@Wade_Kingsley Thanks for such an honest appraisal of your former teams venture.
I certainly feel that Game Changers has chased that K and J audience, and let me be very clear that’s where the clicks/listens would be, but it certainly that has turned me off as a early downloader of the podcast.
Some of the best podcasts of GCR were the ones talking to radio people about radio stuff…one that stands out was the PD (I think) of BBC Radio, and his thoughts.
Fortunately I have have other podcasts to fill my radio/media news bucket…
I was shit-stirring a little bit, but really appreciate the honest reply.
Entirely agree that it’s become a fancast, which is a shame. I’m sure they’re concerned about Kyle fans switching off as well as Kyle himself turning off his faucet of goodwill and scoops.
I think you’re very missed on that pod and I’m sure you would’ve brought counteropinions to the sycophancy this year
Thanks! To be clear I’m not critical of them making that choice. I just think it’s sad because it’s off brand. I wouldn’t mind them talking about Kyle so often if they weren’t so admiring of everything he does. The special sauce of that pod was always ‘the boardroom conversation’. So if I was still on it I’d be saying things like ‘what happens to Kyle is this fails?’ ‘Kyle doesn’t know a show without Jackie… Will it be boring?’ Etc. For people who were proud to be outsiders and giving honest views (which we all did), they are going remarkably soft on Kyle I think. As someone senior from ARN said to me “last year Kyle was terrible now (in their eyes) he can do no wrong”. So they are kinda snookered because the Kyle fans they have listening only want to hear the positives. I know that to be true because when I say anything critical of him they come after me.
Yes and that’s what being in a 3 hander does. You never hear 3 people thinking the same way. At least Fitzy (albeit a bull in a china shop) would argue/debate. I found the eps he did with them compelling.
Thanks for your thoughts, Wade. I really value your opinion. I am not a radio worker but am sometimes a guest on radio, and I have been listening to the Gramechangers podcast for many years.
Sadly I feel that it has devolved into a Kyle Sandilands advertisement. I enjoyed the critique of Kyle, but this year it has flipped to adoration and worship of Kyle. There has been so many episodes dedicated to Kyle’s upcoming show, in addition to the K&J fallout.
I am also really sad that there has been some reference to Kyle’s transphobia, especially when Triana works with them (and because they will probably have transgender listeners too).
I want to hear more about other radio shows, please.
I think you’ll find near-universal agreement with that viewpoint here. I never disagreed that it’s the biggest radio story in ages (not to mention so directly relevant to the genesis of Melbourne Radio Wars) and so they (like you) are right to cover it in detail, but they’ve gone down the rabbit hole of pleasing K&J fans and backed themselves into a corner.
Ironically, their last guest Caroline Voaden talked about how Karl Stefanovic has somewhat done that chasing his right wing audience with his pod. Her comment was that by chasing that audience and going down that path, you then need to keep feeding them what they want to hear to keep them listening. I found it a tad ironic that GCR has in a sense seemingly done that now, and I don’t know how (or if they can) get out of that.
Btw, the first period of MRW was absolutely compelling listening, and in all honesty (and I’m not just saying this because you’re here) your “Tell Us What You Really Think, Wade” episode pulling apart the K&J show after its Melbourne launch was one of the best eps you guys did. It set the tone for the pod being an accurate, critical but fair assessment of the situation and each show.
Thanks for joining in the convo here, and hope you keep doing what you’re doing with the Quarter Hour.
Thanks Carly. Appreciate the feedback and thanks for listening.
To me it’s a good lesson in sticking to strategy. Audiences start to expect a certain thing and it’s incumbent on the creator to deliver it and enhance it. Changing it makes a huge difference when people are giving up their time and/or money to it.
Ironically I actually think Kyle hasn’t factored that in. He’s assuming people who loved K&J will love Kyle and friends. He might be able to pull that off if he was still on Kiis but on a new app that people have to download and then pay for… there’s a lot of hoops that I think only the absolute superfans will do. Time will tell!
Thanks heaps @tamago_otoko really appreciate the feedback.
That episode (and then the one with Lauren Joyce) were probably the two landmark episodes in the whole pod. I also think Irene’s sharp analysis of Marty Sheargold’s controversy was also another.
The idea was three people who were able to speak freely about the industry they’ve worked in. That’s the pod. The minute the pod changed audiences it lost that.
As a contrast, I set The Quarter Hour up with two principles… one was to talk to the industry and not about it. I always thought there were interesting stories to share and most people currently working in radio weren’t going on GC. We used to wear that as a badge of honour but I realised that I had strategic advantage by doing the opposite.
And secondly I was going to be overtly positive. I wasn’t going to be the pod that talked about the job losses and the negative stuff. I also am not a a hypocrite and know that I talked openly and honestly (and sometimes negatively)on GC. I actually don’t mind Kyle as a performer but my issue was he was blowing up the strategy (at the time) and now he’s running away from any accountability for blowing it up… and evidence this week in his round of PR chats. He’s doing revisionist history.
But this pod (the quarter hour) had a different promise to the audience - and we are sticking to that and adding Liam has only enhanced it.
That concept it well and truly dead sadly Wade. I do miss the industry analysis from industry people. You have to wonder what they will do when Kyle launches that show. Is there much value in being Kyle sycophants when his listeners have him back again?
The Kyle show just about to start, the Jackie court case still ongoing, the whole “what will KIIS do going forward” situation, and they pull the plug. Just weird timing.
I get how hard it must be doing regular pods, but just dial it back if that’s the issue. Unless they’re just after a clean break from the direction they’ve gone down?
Anyway, despite us P1s thinking it might have gone off the boil in recent months (sorry I had to borrow that phrase), I will still miss it. And I hope Irene and Michael do still have those chats in the future.
I posted this on the Mary Madigan interview yesterday, and today, it’s over. They had built a big audience and there is so much more to report on than Kyle.
“I’m sad that your podcast has become an advertisement for Kyle Sandilands now. I started listening to hear about the craft of radio and storytelling
- I loved the interviews and the radio analysis. But now you’ve flipped from critiquing Kyle (rightly so) to
worshipping and defending him and advertising his new venture. May I remind you about his ableism,
transphobia, inappropriate comments about and to women, including a minor.
Please can you showcase and celebrate the myriad of other talented people working in radio and podcasting @gamechangers.radio?”