Jose Auditore speaks to Scott in Brisbane about his career, his future and his passion for training and mentoring young journalists
The Brisbane News Director leaves Fairfax Media’s 4BC and Magic 882(4BH) on Friday after four years with the company.
Where did it all start Scott?
“It was the Ethnic Community station 4EB in Brisbane. A little program called RATS – The RadioActive Teen Show, used to be on a Friday afternoon and I still remember my first day was August 16, 1985. The first commercial station after 4EB was 4KQ”.
You’ve been to quite a few high profile stations, what are the highlights?
“I’ve worked at 4KQ, 4BH, 4BC, 2KY, 2SM back when it was owned by the Catholic Church, ABC, Q-FM and overseas as well. I’ve had three stints at 4BC now.
Were you always in news?
“I’ve done on-air stuff as well in regional radio as a copywriter, production, even had a dabble in sales. I did talkback at Radio 97 (2MW) as well. Leon Delaney was the PD”.
What were you doing before radio?
“I actually grew up in Adelaide and moved to Brisbane, went to Indooroopilly and Macgregor High School (near Mt Gravatt) and did the course at what was QIT which is now QUT – Broadcast News under Val French when she was at QIT”.
A lot of the news people I speak to remember the first story they read in their first bulletin. Someone started on the day of the Granville Train Disaster and someone else on the eve of Cyclone Tracy, what do you recall of that time?
“I’ve got some wonderful memories of 4KQ, some of which might be illegal to repeat, but I do have some incredible memories. I was put on the Fitzgerald Corruption Inquiry which was only meant to be a three week inquiry, lasted two and a half years. Some people would say there’s at least one claim to fame in your life and I would dare say that was it”.
What were your influences?
“Some weeks ago we saw the passing of Tony Dickinson, that was very upsetting for me because when I was a boy in Adelaide watching TV news, it was Tony Dickinson and it was actually watching him do the news and listening to Bazz & Pilko on 5AD Breakfast before they went to 5KA and listening to the fun on radio but looking at the credibility and seriousness of news through Tony Dickinson that made me get into radio”.
“When I finished school, went to 4EB and there was nobody there to teach us except I found out about this course called Air TV under John Knox and he took me under his wing. He guided me through the course and he’s still someone I still look up to today. I’ve worked with the great John Miller, Donna Meiklejohn, very genuine, very professional at 4BC the first time I was there. There’s a program director I’ve worked with in the US who said “it’s not what you do in radio, it’s who you meet and who you work with and it’s those relationships you cherish the most” and he was spot on”.
You successfully worked overseas in the US. How did that opportunity come about?
“My wife is American and the mid-west of the United States is more accepting of foreign accents so I made phone calls and had a job lined up before going over at a place called Atchison (near Kansas City). I was offered the job but I didn’t feel it was right for me, so went to Kansas City and knocked on doors”.
“A Program Director at the Classic Rock station KCFX The Fox, Beau Raines said “I previously hired an Australian and it worked out great, you start tomorrow”. Scott was there eight years and during that time there were three company takeovers. “It went from Sinclair to Entercom and then Susquehanna and when they took over, the hierarchy went through the resumes and asked why they had a journalist on their classic rock station and a music person on their talk station doing news? So they switched us over and I was News Director and assistant Program Director at KCMO”.
Do you remember where the stations were placed in the ratings?
“The Fox was number three from memory and KCMO had a poor signal and was always down in the ratings but when they did a survey we went from fourth to second as far as news credibility was concerned. One of the research groups said they listen out to “the BBC news person” because “he sounds credible”.
“So I went into Breakfast which they call Morning Drive and then to a rolling program on the talk station in the afternoon and on the last day of that program the survey came out and we had actually beaten our opposition. It was the first time they’d been beaten which is something I’ll always remember, very proud of that”.
Have you worked at other places in the US?
“I also worked at CBS and still do as their Australian correspondent but I came back to Australia. I had a bad car accident in Kansas City in the snow and after discussing it with my wife we decided to come back and I went to Sea FM and then ABC Coast FM on the Sunshine Coast for four and a half years”.
“At Coast FM I knew John Stokes from when I was at Radio 56 (4GY). John passed away only recently and I went to his funeral”. Scott says, laughing “I didn’t get the memo that it was a Hawaiian shirt theme and I turned up in a suit. John would’ve laughed his head off seeing me dressed up”.
All things being equal, is there the perfect job out there, something you’d like to do?
“I’d probably run a good local newsroom with a local team, such as the people I’ve worked with in the 4BC newsroom, people I trust, people I feel have a loyalty to me, I have a loyalty to them with the emphasis on providing good local content for the local community”.
You’ve spoke of your passion for training and developing young journalists what drives that?
“The thing that stands out for me most over the past thirty years is helping my colleagues and young people wanting to come into radio or into journalism and I set up a ready-reserve program at 101FM (Logan City) because when I came back to be News Director at 4BC I was disappointed with the way the industry had fallen by the wayside”.
“Young Kids don’t have that opportunity to go out to “the sticks” any more. They can’t hone their skills, they can’t cut their teeth not just in radio broadcasting but journalism so they’re coming out of university and have nowhere to go. So at 101FM I set up the ready reserve newsroom and over the past four years 19 of those ready-reservists have got fulltime jobs, three of them came through the 4BC newsroom”.
“That is what I feel most proud about. An achievement where I’ve been able to do a legacy or a succession, just by helping craft the skills of these kids”.
A little off-topic but do you listen to much music or are you all news and talk?
“I’m pretty broad, though I’m an 80’s retro fan – Spandau Ballet’s probably my favourite where I can put the needle on the record, listen to the end and then do it all again a second time”.
And what’s on TV?
“I like NCIS, definitely Family Guy, and Media Watch”.
Apart from your own station, what else do you listen to?
“Breeze FM on the Gold Coast I think has the perfect balance of music, you can have it on in the background, 101FM Logan is a community station that I’ve really enjoyed working with. I was one of the first broadcasters when it went to air in the late 80’s”.
“I was working at 4KQ and I asked management if I could do something on 101FM at the same time. They said ok as long as i did it under another name so I became “Scott Fox”.
Crystal ball time. What do you see for the industry into the future?
“I have grave concerns about the radio industry in general, in particular regional radio and regional television with the cutbacks and the lack of opportunity for these young kids to go out and cut their teeth and we are feeling it already in capital cities where the pool of talent may not be there because that opportunity for them to go out and learn has evaporated. The industry really is slitting its own throat”.
“I would like someone to stand up and champion the cause of doing the right thing by opening up some sort of training program which involves regional radio and I’m very proud to say that 4BU Bundaberg did that when I spoke to their General Manager Trish Mears and I understand that another regional station is reopening their local newsroom with one of my ready reserves – Ashleigh MacKinnon.
What’s next for Scott Mayman?
“First up heading overseas with my wife, enjoying Thanksgiving and a white Christmas and then back in January so we’ll see”
“I’m really proud of the team I’ve had in the 4BC newsroom and the team in the ready reserve at 101FM because I can only help them so far. They’re the ones who have to take that next leap and the determination, the enthusiasm, those kids can do it. They just need that opportunity.
Scott Mayman finishes at 4BC on Friday.
[Jose Auditore is a Sydney journalist and audio producer and part of The Radio Green Room industry site on Facebook]