There have been more key losses this week within SCA and NOVA‘s programming, management, digital and on air teams.
At SCA Chris McWilliams the Head of Distribution and Audience Growth, Matt Belotti, Digital Growth Developer HIT and Triple M, Dierdre ‘Dee’ Fogarty, Head of Community and Engagement for LiSTNR, and Adam Williscroft, Digital Music Content Director, have been made redundant.
At Nova, Jamie Row (pictured) has also been made redundant. He had been doing a local morning show on Nova 100 but when Jase and Lauren joined the network Mel Tracina changed to hosting from 9am-2pm, leaving Jamie without a shift. Jamie has been with Nova for 18 years all up, with a two year stint also as anchor for Chrissie Swan and Jane Hall and the Chrissie and Jane show with ARN and another two with SCA.
Experience and loyalty does not count or bring any merit in career survival as exemplified in this article.
The abovementioned people are not the first to experience. It happenened to a person in Adelaide with 28 years experience.
It is disgusting that a person with experience and loyalty couldn't be redeployed elsewhere in the business.
Redundancies seem to be a regular event at SCA and Nova:
This happened at the start of 2024 at Nova with reductions in staff in its digital department.
https://www.adnews.com.au/news/a-redundancy-rush-as-the-industry-prepares-for-a-slow-start-to-2024
This happened in 2019 at Nova
https://mumbrella.com.au/nova-hit-by-redundancies-due-to-tough-economic-environment-610162
https://radioinfo.com.au/news/sca-begins-redundancies-tough-trading-conditions/
It also happened in 2019 at SCA
https://mumbrella.com.au/sca-makes-mass-redundancies-to-help-combat-challenging-and-difficult-market-608977
The test to the radio consumer is will these redundancies affect the listener's experience ?
In the case of the reductions in news presentation, will it result in fewer news bulletins and or more national but less local coverage?
If the strategy is for a radio station/network to reduce news or other "costs" because of what has been reported as "...challenging economic times..." that is understandable when a business needs to survive these "...challenging economic times..." else the business going out of business.
However it is repugnant of a business to make someone redundant only to be replaced by someone else later.
I recall in my penultimate year in my law degree being invited to apply for a graduate position at a "Big Four" accounting firm.
At the same time, staff at this particular "Big Four" firm were being made redundant while inviting graduates to apply.
Redundant staff were marched out of their office in the company of a security guard.
Could that fate have been happening to me in the future regardless of loyalty and service if I was employed at this firm?
A few years later there were redundancies at that firm.
In sum, the test is will the reduction in staff affect output. At the same time does loyalty and redeplyment apply or are you a number?
Thanks
Anthony, I don't believe the puff, Strathfield South, in the land of the Wangal and Eora Peoples of the Eora Nation