… well, younger than me, anyway. Always has been. But there’s an upside. The fact that Steve Ahern is quite a few years younger than me with drive and energy I no longer possess along with management and international experience far wider than my own, I’m happy to leave the business in his capable hands. After all I played a significant role (good and not so good) in its development thus far and will forever have my name associated with its fate. So go yer hardest, mate!

As importantly, in Jen Seyderhelm, some 30 years my junior, and Sarah Patterson not far behind, we have found two excellent editors who remind me of myself at their age. What could possibly go wrong?

With their unbridled enthusiasm and journalistic acumen, it’s time to get out of their road and leave them to it. I’m confident that our readers will be all the better for it.

Of course, the ever popular and Wonderful, Wendy Whalley, will remain, as she has for around 20 years, to keep the admin side of things sorted. Also on the team are Mayank in Asia and Gbatemah in Africa, who do a fabulous job as our international editors for those publications.

Having said that, Steve has been kind enough to ask me stay on as “Editor Emeritus” which in academic circles equates to retaining a title such as “professor” without an actual job to go with it. But he has also invited me to contribute the occasional article if I feel compelled to offer my views on a topic related to Audio. I’m sure there will be many occasions when the temptation will be too much for me to resist.

Radio’s Biggest Challenge Yet.

I’ve been in and around Radio for some 53 years. During that time I have seen many changes to Radio’s business model as it fought to remain competitive in an ever changing media world. When MTV (Music Television) launched in 1981, it chose The Buggles: Video Killed the Radio Star as its war cry.

How’d that go for them? In the words of Bernie Taupin as sung by Elton John, I’m still standin’ better than I ever did. Lookin’ like a true survivor, feelin’ like a little kid.

Since then, radio has batted away many challengers and fared much better than its traditional rivals, television and press, against an ever-rising tide of  competition for Australia’s ears and eyes. But the dam may be about to break

According to CRA Chairman and ARN CEO Ciaran Davis speaking at that company’s AGM, ‘50% of advertising revenue currently leaves this country.’

In a recent article in this masthead, guest contributor Anthony Dockrill identifies the massive challenge that radio now faces.

Anthony’s first two pars sound the alarm: As someone who has become a taxi driver to two teenagers, I can tell you journeys are now fairly quiet affairs. The passengers in the backseat are on TikTok or Snapchat, and the radio is off. “Turn the radio off” is often the extent of communication inside the car.

While many parents have or will soon have stories of dealing with grumpy teenagers, the underlying message for the radio industry is stark. In today’s attention economy, when it comes to Gen Z and Alpha, radio is going broke. Read more at: https://radioinfo.com.au/news/radios-biggest-challenge/ .

One more thing: I’m sincerely grateful to have been in this industry for 53 years and never felt bored or called in sick when I wasn’t. Or wished I’d chosen another industry or another path.

I’ve only been sacked once in my career – and found another job for more money within three weeks. That’s no boast. I count myself very lucky. I’ve led a charmed life. Perhaps, as they say in many businesses: “More arse than class.” 

That’s why I feel deeply for all those who have not been so lucky. Those who  put their heart and soul into this industry and dreamt of a long future in it as they climbed the ladder of success only to have the rug pulled from under them for no fault of their own. The number of redundancies that have occurred in Radio over the past year is tragic.

I guess that might be a topic I won’t be able to resist writing about in my new role as Editor Emeritus.

I’ll be back!

Peter Saxon – Editor Emeritus

 Steve Ahern can be contacted at [email protected]