In this first week of 2014, radioinfo will recap our top stories from last year.
In the past year we reported over 1600 stories for you, a rise of 25% on last year. radioinfo had over 2 million page views during 2013, up 89% on the previous year. Average time spend reading per visit was 6 minutes, more than double the time spent reading in 2012, according to Google analytics.
We also clipped more reports than ever before from other media, in our Hot off the Net section and brought you new discussions in our comments section and on our twitter and facebook feeds. Our twitter followers, who number over 3000, vigourously discussed many of the issues we wrote about, seen in the twitter scrolling feed in the right margin of the site.
radioinfo’s top stories from January 2013 included Gina Rinehart and John Singleton’s bid for a substatial share in Fairfax, the ABC grandstand app being prohibited from live cricket coverage, big reshuffles in the upper echelons of Fairfax Radio, and the saga of Australian-born announcer Drex calling the Canadian state premier a ‘Milf’.
The second-half of the month saw results from the Siren awards, an interview with Clive Dickens about moving from Absolute Radio to SCA, another interview with FBi radio’s Dan Zilber for the station’s 10th birthday, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis topping the Triple J 2012 hottest 100, and Jon Faine breaching the ABC’s own standards policy while interviewing Michael Smith.
February saw British prosecutors deciding not to charge Michael Christian and Mel Grieg, Bundaberg’s Hitz939 and 4BU broadcast 9 days straight in flood, Chrissie Swan smoked while pregnant, gay 2Day FM newsreader Geoff Field discussed the possibility of getting married, World Radio day happened, Kyle spoke to John Laws, Mark Scott criticized the ABC’s coverage by The Australian.
In the second half of the month Hadley lashed out at a staff member and subsequently apologised, radioinfo was at the SCA half-yearly profit announcement, Stephen Conroy was lobbied heavily for increased digital radio funding, Nova 106.9 built the world’s largest slip n’ slide, Michael Gudinski delivered some engaging insights, QLD floods wiped $15 million off Prime Radio assets, and Richard Bean speaking at the ABS highlighted changing ideas regarding convergance.
In the first half of March, Neilson lost its contract with CRA, the first survey of the year came out which Craig Bruce helped radioinfo analyse, Paul Jackson spoke about winning the battle for the under 40s demographic, Ralph van Dijk warned advertisers not to use Australian radio due to its ‘cliché voice-overs’, the NRL rejected Fairfax’s offer to cover the rugby league, Peter Saxon had a broad ranging interview with Neil Mitchell, a former Fairfax Radio boss took Tom Elliot to task, and Kim Williams and Kerry Stokes (plus other heavyweights) addressed the Senate.
In the second half, James O’Brien reported from RadioDays Berlin, John Laws responded inappropriately to a caller who – while on air – admitted she had been rape, Glenn Wheatley spoke to Peter Saxon about being in his mid 60s and still going strong, digital radio sales grew, Brendan Jones shared his knock-back letters with radioinfo, and China interfered with ABC radio reception.
JANUARY
Singleton and Rinehart file Fairfax paperwork
John Singleton and Gina Rinehart have filed the required paperwork with the Stock Exchange indicating they will work together as substantial shareholders in Fairfax Media. According to the 21 page document filed with the Exchange, the pair have agreed to work together with the objective of “enhancing shareholder value” in Fairfax Media.
Rights deal locks out ABC Radio from Apps commentary
Despite a much-hyped launch of ABC Radio’s smartphone app earlier this year, listeners are unable to hear live cricket coverage. Listeners selecting ABC Radio’s Grandstand app any time during this cricket season expecting to hear the national broadcaster’s famous cricket commentary instead heard a recorded message from Jim Maxwell telling them that the ABC could not provide them with mobile phone coverage due to rights restrictions. While listeners can hear the cricket as usual via analog and digital radio, and via the ABC’s website, they cannot use the app to tune in, because Vodafone has sewn up the rights for mobile devices.
New national roles at Fairfax Radio
Fairfax Radio Network has announced four new appointments across the content, news, technology and human resource teams. Clark Forbes has been appointed as National Content Director, Rob Curtain as National News Director, Joe Sexton as National Technology Director and Mandy Walter as National Human Resources Manager.
