AU & NZ

This week on the107.1 SAFM Breakfast show with Bec & Soda, a host of Adelaide listeners had to declare what they would be willing to miss in their lives for tickets to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert. SAFM took calls all morning from Swifties who missed out on tickets and desperately shared what important… Read More
The post Adelaide listeners plead their case for Taylor Swift tickets with Bec & Soda by Sarah Patterson appeared first on Radio Today. […]

What’s New February 15, 2024

By Peter Tuskan of AirCheck Australia / RCSHighlights  ––  15 February 2024
New Music: ‘Dreaming’ by Tones And I starts at No. 37
Top Debut: Ella Henderson & Rudimental glean 213 spins
Big Mover: Vance Joy’s ‘Rock It’ improves to No. 16
Tones And I is never far from radio’s Top 40. The Aussie star’s latest single ‘Dreaming’ secures a debut at No. 37 on the AirCheck National Radio Airplay Chart, notching up 200 spins.K Rock, Hit101.3, Hit106.9 and Sea FM 90.9 led the way with 19 spins each. ‘Dreaming’ is one of 12 songs by Australian artists in the Top 40, the most weekly entries for local artists since November last year.Also new to the chart is ‘Alibi’ by Ella Henderson ft. Rudimental. Coming in at No. 35, the Hit Network did most of the heavy lifting. KIIS and Nova are yet to jump on the track.Radio is continuing to embrace Vance Joy’s version of ‘Rock It’, which climbs to a new peak at No. 16. The single rose another three spots this week thanks to strong support from KIIS1065, KIIS1011 and KIIS973. […]

Investing just 11% of an advertising campaign budget in radio will double its effectiveness.That’s according to new Australian research, revealed at HEARD 2024, the annual audio showcase hosted by Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA).Professor Mark Ritson revealed the findings to an audience of around 500 people at the industry event in Sydney.Prof. Ritson – who’s considered of the world’s leading marketing educators – said “Radio has been underrated in maximising the overall impact of your marketing,” Prof. Ritson said.“For the best bang-for-buck, marketers should consider radio as an integral part of the channel mix – and an 11% investment can double your campaign’s impact.”Professor Ritson collaborated with CRA on the study to better understand how much investing in radio can influence an ad campaign’s effectiveness.“Radio doesn’t need to be the hero, or the lead media, but it does drive a disproportionately large impact for a relatively modest investment of just 11%. It’s the ultimate sidekick,” he said.Professor Ritson was welcomed to HEARD by Ciaran Davis, Chairman of CRA and CEO and Managing Director of ARN Media.“Mark Ritson is one of the world’s most respected marketing minds and he’s passionate about the power of radio,” Mr Davis said.“Radio and audio deliver the best bang for your advertising buck. That is why we’ve seen our industry remain steady despite the challenging conditions over the past 12 months.”“If advertisers aren’t thinking about investing in radio, then they’re missing a significant opportunity to drive ROI for their business,” Mr Davis said.The study analysed the Advertising Council of Australia’s Effectiveness Database to discover how changes in the allocation of advertising budget in radio impacted the success of a campaign, in terms of commercial outcomes for clients.The database includes all Effie Award entries since 2018, which are recognised as the pinnacle of advertising excellence.Other HEARD highlights included founder of Thinkerbell Adam Ferrier (main photo), who hosted an immersive experience that explored the impact of audio on emotion; and a panel discussion with Managing Director of Analytic Partners Paul Sinkinson on radio’s ability to improve return on investment when used in brand campaigns.Attendees also had the opportunity to hear insights from high profile on-air hosts including hosts Tim Blackwell and Joel Creasey, and a panel discussion with Amanda Keller, Deb Knight, Kate Ritchie and Erin Molan. […]

