Seated along one side of the table at Friday’s CRA conference, as if highlighting the detail in one third of Da Vinci’s Last Supper, sat four of Australia’s greatest apostles to Radio Programming. Macqaurie Southern Cross’s Rod Brice, Fairfax Radio’s Graham Mott, dmg’s Dan Bradley and Austereo’s Guy Dobson had agreed to answer questions that had been emailed in advance from young hopefuls who may eventually inherit their jobs.
So what enlightenment did this illustrious panel offer the eager ears of those in the audience?
Much of the discussion centred around the lack of good talent and where the next crop will come from.
To the question: “Are today’s FM Jocks tomorrow’s Talk Presenters?” Graham Mott replied, “To be a good Talk show host, you need to have a great memory, be opinionated, inquisitive and right wing. I can definitely hear Kyle Sandilands as the Stan Zemanek of the future.”
Mott wasn’t quite so enthusiastic about Wendy Harmer who he said would find talk tough as a woman. “Not being sexist, but, female listeners tend to be much harder on women on air than men,” he said.
To the question: “Do (metro FM) stations have a succession plan,” both Guy Dobson and Dan Bradley agreed that the MSC Radio’s regional network pretty much was their succession plan.
What do they look for in new talent?
“It’s the X-Factor” says Dan Bradley, “It’s got to come naturally. Listeners can hear a fake right away.”
Guy Dobson added, “You must make an emotional commitment to the listener”
Another question: “How many seconds do you listen to an aircheck before you make up your mind?
Brice: “About 60 seconds. People think we get piles of airchecks every week. The fact is we gat about ten.”
Bradley:“20 seconds if it’s shit. The full 60 secs if it’s good. The ones I appreciate most are those who take my comments on board and then send another aircheck. If you’ve worked on the criticism you’ve been given and improved, that gets extra consideration from me.”
Dobson: “I give it listen. Then I take a break. Listen to it again. Take another break and then give it to a colleague for their comments.”
Mott: “I’m not interested a ‘greatest hits’ tape with the best bits edited together. I want a whole two hours unedited.”
What happen if all your talent walked out tomorrow?
Bradley: “I guess I’d have to put the Dan Bradley show on air.”
Dobson: “That might rate better than what’s on some of your stations.”
But seriously, Dobson suggested it might be an opportunity for radio to go back to what it was doing before Zoos and Crews and on-air teams, “The multi presenter format has been around for 28 years. It’s complicated and expensive. Before that there were single announcers working alone and connecting with their audience one on one.”