Another chance for Drex after Jet FM sacking: UPDATED
“I’ve had over 24 hours to think about what I’ll write… here goes,” says Drex, after his sacking from Jet FM. And in another development, he has received a call from the Premier, who is not impressed at his sacking. See Drex’s twitter message below.
Amazing McValue ad wins round four of 2013 Sirens
An ad for McDonalds called Amazing, has won the single and overall categories in round four of the 2013 Siren Awards. The ad was written by Cameron Hoelter and Richard Morganfrom agency, DDB Sydney for the McDonalds McValue meal. Winning writers, Hoelter and Morgan said the ad was inspired by a scene in the movie Uncle Buck: “There was a great scene in the movie where John Candy and Macaulay Culkin have a really dry, rapid-fire question and answer conversation and we thought it might funny to do something similar in a radio ad.
I leave the business in great shape: Clive Dickens
Last week we broke the story that Absolute Radio’s Clive Dickens is coming to Australia. He speaks to radioinfo about his new job. Clive Dickens is currently a thought leader in British radio and the co-founder of Absolute Radio. He says there is no good time to leave a company which has meant so much, but now is his time to move on.
This year Sydney youth community radio station FBi will celebrate 10 years on air. Music Director Dan Zilber tellsradioinfo what’s in store. The station was launched in August 2003, and the FBi team will hold a series of events during this year leading up to that date. The station’s SMAC (Sydney Music Art and Culture) Awards, held last week at Carriage Works, were the first big event of the year. They recognise the hard working and talented people who have contributed something special to Sydney’s creative culture: be it music, theatre, visual art, film or food. The winners are listed here.
Thrift Shop tops triple j’s Hottest 100 for 2012
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song beats out Of Monsters and Men and alt-J. triple j’s Hottest 100 consolidated its position as summer’s biggest music poll engaging with more and more people around the world than ever. 187,975 people registered to vote (up 11.71% on 2011) casting 1,516,765 votes (up 10% on last year) for their favourite songs of 2012. The peak age of voters was 21. On top of that, 2702 Hottest 100 parties were registered from 55 countries all over the world, from the UK to Uruguay, celebratingtriple j’s Hottest 100 on Australia Day. Another big success came through the use of social media. With 51% of voters posting their results on social media platforms.
Jon Faine’s lapse in standards: UPDATED
Jon Faine’s agressive interview with former 2UE presenter Michael Smith about the unsubstantiated AWU slush fund allegations, has been deemed a lapse in standards. After receiving at least one complaint, the ABC has found that the interview, with Smith and also The Age’s Mark Baker, on 23 November last year, broke standard 4.1 of the ABC’s Code of Practice which states: “Gather and present news and information with due impartiality”.
To see all our stories from January 2013, click here.
FEBRUARY
British prosecutors won’t charge 2Day prank pair
However misguided, the telephone call was intended as a harmless prank,’’ Malcolm McHaffie, Deputy Head of Special Crime at the Crown Prosecution Service.
Bundaberg broadcasts nine days straight in flood
Studios surrounded by water. Bundaberg’s Hitz939 and 4BU have finally commenced regular programming after nine days simulcasting emergency and flood recovery information to the Wide Bay region. A rotation of on-air announcers have been broadcasting live 24/7 as the floods peaked and the clean-up effort commenced. As well as on-air updates, the stations utilised social media to update residents, and almost doubled their Facebook likes in the space of a week. Some staff cut off from the studios by road were using the internet to keep Facebook pages up to date.
Chrissie smoking opens up a can of worms
By her own admission, for a celebrity, Chrissie Swan leads a fairly ordinary life. She didn’t think she was controversial enough for a paparazzo to be assigned to follow her. But last week one did, and sprung the Mix 101.1 breakfast co-host smoking while pregnant. A generation or so ago, when the BBC’s Jimmy Savile and Hey Dad star Robert Hughes were allegedly touching up under age girls with impunity, you could get away with smoking too. No one would have paid $55,000 for a photo of you lighting up – unless you were a page three girl in bed with a politician at the time.
Will Geoff Field and Jason get married in the UK?
In the absence of gay marriage laws in Australia, 2Day FM’s gay newsreader Geoff Field has been asked to get married in the UK. Will he consider it? Unlikely says Geoff, who would like to get legally married to his partner Jason in Australia.
