Thank goodness, a further lurch to the left.
Interesting to see if Zonca lasts long term. ABC must be frustrated their best replacement is still in Hobart due to ‘family’. Think he should ditch his wife and go for the job.
You’re right that Tim Cox would have been an absolute shoo-in for the 612 breakfast role if he was available
I’ll be keen to see how Zonca fits in - I’ve only seen him present the weather on ABC News and he seems fine there. Presumably if he can keep the feel of the program going as it currently does, it shouldn’t upset too many people. Besides, what talk alternatives do you have to turn into - the rantings of Alan Jones live from Sydney on 4BC, or the professional but rather dry Fran Kelly on RN.
I’m still hoping he can come back to Tassie Mornings! Hear him occasionally on one of the commercial stations at some client sites doing the news but that seems such a waste for him. Would love him to take on breakfast for Northern Tasmania too!
Wouldn’t it be great to have a ABC top 40 radio station in the same style as BBC radio 1, I think our commercial stations would make sure it never happen…
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I always saw him as a little awkward.
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why would that be great? While Classic FM isn’t the best use of a national FM network, a clone of commercial stations wouldn’t be either. A talk/music format like Radio 2 would work better I think. Perhaps replacing RN.
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…and rightly so. The ABC (and SBS for that matter) needs to be targeting an audience not catered to by commercial radio networks with any of it’s music stations. Top 40 radio is well covered by the likes of the Nova, KIIS and SCA Hit Networks.
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Top 40 music with out a hundred commercials, I think if would be fantastic.
Not in regional areas the local FM station here plays 2 songs 10 commercials and 2 songs again… I love listening to Fox and Nova sadly you can not pick them up in the car this far from Melbourne.
There is no need for them to duplicate what is already being done by the commercial sector. BBC Radio 1 was formed largely to combat the off-shore ‘pirate’ radio stations and because the UK didn’t have ‘legal’ commercial radio until the 1970s.
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For the ABC to be strong in the future, I think it must serve all tastes, of course with a higher emphasis on others that are not covered by commercial radio.
I think the same people who want to ‘save the ABC’ from government meddling and cuts are the same ones giving ammunition to those opposed to the existence of the ABC, by advocating that it broadcast programs that fit the niche ABC audiences, rather than broadcasting programs with universal popularity which show the value of the ABC to all Australians.
Here’s a letter from your typical ABC listener (Canberra Times, 13 March 1979), which strikes me as being a very stereotypical smug intellectual ABC type.
The ABC is a very well trusted organisation in news and current affairs, but I think a lot of people feel let down by everything else the ABC has to offer, including the lack of any popular music based programming on radio!
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This may not be the most appropriate place for this discussion, but personally I’ve always been in two minds about what the ABC is and should be.
I see and agree with the argument that it shouldn’t double-up or ‘compete’ with existing commercial services. There’s no need for government-funded broadcasting to replicate what the private sector is already delivering.
Equally, I agree that the ABC needs to be broadly relevant to a large proportion of the audience. While it can and should fill gaps not catered for by commercial services, equally it should not be the exclusive domain of niche interests that deny it relevance to the wider public.
I’d argue that, and I know I’ll likely be howled down by many (including a number here), Triple J succeeds in treading that fine line very well. It plays music you have never and will never hear on commercial radio, but equally it’s setting the trend for new music and playing tracks that will be flooding the airwaves in a few months time. It’s highly relevant, but maintains that alternative bent, meaning it will never please the mainstream audience that appreciates the safeness of the commercial pop stations. Yet it complements these services, and provides an alternative to that younger demographic that want something a bit different.
That, expressed in different ways, is what all the ABC services should strive to achieve, at least in my opinion. Local Radio does that well, it provides a newsy-talk format that is a step down in tone from the equivalent commercial offerings, and its ratings prove it certainly is widely relevant.
But you’d have to ask whether RN, Classic FM or News Radio are achieving that. RN does the niche well, and I think it is still important to cover that. But do we need a whole radio network to cover that? I’ve heard talk that the RN format could be translated to primarily podcast-form, which is something I see working very well. Classic FM likewise, it targets a niche audience, and in the case of many capital cities is doubling-up an existing service being provided on the FM band. Perhaps we could look at using that broadcasting capacity better? News Radio is a different story due to parliament.
So I think there’s certainly room for a relevant yet different ABC, and I think parts of its network do that well. But there’s no doubt that could be done better, and while change might upset some (like Mr Evans in that letter above), I think on the whole it could be something really good for everyone
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A very interesting post and one I’d probably have to agree with.
