Macquarie Regional Radioworks is ramping up its planning for the new national talkback show to be hosted by Charles Wooley in the new year, signing another 13 stations.

Today’s Australian Media section reports Radioworks national sales director Daryl Mitchell as saying Wooley’s “Across Australia” will be heard on 47 stations from January 30th and that more than $400,000 worth of advertising revenue has been booked.

The paper reports that, in what is being seen as a battle for the bush, Wooley’s three hour daily talkback program will eat into about one third of John Law’s audience in regional Australia. Wooley’s program, to be broadcast out of Hobart and another regional location for a week every month or so, will be heard on 19 of the MRR-owned stations in country areas that have been taking Law’s program.

MRR is phasing in new block programming into its schedule. In addition to “Across Australia”, a new national travel program, “Get Lost”, will be hosted by Tim Bull on Sunday mornings, there is a finance program called “Money Matters” and also a medical, health and lifestyle show is planned for the new year.