It is just the second annual World Radio Day to be proclaimed by UNESCO and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate Radio as a medium. It aims to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information and freedom of expression over the airwaves. In his act of international freindship, Indian broadcaster Sivraj Chinnamari sent us this picture of himself at the famed Hindu temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia – with a radio.
Kyle joins Lawsy in the Fortress studio
Following up their chat on 2DayFM yesterday, Kyle Sandilands accepted John Laws’ invitation to join him in his 2SM studio today. Sandilands spent close to 2 hours in the studio with Lawsy and they chatted about everything from life to politics and everything in between.
Slanted ABC coverage in The Australian: Mark Scott
The ABC’s Managing Director has hit back at negative reports in The Australia about the national broadcaster. He says the organisation does not usually respond to such criticism, but this time he feels he should engage. radioinfo has his full message to staff, sent on Wednesday this week.
Hadley’s humble apology saves the day for 2GB
There’s a lot to admire about Ray Hadley. A self-made man who from humble beginnings as a butcher’s son worked tirelessly to become the success he is today. As far back as the early eighties when he was starting out at 2UE he asked the then king of breakfast radio, Gary O’Callaghan for some fatherly advice. The advice was basic Radio Announcing 101: Be Yourself. “When you get happy, be happy. When you get sad, be sad. When you get angry, be angry. Be yourself son. Be Ray Hadley,” O’Callaghan told him.
SCA is a great radio business. Television, not so much
At a relatively subdued meeting of the media Southern Cross Media, CEO Rhys Holleran and CFO Stephen Kelly announced that the company had made a net profit after tax of 45.1 million dollars. And that’s just for the first half of this financial year. Trouble is, it’s less than half (48%) of what it was last year. Still, its slightly better than what most pundits expected. The question around the room that hung on most people’s lips was how much of that profit shortfall could be attributed to what was being euphemistically called the “UK Incident?” The answer is about 3.6 million dollars all up. A huge amount of money as an extraordinary item, to be sure, but insignificant compared to the fall in revenue from SCA’s regional television assets.
Digital radio stations under threat in Senator Conroy’s electorate
Melbourne stations fear they may have to switch off their services if more digital transmission funding is not forthcoming. As the federal budget approaches, Melbourne’s nine community digital radio services will face an “uncertain future if the government does not reverse a funding shortfall.” Communications Minister Stephen Conroy’s electorate office is in the suburb of Epping, in the Melbourne digital radio listening area. The affected Melbourne stations today confirmed that without the Communications Minster committing adequate funds to the Digital Radio Project, they will be “at risk of not having a digital service in the future.”
Nova 106.9 to build world’s longest slip ‘n’ slide
Who thinks up this stuff? This Thursday will see the world’s longest slip’n’slide built in Brisbane in an attempt to set a world record. And if they do, then what? Well, they’ll have the world record won’t they. Nova 106.9FM’s Ash, Kip & Luttsy are behind the plan to create the longest backyard slip’n’slide on Brisbane’s Victoria Point Golf Course.
Mushroom boss delivers ‘engaging’ insight
In the second of their series of ‘engaging insights’ from industry leaders on its SCAengage website, SCA presents music industry supremo, Michael Gudinski. Last week it was media buying mogul, Harold Mitchell. Next in the line-up is advertising heavyweight Sean Cummins. SCAengage was set up by SCA to, well, better engage with it’s client base by showcasing what it calls its “unrivalled multi-platform capabilities and audience engagement insights … an online resource that reflects the changing nature of SCA as a business, as it evolves with emerging media trends and remains at the forefront of content creation and fan engagement.”
Queensland floods responsible for $15 million write down on Prime Radio assets
Prime Media Group has written down the value of its Queensland radio stations in its half yearly results today, shaving $15 million from the value of its radio licences. The company posted a 71% decline in profit after the write down. The bad profit number is a result of the statutory Stock Exchange reporting requirements, which have to take into account the value of the book transaction that decreased the value of the radio licences. If the abnormal write down is taken out, the company reported a profit increase of 21% ($19.4 million) on the previous corresponding period in the six months to December 31.
New ideas on convergence at Australian Broadcasting Summit
Australians now want two way connected engagement, and media is one tool of that engagement. ACMA sees itself as a facilitator of this demand for engagement, according to the ACMA’s Richard Bean, speaking at today’s Australian Broadcasting Summit. ACMA is not interested in “regulation for its own sake,” but interested in “principles of self regulation” and ways of making effective responses to complaints, according to Bean. Restacking the spectrum to deliver the digital dividend is one of the key regulatory issues that are needed to facilitate the increasing demands for connectness from society.