Perhaps there could be some fine tuning (we’ll be seeing a bit of that early next year when the rebrand for Local Radio happens) but for the most part, ABC Local Radio and Triple J generally serve their audiences decently enough.
I’m sure not everyone will agree with me but personally, I think it probably wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to merge RN and NewsRadio somehow. Surely a relaunched NewsRadio using some locally produced “RN-style” programing (whether it’s live, pre-recorded or whatever) to fill the gaps that parliament or rolling news just can’t cover has to be better than the imported programing that NewsRadio currently uses as a gap filler?
As far as Classic FM is concerned, I think it would probably be better off as a digital/online-only station or something. Mind you, I’m sure you’ll still get people (probably in the same demographic which prefers to listen to music from vinyl over CD, etc.) complaining if the station was to make such a move.
Nah you’re completely right. Radio 1 and 1Extra has some of the same content that triple j has here. Most notably both stations have massive producers that do mixes in the studio - Skrillex, RL Grime, Dillon Francis (who had a national Aussie tour called ‘We Are All Lee Lin Chin’) and Australian up and comers like Flume (like pre 2010 before Flume album), What So Not and Slumberjack. These five artists have all performed on BBC Radio 1’s Diplo Friends and a triple j show.
If you remember way back to like 2010, they frequented some skrillex tracks and last year played some songs by the Chainsmokers (like Roses, Don’t Let Me Down and possibly Closer), which are all on mainstream radio stations nowadays. Half the stuff on triple j becomes mainstream a few months later.
Triple j is where a lot of people go (in the same target demo) because of two reasons, the music and the culture.
The cultural differences between Aus and the U.K. are very different as we all know and one thing triple j has had (possibly way before commercial stations) include the ‘yeah nah she’ll be right’ attitude that many young Aussies have and their embrace of memes - like the resurgence of Nollsie and Darude Sandstorm, Bunnings snags and classic raves from the 90s.
Local radio is a lot of people’s sources for local news on the drive in to work or school. I don’t think local radio needs to change format since we would be partially doubling up with triple j’s content.
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I don’t think Classic FM is going anywhere too soon, while their audience may be small they convert into sales of ABC branded CDs and the like which is very profitable for the ABC - generating money which the ABC is able to put back into their services. Even Triple J which has a much larger audience isn’t able to generate close to the same revenue.
Parliament is badly served by NewsRadio - we have two chambers but one radio station - it’s illogical now we have digital to invest so much in a national analogue radio network that can only air half of Parliament’s proceedings.
Putting two stations on digital radio/tv with an audio stream from the HoR/Senate would better deliver the goal of providing NewsRadio, for all but people who want to listen to Parliament in their car in regional areas. I’m sure you could give the 10 people who need that a tax deduction for their web streaming costs.
A wider view would be to consider SBS Radio here as well - not being in the ratings puts it out of mind, but their use of an FM frequency in the captial cities should be debated. It’s not like it’s a component of a national network - or running a music based service - SBS only have the two stations in limited places, and could be just as useful to their audiences on AM.
Additionally, I think the ABC should be free to service local market needs, over duplicating the same set of stations nationally - ABC Country would be far more relevant to many audiences than Classic FM, while in metro areas, FM local radio or Double J might be better uses of their frequencies.
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I think Local radio in all markets needs to ditch AM/PM, The World Today and The Country Hour and move these to RN (most are anyway). Keep Breakfast local, keep the mornings as the political talkback and then afternoons and drive can be a bit more of a light entertainment style show with a bit more music. Something a bit like Kelly Higgins-Devine on 612. Then of course after 7, networked from the capital cities as they do now.
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I agree with you those news based programs should be moved across to RN with more of an emphasis on local talkback programs.
Can’t agree. Long form current affairs from a vital part of Local Radio. Pretty sure I’ve heard the 7:45 news and AM are the highest rating part of Breakfast and PM with Mark Colvin is a great combination of stories with a bit of humour. Fits in well on 774 with the less newsy Raf Epstein (well, less than Faine at least).
One thing I’ve always wondered, are two editions for AM and PM done for each RN and Local Radio? Obviously RN are earlier and shorter but unless there’s a big breaking story there’s rarely any updates.
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My understanding is that it is the same program but I would guess that there is scope for edits or updates if there is a late breaking story, also taking into account various time zones around the country.