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Do you think Graham Mott may have choked on his Rice Bubbles when he read the line "driven by Group Content Director Clarke Forbes, who took 3AW to its present success" ?
Beautifully put Michael. A full page ad promoting your competition is certainly an interesting marketing strategy.
That ad on your site today from FRN is just bizarre! Fairfax Radio Network has reached the lowest of the lows with this desperate plea to 'please advertise.'
This is the most confused I think this radio station has ever been. We are sacking or loosing or who knows what, two of our announcers. It was in the papers on Saturday and still no memo from management. Sales props are still going out with Paul Murray and Jason Morrison’s names and faces on it for next year. Clients and listeners are ringing in wanting to know what’s happening.
Management is nowhere to be seen. Then this weird sales pitch today? Most of the staff found out about it from your website. We had it explained to us as the “pursuit of the influencers”. Everyone nodded but nobody had a clue at what he was saying. The saddest thing is that the radio industry is laughing at 2UE and Fairfax today as too it seems so is the rest of the media.
Funny how history has a way of being re-written. Good to see the statement that Clark Forbes was the driving force behind 3AW’s success has been rightfully corrected. Thanks to Keith McGowan for making comment on this.
The facts and truth are that 3AW went to No.1 in Survey 1/93 when Forbes was Neil Mitchell’s producer. The station had not been No.1 since 1986. People such as Tony Bell who was MD at the time, Steve Price was PD, David McDonald was the GM and a host of amazing on-air TALK talent including and not limited to people such as Ross Stevenson, Dean Banks, Neil Mitchell, Bruce and Phil along with sporting Talk talent like Sam Newman, Rex Hunt, Ron Barrassi etc. and numerous off-air talent all helped to build the juggernaut it remains today.
Graham Mott joined 3AW as GM in late 1995 when Price was still PD and Forbes was appointed some time later after Price went to Sydney to join 2UE. Forbes was working under the guidance of Mott and Mott has helped to grow and maintain 3AW’s dominance. 3AW has basically remained No.1 since 1993 with only the occasional loss of the top spot early on.
It would appear now however that 3AW is in maturation and is at the back end of its “Life Cycle”. What will Forbes do now to save 3AW? The cracks are appearing, Mitchell being knocked off by the ABC in Mornings, Drive being beaten by the ABC, Football not the dominant force it once was and an objective analysis of its cumulative audience would show a loss of cume of over 100k over the past 2 years. Currently it has a strong share being driven by a high TSL. What happens when the TSL drops with a cume that has already fallen, you be the judge for those that can see and understand trends? Who will be held accountable?
2UE now with its worst ratings in its history, 4BC possibly about to be in a similar situation and 6PR also recently taking big hits. Where is the track record of success under FRN “new” management? If one refers to profits well they were also substantially much stronger 2 and 3 years ago.
We all know revenue is much tougher so why would one be building a much fatter management structure during tighter times, surely a flatter one would be the way to go? Although with an Austereo structure and attitude on the AM band it does help to cover many things and to protect ones accountability, does it not?
Perhaps all the current changes are just a diversionary tactic, to be seen to be doing something? It does however have a touch of the “Titanic” about it. In regards to the AFR ad, Smithy’s comments seem to sum it up.