To see all our stories from February 2013, click here.
MARCH
Why Nielsen lost a contract they held for 66 years – and why GfK won it
And in the business world today a supply contract with just one client would be lucky to last a decade. But the deal that Nielsen’s had with the radio industry to find out who and how many people listen, and when, had been in force for 66 years. It’s fair to say that with a number of other suitors relentlessly pursuing the contract, worth at least 20 million over three years, it was inevitable that Nielsen would lose it sooner or later. But why now? The word that kept cropping up on the street was ‘complacency.’ There was a sense that the company was no longer interested in Australia.
First survey for 2013: Triple J, WSFM up in Sydney, big drops for 2GB and 3AW, 4KQ up, Nova Perth up
This year marks a different routine for Survey 1, with the introduction of rolling survey methodology into the first survey of the year. In the past, all was reset at the beginning of the first survey, but this year, Survey 1 will be rolled together with the last survey of the previous year. See our earlier story for a full explanation of the changes.
You just never know with Hamish and Andy says Craig Bruce
We have certainly made a concerted effort to give it a slightly more contemporary feel and we are focussing more on under 40’s men. I must acknowledge that Fitzy (Mike Fitzpatrick) has done a brilliant job with those three stations. They are aligned from a targeting perspective and we are really happy with how that is coming together and we think there is still growth to come. I think it is a combination of a good, well executed music strategy, and our shows are strong and consistent. Eddie(McGuire) Mick (Molloy) and Luke (Darcy) have been in Melbourne for three years and it is a really strong show with a very strong following. The Grill team Sydney, and now the Grill Team Brisbane is into its second year. But there is some consistency across the board – a really strong Drive offering with Merrick (Watts) so really happy how Triple M is placed and obviously with the NRL to come and hopefully some extra TSL (time spent listening) into the weekends.
“We can only win the battles where we are actually playing on the field,” Paul Jackson
Look at the shares in the daytime in Sydney for smooth. And then, when you get inside those numbers, smooth is the number one station in Sydney, bar none, with 25+ females right across the workday, 9-4. That is a station on fire! In the highly competitive breakfast time, we have more to do – hands up to that. But nine months in, to be one number one station with women in Sydney and in Melbourne on any work day and some of the weekend demos are fantastic… if I look at the bigger picture of where we are going, it is exactly where we wanted to be.
Australian advertisers are damaging their brands on radio and television by using cliché voice overs and failing to create and maintain a distinctive audio brand voice, this year’s Cannes Radio Lions jury president has warned. Ralph van Dijk, founder of Sydney-based audio advertising specialist agency Eardrum who has been named chair of the Radio Lions for the 60th anniversary of the world’s preeminent advertising awards, said while agencies invest significant time and money into the visual component of television advertising the voices used to accompany them are often an afterthought and badly done.
Hardgrave lashes out at NRL as 4BC loses battle for broadcast rights
With just hours to go till kick off in the NRL season, The League has let 4BC and the Fairfax Radio Network know that it’s offer to broadcast NRL matches on its 4BC station has been rejected. 4BC made it clear to the NRL, that although it had taken a feed of the 2GB call in the past, it was not prepared to do so in the future preferring to do its own call. See our earlier in-depth article (subscribers only) on NRL broadcast rights. At the top of his Drive show Gary Hardgrave told his 4BC listeners that their desire for a Queensland focused call of teams representing their state had been quashed after long, hard negotiations.
Management told me to f***k off, Neil Mitchell
While he gets his fair share of press in Melbourne, he achieves nowhere near the national notoriety ‘enjoyed’ by his Sydney counterparts such as Alan Jones and Ray Hadley. Yet, after 25,“or is it 26 years?” the 61 year old Neil Mitchell is every bit as much the King of Melbourne Morning Radio as John Laws ever was in Sydney, with an audience share roughly on par with Ray Hadley’s. But there’s a difference between the two cities and their brand of talk, “Melbourne in my mind has a journalistic history in talk radio,” says Mitchell, who spent 16 years with The Age and at one point was its Editor. By contrast, the big rating Sydney talk hosts describe themselves as entertainers.
