With the Melbourne KIIS 101.1 launch date just over a week away, KIIS 106.5’s Jackie O has gifted Kyle Sandilands their very own tour bus which transforms into a portable broadcast studio. There’s no king sized bed though squeezed in the back, as per Kyle’s suggestion.
Yet.
Jackie O – “I’ve got a surprise for you today. You know how you were banging on last year, I actually don’t think you were even saying this on-air, it was more off-the air that you really wanted the Kyle & Jackie O bus to take around when we go to Melbourne and go to events. A broadcastable bus.”
Kyle – “This was after we lost the limo, I wanted to kick it up a notch. A giant bus, not some shitty little thing full of grannies going to the Pokies. I wanted a big, monster bus.”
Gerard, the bus driver, is already out and about and his parking skills are clearly exceptional.
Kyle and Jackie O launch on KIIS 101.1 at 6am on Monday April 29.
This is not a criticism of fitting out an OB van for one program.
If not for the artwork for promoting the Kyle and Jackie O show, I fail to see how the entity ARN will amortise the cost for a bus for one show?
OB vans cost a lot of money to fit out.
Less than 10 years ago an experienced radio veteran and business partner built an OB van with the latest digital equipment for over $100000. There was no fancy artwork. It was an MB van.
The OB van was named in honour of Elettra Marconi, daughter of Guglielmo Marconi, one of the inventors of radio.
I haven't heard any more news about this van.
Similarly, a cigarette company in the 1970s had an OB van for Special Events TV broadcasts.
Haven't heard of that van any more.
2GB had fitted a double-decker bus called the "2GB Fun Bus". I recall seeing it at my school fete.
Image at:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Double_decker_bus_sydney.JPG
It didn't last for very long.
Today, OB vans owned by individual TV and radio networks are passe.
OB events are outsourced by NEP, formerly Global TV.
Many broadcasters have their own equipment that is connected at the venue's IP connection.
Even as a volunteer at 2SER-fm, I recall an OB at the Macquarie Unversity student's union. The engineer at the time Mr Bruce Guinn connected the broadcast equipment to the telephone lines.
No OB van.
In conclusion, I doubt that an OB coach promoting a show will generate extra listeners.
Kyle and Jackie O's program worked on their own efforts in Sydney without the extra promotional OB van.
Thank you
Anthony, Strathfield South, in the land of the Wangal and Darug People's of the Eora Nation