I hope Christian is given free rein at Gold, much as he was at Absolute. Having listened in to Gold breakfast the other morning, it will certainly be a significant shift in style and format for the station when he starts. I hope Melbourne is ready for him!
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Do we think ARN will eventually do an evening or weekend networked highlights show?
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I wouldn’t be surprised if they do. I’m sure ARN will be wanting to get the most out of what is unquestionably a huge financial investment in bringing Christian over from the UK.
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Yes, it will likely mirror the syndication and networking of K&J.
So get ready for chatter and non local content on KQ. Hopefully after Drive. Still unnecessary.
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Christian O’Connell has started today, on air right now on Gold
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Brendon ‘Whippy’ Dangar, former anchor (and before that, CD) at KIIS 101.1
I’m interested in seeing how the OC goes - despite the show named after him, his absolute Radio program was very much a ‘team’ effort
I truly hope he shakes things up though - he’s considered one of the worlds best radio announcers for a reason
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And was that a decoy tactic to publish a job ad looking for an EP only a few weeks before the on air date? Shambolic if not.
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Maybe gold were hoping he’d bring people with him?
He looks a right git.
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That voice over at the end sounds so wrong - Gold need to get Matt Berry to record those.
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I remember him being on air at Nova 106.9 in their early days and at B105 in the late 90s
How good is Matt Berry though? Bloody good actor, muso and iconic voiceover artist
(Yes I can hear you Clem Fandango)
Another hopeless Australian commercial radio TVC.
Lame premise with poor scripting and execution.
The voiceover is terrible, like a rushed financial disclaimer. End title shot is horrible.
Surely Christian was the subject of TVCs in the UK? They would have had better production values than this one? Why not continue those?
Ok, so those in Melbourne listening to Gold en route to Friday work, you’ve heard his show, what did you think?
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I heard maybe the last 45 minutes (of what was only around a 90 minute slot) - I think the chemistry between OC and Jack Post works really well, which is a really good first step. They did at least one caller break, and I’m convinced there aren’t enough staff in the ARN building to be able to fake all of them - at one point, Christian took a call from a woman who welcomed him to Melbourne, to which he replied “thanks Sue [Carter], we’ll see you after the show.”
That said, it certainly wasn’t the most polished radio show you’ll ever hear. As you mentioned, it’s baffling that a job posting for an EP position only went up this week, and I’m worried that ARN’s trend towards weaker producing teams will pull this show down.
I think Jase & PJ are suffering from this a bit in Melbourne - while the breakfast shift is in some ways a different beast to a national drive show, the New Zealand market allows for a bit more freedom that I think they’d thrive from, and certainly would help give their show a bit more meaning in a crowded market.
Ditto for OC & co., especially when Duncan will have to continually justify dumping a decently performing local show (albeit below the station average, as he’ll always point out) for a British presenter. Time will tell whether it’s a right fit, both for the station and for the Melbourne market, as well as whether ARN are willing to let a show like his (and at KIIS too) bed in over two or three years.
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Correct, the juniors on the Will and Woody team are not what you’d expect for a national show in a day shift. WS & KIIS bfast are staffed ok, some are, others are not.
Christian wouldn’t have come cheap, if ARN don’t invest in the staff surrounding him nor the external marketing, it’ll be unhappy days and he’ll return to the UK feeling poorly treated. Will be time for the ghost of the Pelaco building to sew a straightjacket and give Duncan the boot.
Personalities are themselves plus the eco system surrounding, the staff, the program elements. If some elements aren’t brought over, it’ll be an opportunity lost. If the staff are not to the level, it’ll bring it down. Christian will notice this too.
Surely ARN have made big promises, will they deliver? It doesn’t feel the same level of attention to detail as for the Sydney shows.
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Agreed. Their show sounds different than it was in NZ. More restricted in Melbourne and I don’t know why that is. Probably a few nerves when it comes to a new market etc but it’s still bedding in.
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I mean, sure but that’s not to say they’re genuinely searching for an EP for this show for the first time a week before it goes on air.
I’ve certainly seen jobs that have been advertised the day someone signed the contract to take it (not in radio, but I assume they’re no different).
And, to be fair, the OC & Jack Post combo is a pretty formidable content combo. They may not really need an EP that urgently…
Given what they’ve already assumedly spent to get him over, and on Jack Post, and how risky a move it is, i would imagine they’ll throw as much money as they need to at it to make sure it works.
Breakfast is a different beast though to drive. Fitzy & Wippa were a decent, funny, slightly edgy show on drive that became a safe as anything, run of the mill, background entertainment show on breakfast. There’s just more scrutiny, more pressure, and a tighter market.
I don’t know what you mean though, really. I never heard the show in NZ but they’re doing much more than any other Melbourne breakfast show has done in the past…,. decade probably.
Good or bad, at least they’re getting out there.
I think OC’s content is something the Gold audience will (come to) love. Might take them a bit to get there though.
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Nice ad. Good attention to detail. Light and bright and yet does have a little bit of an ‘exam feel’.
The joke is quite funny (albeit written by an Australian or at least someone who knows a little about the role of the sanger in Australian culture).
Ready for Melbourne! Great tagline. Not only is the show ready (as in new) but ready as in ‘ready-made’. Clever.