Graham Mott takes Tom Elliott to task…
It seems journalists are not the only ones that have trouble understanding radio surveys. In what must go down as one of the stupidest comments I’ve seen, 3AW’s new Drive host, Tom Elliott, told The Age, “The way radio ratings are done is notoriously inaccurate.” Wow, Tom must have been really ticked off by a 2.1% drop in 3AW’s Drive ratings. Tom Elliott has only been in the chair since January and rightfully claims that he is responsible for only half the result because the survey is run over 2 periods known as Survey Waves. Derryn Hinch was on-air for the 1st Wave in the Nov/Dec period and Tom was on-air in the 2nd Wave in Jan/Feb.
Media heavies address parliament: Video Links
While it is mainly a side show as far as the radio industry is concerned, there are three significant elements in the debates for radio. If one aspect of the legislation is enacted, it could lift cross-media ownership restrictions, and allow Southern Cross Austereo to merge with Channel Nine. The focus on regional areas may also allow mention to be made of the expansion of digital radio to regional areas – see our other story on CRA’s campaign. And the debates may also give a platform to supporters of the community digital radio funding campaign to push their requests for more digital transmission funding.
Fans not listeners Sam Cavanagh tells RadioDays Europe
There was a terrific response in the room to the talk given by fellow Australian, Sam Cavanagh (pictured above). Sam is the Executive Producer of the Hamish & Andy Show. At the heart of his talk was an idea around how the program team treated their audience. As he spoke, with a great deal of passion, there was a real sense of excitement in the room around the idea of seeing your audience as “fans”, not “listeners.” Many radio stations, he argued, saw their audience merely as “listeners”, whereas the Hamish & Andy Show came from the approach of seeing their audience as “fans”. Once you see your audience in that way, he argued, you can actually get closer to them, as they become more involved in what you do.
ACMA aware of Laws rape talkback call: AUDIO
On Tuesday Laws took a call from a woman, Carol, who talked about her experience of rape as a child, and at one stage broke down in tears. Laws asked a range of questions, including:
“Was it in any way your fault?”
“You weren’t provocative?”
The caller answered: “I was a little girl. I don’t think so John. No, I was just a little girl.”
He also asked, “Are you unattractive?”
More people switched on to Digital Radio
The main findings of the report are:
- 1.5 million people or 11.6% of radio listeners, listen to radio on a DAB+ digital radio each week in the five state capital cities;
- time spent listening (TSL) to radio via DAB+ digital radio is double that of time spent listening to radio via the internet;
- household penetration of DAB+ is tracking ahead of forecast at 15.2% (end of Jan 2013);
- nearly 14,000 new vehicles have been sold with DAB+ (does not include aftermarket product).
Wheatley’s plans for “two pretty milk bars” on the Sunshine Coast
“There is no thought of the retirement word in my life,” says Glenn Wheatley, who according to his bio from several sources turned 65 in January, but owns up to 64, “It is thrilling for me to be back again in radio. I’ve got two of the prettiest milk bars on the block. And the good news is I know they won’t be building any more milk bars.” Wheatley, who was one of the FM pioneers in 1980 when he established Melbourne’s EON FM, hasn’t been making “milkshakes” for an awfully long time. Now, together with venture capitalist firm, Oceania Capital http://www.oceaniacapital.com.au he has been able to resurrect the EON name for the partnership (in which he has a 10% stake) and come up with the readies to buy Sunshine Coast stations Sea FM and Mix FM from SCA. Although SCA tried every way imaginable to hang onto the stations, they were eventually forced into selling the assets because their signal overlapped the Brisbane market where SCA also owns Triple M and B105.
We regret to advise your application has been unsuccessful
At the height of his professional career, ACRA award winner and high rating breakfast star Brendan Jones reveals that he wasn’t always this successful and tells radioinfo the names of the PDs who helped him most in his career. Jonesy has shared some of his early career rejection letters with listeners via the WSFM website this week, with a who’s who of well known program directors giving him the cold shoulder, or offering him career advice.
ABC Radio Australia jammed in China
China is believed to be responsible for the alleged interference with English language radio frequencies for the ABC Radio, AIB and the BBC, however ABC international says, “it is extremely difficult to identify or confirm the source of this interference.” Such ‘jamming’ makes it almost impossible to listen to the broadcasts that include news, current affairs, science and entertainment.
To see all our stories from March 2013, click here.