Hit Network

Radio, Print, and Online Major Metropolitan Radio
2112

HIT105 re-boots Black Thunder ‘Dream Team’ – registrations now open!

It’s the thunder that won’t show up on a barometric weather chart but will absolutely stir the hearts of Brisbane people more than any storm can – the return of the iconic BLACK THUNDERS. Yes, after 20 years in the workshop these history-making 4x4s are back, so get ready Brisbane, because cool just hit the streets!

Twenty years ago, HIT105 unleashed four humming, powerfully branded and super cool 4x4’s onto the streets. This made history and uniquely changed the landscape of FM radio in Australia forever, with the rest of the country quick to follow! A Black Thunder memory is etched into hundreds of thousands of memories across this city - it was the traffic alert that sent pulses racing …. the roll of Black Thunders through the streets signalled the arrival of bucket loads of money-can’t-buy experiences, celebrities and stars, super cold Cokes and of course, those drivers!

Now, armed with enough listener memories to crash the station switchboard for weeks, HIT105’s Stav, Abby and Matt have returned to the workshop to take a look under the bonnet. The trailblazing station has dusted off the duco and shined up the alloys, and TODAY (FRIDAY, May 11) rolled out the new Black Thunders, making history once again on the streets of Brisbane, with Stav hosting the very first historic cross from the new Black Thunders back to Abby and Matt in the studio just after 8am!

AND THEY NEED BLACK THUNDER PILOTS! From TODAY (Friday May 11), HIT105 listeners can register to become the coolest people in town – Black Thunder Pilots! Applicants must audition with Stav, Abby and Matt before being handed their Official Black Thunder Pilot’s Licence and hitting the streets.

Recruits will need to possess solid barbecuing skills, know how to manage a crowd and feed biblical-sized numbers, have awesome microphone skills, a perennial smile, love crazy hours and a drivers’ licence. And, they need to bring it all with a callsign Maverick and Goose would approve of!

To be a Black Thunder Driver was a ticket to stardom. It brought prestige, speechlessness, screams and sometimes, star stalking! Often city streets were blocked with cars following a Black Thunder, waiting for it to stop and activate. Spotting Black Thunders would send fans into meltdown. It was like spotting Usain Bolt, or a Kardashian.

With boot up, oozing cold cans of Coke, movie tickets or hot meat pies, and with celebrities and stars in tow, a Black Thunder stop was gold. And if the giveaways ran out, a chat with a B105 Black Thunder Pilot was enough!

Thunder drops would be party to hundreds of listeners and fans at various secret locations, four times every day. AND NOW THEY ARE BACK BRISBANE!

2113

Right, wanting to milk the retro aspect, admit the mistakes of Rhys, Guy, Craig et al and change branding to B105.

Hit105 is lipstick on a pig, doesn’t matter what the station name is, it’s still the same product, might as well have the B105 consistency because Hit105 brand began at zero brand value and with far less success than the first 15 years of B105, going to be much longer before it comes anywhere close.

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2114

Not to mention that the B in B105 actually stands for something important…

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2115

Exactly and the sweeps were great, ‘b, b, b, B105’

But excuse our commonsense, cue the perennial SCA staff brown nosers to tell us we’re wrong.

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2116

Why do the websites still have: The after party with Rojdar listed in the line up but haven’t had it on in months? Do they just not update them?

2117

Yeah. Apart from the main shows, the shows are updated on the website very infrequently. The schedules, particularly for the regional stations are a mess with old shows still listed, new shows missing and multiple shows listed at the same time.

2118

Traffic to Radio websites has crashed over the last couple of years and less resources focused into it as I understand it as social takes over, however that doesn’t excuse the mistakes being made.

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2119

"A GOLD Coast radio station has rejected any suggestions of unfair play after an employee’s girlfriend won two overseas holidays in less than a year.:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/radio-station-defends-employees-girlfriend-who-won-two-overseas-holidays-in-a-year/news-story/b4827f2caab6373fb1d2688565f675e7

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2120

Surely they’re exempt from winning or participating in said competitions by virtue of the T&C’s outlined in most competitions of this nature.

2121

Ms Rowles (SCA PR Manager) said although it was not ideal that the winner was dating a member of staff, only “immediate family” were ineligible to win, meaning a spouse, parent, child or sibling.

2122

If it stinks, it stinks. SCA should know better than this but when you have the cavalier attitude of Mickey and others in control on the coast carrying on, this is not surprising is it?

If Tim Davenport has any responsibility for the stations I’m not surprised. Often trolls Facebook radio discussion groups when fair criticism of SCA has taken place and does so with a most unprofessional picture of bug eyed novelty glasses. He should stay out of such ‘pub discussions’, why give it his time.

