Most likely - was some backlash online about there not being the normal Afternoons and Drive programs on digital platforms.
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Hamish is great, but he isnât the right fit for 702. He should be hosting the new Radio National Hour or Radio National Breakfast.
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A fw ABC manager disconnected from the mass they broadcast too.
Quality entertaining & engaging broadcasters like Sarah wonât be out of work for long.
All the best to you Sarah.
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I donât mind him, either.
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I think it all depends on what ratings period you want to look at. My view:
- S&J were a disappoint compared to the previous host Red Symons;
- SammyJ got a blip from COVID, but if that is ignored the downwards trend over the decade must be a concern;
- At an overall level, 774 (3LO) has been on the nose for a while;
- S&J did well in 2019, as they didnât lose much, but then the station rating was relatively stable
- Treating the gap between breakfast ratings and station ratings as to how much the host(s) add to the station, Red Symons was a clear stand out, whereas S&J didnât add much and SammyJ appears marginally better.
- Will be interesting to see what happens in 2025, as at least Bob Murphy doesnât present as an âABC type/liferâ, which reflects my perspective of both S&J and SammyJ.
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I havenât done any number crunching just looked at a survey in both 2015 and 2024 - despite I assume Sammy J being an attempt to push for a younger audience - the 55-64 absolutely craters between them - 16.2 to 4.0, while other demos just only halved.
Sure I suppose someone in that age range in the Red Symons survey is now in the 65+ category, but the new 55-64 segment are just choosing music radio - Nova and Fox have massive comparative gains, from blips to decent shares - a huge chunk of what used to be prime ABC Radio listening age now probably donât consider talk radio at all.
If ABC was on FM then you probably would reformat to something like they briefly tried with Vega - AC music with longer talk breaks - but the ABC are probably stuck doing AM talk radio in a market that has left that behind.
Maybe they could have stuck with Red for a bit longer - and perhaps straight to Sammy J might have been more continuity - but thereâs half of this which is absolutely the ABC to blame, but half I think is a big shift in the tastes of listeners over the years.
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Donât underestimate the axing of the 7:45 news in mid 2020. I recall an article, possibly from the MTR era which highlighted th massive switch to 774 at 7:45 for news and AM which somewhat artificially inflated Redâs ratings in the timeslot even though he was off air already.
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100% - according to this X post around the time of the axing, the majority of the ABCâs audience tuned in for the 7:45am news and AM
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ABC should seriously consider shifting Classic off FM and making it digital only and simulcasting AM Local.
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I agree! Nine Radio would have an absolute fit if they did, but it would be great to watch. Personally I think though they would be better off putting RN on FM in the metros.
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I think a better solution is to move Classic FM to DAB, give it plenty of bits and merge RN and news radio. Keep the merged entity on AM and create ABC FM - basically BBC radio 2
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That would be a dream come true.
Although if Iâm honest I donât think ABC has the capability to create a BBC R2 equivalent. They canât resist the niche, alternative, and dare I say it, the woke.
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Dare I suggest the backlash would be lower if Australia were winning?
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News Radio seems pointless when they could easily simulcast news 24 on dab.
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Only purpose of having News Radio AFAIK is so mandated broadcasts of federal parliament proceedings donât interrupt normal programming on RN or Local Radio.
AFAIK there is only really rolling news from 6am until 6/7pm in the evening, and maybe weekend mornings - other than that, itâs either RN podcasts or a relay the BBC World Service.
I would support turning RN into something of a mix between BBC Radio 4 and 5 (i.e. mix of rolling news, specialist programming, some live sport on weekends), however, I would only support it parliament getâs rid of the mandated parliament broadcasts, otherwise there would be little point IMO in making changes.
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Nope. TV and radio are seperate media and need to be treated as such.
In the past they have broadcast the tv audio (multiple state elections spring to mind) where phrases like âas this graph showsâ and âas you can seeâ donât make any sense. Donât properly or donât do it at all.
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Going back to local radio, in Sydney Sarah Macdonald has been away sick since Tuesday - James OâLoghlin filled in for her yesterday, with Tim Webster doing todayâs program - Tim will also be doing tomorrowâs program, and James will be back doing Fridayâs program.
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Agreed. Newsradio just needs some focus and love. A new format mixing in its current continuous news/OTH format with BBC radio live5 would be good. It really needs to adopt either the TV news theme or majestic fanfare too.
It should not be merged with Radio National - both provide important public service broadcaster functions that cannot be met by the market. If someone wants to listen to popular music in the bush, thereâs commercial radio and streaming services (which you can obvs download songs to your phone if youâre heading into an area with poor reception)
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Absolutely. I recall that article too, and all these years later I still miss the 7:45am news bulletin. Of all the stupid programming decisions by the ABC, this has to be one of the worst ever made in relation to radio.
That news bulletin was meaty, detailed - and critically - at just the right time in the morning when the toast was popping out of the toaster and people were sitting down to breakfast and, thus, could take it all in.
Now I have to listen to Sammy J on 3LO talking to that bloke from the Herald-Sun about sport. Every day. I loathe sport. Sure, it has a place on the radio, but as a substitute for that 7:45am news bulletin⌠it doesnât rate.
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