SEN (Radio)

Well, he wants to do it all, he has to be prepared for such a schedule. Contracts mean he should honour them.

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It’ll be interesting what gives first. The SEN ‘job of a lifetime’ or Fox Footy? I’d stick fat with Fox personally.
Good to see Fox dig in and make someone honour contractual obligations.

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Wouldn’t think so. Gerard’s passion is calling sport and SEN is employing him for the entire year (much like his role at the ABC). Whereas AFL 360 is only a one hour show, 4 nights a week for only half the year. His Fox Footy role is most definitely secondary.

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I meant that I’d be sticking fat with Fox because that came about first, but it’s obvious that (like a lot of others in the world) money talks. No real reason he can’t honour both contracts, was suggesting that it is unwise to think there’s no need to be at the Fox Footy season launch despite being part of the highest rating show.

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Fox Footy obviously thought that with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan attending the season launch, the channel needed experienced journalists like Gerard Whateley and Mark Robinson (co-hosts of AFL 360) to be there in person to ask Gillon hard hitting questions.

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Sounds like the SEN branded ‘Inside Football’ magazine is being discontinued.

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PNW own the mag. Seems Hutch is not keen on printed media.

Will their other Morrison acquisitions be next? Full list via the link:

Final edition was March 2018.
Been a shadow of its former self for quite a few years.
Hardly a surprise really that a non profitable arm of the business has fallen by the wayside, how else can they be expected to raise more funds to cover live sport?

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This is a great line. Hutchy’s handbook will include this by week’s end.

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I assume it goes right under the following?

Thou shalt not question the wisdom of the Oracle.
He must be appeased by being sent around the world, being first at covering all sorts of sports in whatever timeslot he so desires. If it means sacrificing a magazine or rewriting the annals of history, remember the first line.

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SEN will be looking to expand nationally with PSN chairman Craig Coleman telling the AFR “we believe in having the freehold as well as the leasehold, so to speak”, so not just syndicating sport to radio stations but also owning radio stations.

The second Macquarie stations in Sydney and Brisbane would be obvious acquisitions if PSN offered enough money. (nearly) Everything is for sale at the right price.

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Deluded. They couldn’t do it with Adelaide, they won’t be able to elsewhere without significant investment.

I don’t think the SEN brains know how to market their product either, where’s the showbiz, the cut through with this station?

Yes, it talks sport but it’s not the most exciting listen.

Surely SEN is of so little interest in the other states they could run it on narrowcast licenses?

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I think Adelaide was too small a market for SEN to work. Whilst Sydney and arguably Brisbane could work with their populations, the interest in sport I think is less up north and therefore a harder task (better weather = more beach time, less sport time). When you add in that Australia has numerous football codes, each state needs to be considered a predominately stand-alone operation, which requires as @crankymedia states “significant investment”, because any networking synergies will be limited. I suspect PNW/Hutchy’s pockets aren’t that deep - otherwise they would do more with the 3MP licence in promotion, so people would know that Classic Rock Radio exists. Most organisations that buy radio stations on the cheap don’t promote, so no matter how good the content they end up withering and selling to the next opportunistic buyer.

As for SEN cut-through, I think that is a tough one to solve. When SEN first started, it sounded different (cheap Nova reference!) and with Francis Leach and David Schwarz on drive it was starting to get some cut-through, but the team disbanded (I think Francis Leach went to ABC Grandstand DAB). Since then its felt like the same old voices in every timeslot. The breakfast show sounds like the AFL Footy Show/Sunday Footy Show. Whereas I think it needs to be more of a Front Bar style show. The other obvious option is more live sport (which to be fair they now seem to be doing, however this costs coin) - SEN will need to “outSport” Macquarie Sports Radio. Bottom line, they will have to spend more money to defend their turf, so who knows how they can afford interstate expansion…

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Very interesting read @Rob_Melb_AU

The only saving grace for Hutchy/PNW investors is that it’s likely MRN’s sport radio will be a similar disaster to Talking Lifestyle, moreso in Sydney as they’re ditching all 2UE legacies of bfast/w’end bfast/overnights/weekend evenings and so on.

Without being cocky and programming to outflank them (Jay Mueller will know how to do this surely), PNW should see this latest attempt off.

SEN puffing their chest ahead of shareholder vote. I have no idea why this is necessary considering the inevitable outcome of the vote:

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With the AFL on SEN tonight, the test cricket from South Africa has moved across to 1377.

An “emergency session” of Whateley on air this morning, starting at 11am local and still running incorporating the James Sutherland presser.