Mix 102.3’s new breakfast show reviewed

John Patkin reviews the new Mix 102.3 breakfast show.

 
Since I am holidaying in Australia, I was in the right time zone to listen live to the first 2014 show of  ‘Adelaide’s Fun Breakfast’ on Mix 102.3.The show is hosted by Jodie Oddy and Jason ‘Snowy’ Carter.

It was a set trio in 2013 but Mark Aiston left for 5AA. Joining Oddy and Carter this week is South Australian media identity and performer Matt Gilbertson. He’s a gossip journalist who has worked in print (Advertiser & Sunday Mail) and radio (SAFM & Nova). Gilbertson also performs as ‘Hans, the Boy Wonder of Berlin’ – Google has more.

During the time I listened, Gilbertson was trying to offload his Secret Santa gift – a bag of coffee beans. One listener offered a Kama Sutra set made from plasticine. It was entertaining. They rolled the segment over by promising to make the trade in a follow-up show.
 
If management feels this works, and hopefully they do some research to support their decision, Mix would have the kind of spice that could strengthen breakfast and fill the void left by Aiston. Gilbertson offers a refreshing alternative to parenting and sports. He asked another caller in the Secret Santa trade if the scarf rack she was offering could be used for hanging feather boas. In a segment about remarrying the same partner, he said it would be fine if the person were Brad Pitt.

Newscaster Nic Nolan sounded smooth in a busy five minute slot that included news, entertainment, sports and weather.  Mix could tweak this by allowing the Nolan to introduce the various segments or remix the bumpers, particularly the weather intro as they jar. This would allow Nolan to stamp his authority on the newscast.

Outside of breakfast, it would be interesting to know how many songs are in the play list and the rotation. It feels like some classics are played too frequently. It boasts ‘Adelaide’s widest variety of music’ but I’m not sure if Mix could make the same claim for artists. Perhaps the variety is offered after hours in nights and on the weekend.

There always seems to be a healthy debate on the number of songs in a playlist and I’m sure creating one for Mix has involved a lot of discussion. A wider play list has the potential to strengthen the priming effect – rekindling good memories associated with songs and other media – that puts receivers (listeners) in a positive frame of mind.

Mix is Adelaide’s number one commercial station, but Nova and 5AA will be working hard to change that in 2014. Mix could surprise us by extending its dominance and becoming the only station in Adelaide to claim a 20% plus market share (Monday – Sunday 5:30am-12:00mn ALL PEOPLE 10+). Station promos on Mix use listener testimonials to reinforce the role of breakfast to ‘keep you going throughout the day.’ I can imagine discussing where to hang a feather boa while queuing for afternoon caffeine shots.
 
 

John Patkin is a regular contributor to radioinfo.

He is a Hong Kong-based Australian media researcher.

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