Yeah, it would make sense for Nine to use their local talk stations as the backbone for a localised Nine News Channel. Have a ticker, the “Nine News” at the top of the hour replaced with an update from the Nine Newsroom rather than the audio only version, etc.
I wouldn’t watch it, but it would make good use of their content/resources.
Scott Emerson, PM drive, 4BC Brisbane
Has anyone heard this show?
Interested to read your thoughts here.
Content and on air opinions aside, I don’t get it.
I don’t get why they’d hire Emerson and put him on air without much more training to improve his proficiency at basic radio broadcasting formatics.
Time calls, weather mentions, contact mentions are all delivered without a strong sense of confidence. This carries into editorials and introducing interviews. Even to the point of knowledge of how to smoothly time out, end an interview. So many abrupt ends to crosses and interviews. Must leave guests and talent wondering what happened.
Emerson’s broadcasting style also misses the mark on the current and targeted 4BC audience by new owners, Nine.
He needs a much more informal, yet authoritative approach for starters.
The website https://www.4bc.com.au/drive-with-scott-emerson/ mentions:
‘Highly experienced broadcaster and journalist…’
He may have experience as a journalist, most recently in print for around a decade from 94 - 04. Prior, he was in NCaff for the ABC, a much different discipline to talkback radio broadcasting.
Emerson has been on air for only ten shows so far, so of course, there’s many months of improvement ahead of him you’d hope. Nine clearly see potential in hiring him.
However, first impressions count and Nine could’ve done with a lot more time working on his on air presentation style to best match the audience they’re hopeful of attracting and retaining with a local drive program. This is especially so when Nine would be well aware of the Gfk survey quirks that don’t favour big shares for talk radio in the PM drive slot. All the more reason to have compelling content delivered by presenters who immediately click with audiences.
Have a listen for yourself and let us know here:
Not a fan of Emerson’s politics but to his credit he was probably rushed on air and told to learn on the job. It’s been many many years since he’s done anything radio related.
I mean, Neil Breen has a horrible broadcast voice (it’s up there with Danny Weilder’s) and he’s doing the prime time slot.
Almost reminds me of the Guide channels we used to have.
On 3AW 10am news before going to sport, they mentioned the tv ratings for POO how it “failed”… and then compared it to The Block “winning the time slot”
Didn’t sound right at all having that part of the news in my opinion.
You can hear below: @3.09
CrankyMedia a brilliant assessment of Neil Emerson on 4BC Drive. A newsreader at ABC radio and a writer at the paper doesn’t make you a listenable radio presenter. His intro of himself to listeners with Neil Breen was recounting a story about handing out promo condoms at Qld Uni for Triple J - that story isn’t going to sit with the embedded audience. Poor start and in three weeks plus, his delivery hasn’t improved.
Clunky radio at its best!
Incidentally, do listeners know what 4BC Drive even means … what a poor name for a show … it’s industry terminology. Just say something like “driving home with Scott Emerson on 4BC” or any million variants of that.
Drive is a common name for that slot? Its been used on 3aw for decades. “Drive on 3aw” “Drive with Derryn Hinch” “Drive with Tom Elliot” …
Imagine 2GB is the same
Not really industry terminology… Not really sure of your argument there.
While there are plenty of ways of marketing it, I was under the impression that “Drive” was rather common radio industry terminology for the late afternoon/early evening commute timeslot.
Yep, going by the website it’s “2GB Drive with Jim Wilson”.
What does a sweeper saying “This is Drive with Tom Bloggs on 4BO” mean? What’s a “Drive”?
Anyway this is the least of their problems. It’s a clunky drive.
The below may assist you:
People have just adapted to the name. As I mentioned its a common name for that period of the day across radio which listeners know it as, not just in Australia but around the world… Don’t really understand what your issue with it is? No different to “Breakfast” “Mornings” “Afternoons” etc
Ben Fordham is difficult to listen to in the morning. The pace and content mix is off. His editorials lack conviction, he sounds like he’s playing a role.
The ratings will be interesting.
Certainly will be but my gut feel is that they will be similar to AJs. Depending on how many of AJs listeners are still hanging around and Fordham would have taken the majority of his listeners from his afternoon show in the hope that those listeners will continue to listen to Jim Wilson also.
Of course I could turn out to be completely wrong with these predictions, but personally I’m expecting either Kyle & Jackie O or Robbie Buck & Wendy Harmer to be Sydney’s new #1 breakfast radio program with both being the top two.
I’m also willing to predict that 2GB breakfast with Ben Fordham could potentially dip to as low as 6th behind Jonesy & Amanda, Bogart & Glenn, Fitzy & Wippa and of course the aforementioned duos on KIIS and ABC Sydney.
Yeah, not sure how rusted on listeners are Alan’s listeners to 2GB. When Alan moved to 2GB all those years ago, 2ue dipped down the ratings pretty quickly. However Alan is no longer around. You would need to look back to 80s ? when someone who was number one just disappeared from Breakfast radio.
I don’t think George and Paul could be used as example? Don’t think 2GB ratings had any impact when George and Paul left weekend radio.
Well at least 9Radio are doing some things right (at 4BC). Shame they won’t put more effort into their music stations.
Not a bad move. At least they’ve brought back some local shifts. Keep it going.
4BC has today announced that leading rugby league commentator and sports broadcaster Peter Psaltis will return to the station to host a local version of Wide World of Sports for the Brisbane audience.
“Peter is a much-loved son of 4BC and his passion for Queensland sport and rugby league makes him the perfect choice to launch our new and local Wide World of Sports show,” said Max Dudley, 4BC’s Content Manager. “He will also provide a boost to our newsroom by covering sport during Breakfast with Neil Breen and the Ray Hadley Morning Show.”
Psaltis will retain his existing commentary duties on TV with the 9Network in addition to his 4BC duties.
“I’m looking forward to getting back behind the microphone at 4BC. Brisbane is the sporting capital of the country at the moment, and there’s so much to look forward to locally in the weeks and months ahead,” Psaltis said.
Earlier this year 4BC announced plans to significantly expand local content in Brisbane, appointing respected editor/journalist Neil Breen as the station’s new Breakfast host and former MP Scott Emerson to host 4BC’s new local Drive program.
Psaltis will commence his duties on 4BC with the Wide World of Sports show, from 6-7pm, from October 12, 2020.