Podcasting February 15, 2024

Fan favourites from The Block – Eliza and Liberty – had never been on a building site before becoming contestants and, most surprisingly, runners up on the show.With a new outlook on life, the sisters are ready to give more weird, wacky and wonderful experiences a crack. This is how their new podcast Try Before You Die was born.In every episode the girls challenge themselves and each other to push beyond their boundaries.Whether it’s attempting speed dating, life drawing, larping, veganism, stand-up comedy, or any other trend capturing the zeitgeist – Eliza and Liberty want to Try Before You Die.Liberty says “I want to continue doing things that scare me and challenge me, as this is where the magic happens. I hope this resonates with our listeners, and they too can join us outside of their comfort zones.”Eliza feels differently, saying: “To be honest, I’m not that excited about feeling uncomfortable and inevitably making a fool of myself, but doing this stuff is teaching us a lot about ourselves and making us feel alive!”Try Before You Die launches today with new episodes dropping weekly everywhere you get your podcasts. Listen here. […]

“Audio audiences are continuing to grow because there are now more listening occasions.”One of the most important learnings for media buyers and advertising creatives at today’s HEARD conference was that advertisers can now reach both mass and niche audiences far more effectively in audio than ever before.In a panel discussion featuring ARN’s Venessa Hunt, SCA’s Olly Newton, NINE’s Ash Earnshaw, and Nova’s Nicole Bence, the audience was reminded that audio audiences are still increasing.Despite people thinking that audiences are migrating to other digital media, radio’s mass broadcast reach actually is still continuing to grow.“There is no digital migration, we are increasing audiences…  “We don’t have a decreasing audience problem in audio like some other media, we are having incremental growth of audiences as more audio platforms are increasing their  listening.”In addition to the mass reach of live broadcast and streaming live radio, the audio industry has now developed highly targeted content through podcasts. Audio can now speak both one to one and one to many.Media buyers should be thinking, “my $10 stays where it is because the audience is still there and I will find some more dollars to catch the new audio audience on the digital platforms.”In another session, Nine’s Matthew Thompson described the listeners to his podcast as niche and highly targeted. “When people open a podcast they are asking to be engaged. They are wanting compelling long form emotive content.”It’s now easier to buy audio programmatically across podcasting and streaming.“Radio360 has been an absolute game changer for us all to understand how people are consuming live radio and digital. We have more capability now… unlocking the full value of total audio can help the advertising businesses in this room.” […]

What has happened to news?Social media has muddied the journalistic waters in the most worrying of ways.Never have we had so much information at our fingertips. But we’re being bombarded from a motherlode of sources: some credible, many questionable.Compounding the problem is the presentation: Clickbait headlines, opinion disguised as news, loaded language and personal agendas are leaving us in a perpetual state of doubt.Is it factual? Is it fake? Or is it take? Yes, take: Not fake, but someone’s own take on the facts.One thing it definitely is, is relentless. And to be honest, it’s kind of exhausting.Respected radio and TV broadcaster Tim Webster is one of many who feel the frustration.Webster tells Radio Today “I think the most troubling thing about social media, other than the fast-tracking of AI, is the mis and disinformation.”“Either posting something that’s demonstrably wrong or deliberately posting something the troll knows is wrong.”“It seems anything is OK to advance an agenda.”But if we’re really going to address the elephant in the room, it must be asked: Is bias seeping into radio news?Fuelled by the platform social media has afforded anyone to voice their opinion, when does one stop being a journalist and start being a commentator?Is it ever OK for a radio newsreader to express their personal opinion? Push an agenda? Pick a side?There’s been widespread debate over news coverage of the situation in Gaza.Shouldn’t similar discussions take place in all newsrooms on this story and others, where personal bias can be almost impossible to ignore?A seasoned journo and online blogger by the name of Bob believes the genie is already out of the bottle. Bob nails it when he says “You know the really sad thing about this? It means we’re missing out on learning about actual news and world events.” The story – the real story – is getting lost in the crossfire.Our job as journalists is to report the news, not to become part of it, interpret it, spin it or use it as a means of conveying our own personal beliefs or values.Let’s all stay in our lane.*Sarah Patterson is a radio journalist of more than 30 years’ experience, a former Air News Director and WIN Television Bureau Chief. She has a BA in Media Studies. […]