Who is the GM at Broadbeach SCA these days? The last one disappeared rather quickly.

2123

This is pretty standard competition Ts&Cs.

Nevertheless it is a bad look, especially to win two major prizes in one year.

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2124

More details here:

Summary

Radio station defends employee’s girlfriend who won two overseas holidays in a year
Sally Coates, Gold Coast Bulletin
May 19, 2018 12:00am

A GOLD Coast radio station has rejected any suggestions of unfair play after an employee’s girlfriend won two overseas holidays in less than a year.

The 19-year-old won a trip to Hawaii at SeaFM’s “Ha How Am I Still Single” party in August last year, and on Wednesday won a trip to Bali in a Destination Unknown promotion.

In Wednesday’s competition, the winner was required to name the holiday destination and three activities. Three out of four answers had been confirmed, however the fourth was still unknown.

In a video on the SeaFM Facebook page from May 16, host Alo Baker, who is friends with the contestant’s boyfriend on social media, asked the contestant to name the destination and activities.

The contestant replied: “The destination is Bali. Our first activity is (an) all day yoga retreat. Next is a helicopter tour and then I’m guessing a Bali quad bike adventure through the Balinese terrain and rice fields.”

Southern Cross Austereo public relations manager Lucy Rowles said as per the terms and conditions, there were no limits for multiple wins under $10,000 value.

Ms Rowles said although it was not ideal that the winner was dating a member of staff, only “immediate family” were ineligible to win, meaning a spouse, parent, child or sibling.

She said there was “always an adjudicator – senior member or promotion staff – in the room with the announcer for these major on-air giveaways”.

“All of our promotions are run under strict terms and conditions that are made available on our website,” she said.

“All of our terms and conditions set out how winners will be determined in that particular promotion and when a person will be ineligible to enter a promotion.”

Reader reaction via Facebook:

2125

It’s a tricky situation, and really depends of the definition of “immediate family” - which can only be decided by a court. I’d argue that it should include partners, married or not.

However, if the definition doesn’t count the partner as being immediate, the person isn’t excluded by the terms and conditions and the station could be found to have unfairly rigged the competition if they tried to prevent her from winning.

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2126

After reading those bits, I’m a bit confused. So the competition winner was an employee of staff at SCA Gold Coast, while the presenter is friends with the contestant’s boyfriend?

Either way, this sounds like a very sticky situation for all concerned. I agree with @webguy - partners (regardless of whether or not they’re married) probably should be included in the definition of “immediate family” which would be deemed ineligible to enter/win such contests.

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2127

I can’t actually read the article because I don’t want to give any of my money to Rupert Murdoch, but if the first prize was won at a station singles party, then it sounds like she was not actually dating the member of staff at the time she won that.

Then she’s started dating the guy, and now won the latest prize.

If so, it’s not quite as bad, but the boyfriend should have made it clear to her that’s it would be a really bad look for him if she continued to call up for prizes.

That said, it doesn’t really mention what member of staff it was - it could have been a casual black thunder driver if they met at a station event. In which case, the member of staff may not even work there that often, let alone be aware of the rules or the fact that his girlfriend winning another comp would look bad.

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2128

It’s not for the contestants to worry about, onus is on the operator of the competition to ensure it runs properly. If it stinks, it stinks and management should have stepped in.

Regardless of who the relation was, for one person to win twice is a ‘prize pig’ and the station should have taken steps to avoid this.

2129

Prize pigs are par for the course, and if the same person winning a prize twice in a year was an offence, nearly every radio station would have some sort of breach.

I think the on the nose part is the relation to a staff member but without further info it’s hard to know how serious that is or not. Sure makes a good story though

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2130

To quote pollies - it doesn’t pass the “pub test” though

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2131

Of course. But:

The way the story is worded and the information given doesn’t make it sound like it’s a permanent full time member of staff. The way they talk about Alo Baker being Facebook friends with the boyfriend, as if he wouldn’t see him every single day.

The fact that the first event where a prize was won was a singles party. The fact that the guy is dating a listener. The fact that she’s only 19, which suggests he’s probably young too…

Whilst it may not pass the sniff test or pub test or whatever other arbitrary test you want to put up, there is still a (IMO pretty big) difference between a casual street teamer who hooks up with a comp winner at a station event, they start dating and then many months later she wins another comp and a full time member of staff being in a long term relationship with a girl who wins major competitions twice in <12 months.

From the information we have to go off, the story is a listener won two major holiday competitions in <12 months, and she happened to be dating someone who has a connection to the station when she won the second comp, which is not a good look but very different from the salacious scandal they’re trying to paint…

Now - if she was dating a permanent member of staff, turned up to a station singles event and then won the major competition, that is a different story, but it’s a big conclusion to jump to without more information.

1 Like