You've reached our premium or archival content
To access this page, and more great content just like it, you need to become a paid subscriber.
If you already have an account, please login.
Otherwise, registration is quick and you'll have access instantly after payment.
Great read, Brad. Any sports success will need a mountain of Macquarie patience and, after the short-lived lifestyle experiment, I'm not sure they have enough. I hope music makes a return, in Brisbane at least.
'Sport' in Drive has been standard fare in news-talk radio for 4 decades. So no surprise there has been listener growth compared to 'Talking Lifestyle' in Drive. Sport in other weekday parts = hopeless!
As I have said on other other fora, if the Talking Sport format does not give sufficient returns and resorts to a music format, please-oh-please not another hackneyed "hits and memories"/"classic hits"/"golden oldies" format. The market is too crowded in Sydney alone. I presume more so in Brisbane and Melbourne.
MML's management should take a deep breath, and research another format that is not necessarily "cookie cutter" and predictable. It may well incorporate elements of a "hits and memories" format, but why not incorporate other artists who are popular yet get little airplay, for example Josh Groban, Mark Vincent, even Lady Gaga (in the style of Tony Bennett) or Amy Winehouse (RIP). Elements of country music as played by market leader 2GB's Mr Ray Hadley could be incorporated in the new format.
Widening the scope of the music format also ensures that there is a significant Australian contribution to the music repertoire.
Again I stress the word research and that the research should not be one that provides confirmation-biased answers.
Regards
Anthony of exciting Belfield