2012 – The year in radio
In this roundup from the Encore and Mumbrella Annual, we look back at the year in radio.
2012 begins with 2DayFM shock jock Kyle Sandilands in a continuing sponsorship shit-storm. Jenny Craig is the first to sponsor the Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show after advertisers withdrew from the program in late 2011 following Sandilands’ vitriolic on-air rant at a News.com.au journalist that included calling her a ‘fat slag’. The public response to the weight loss brand’s decision to advertise sees them cancel their ads 24 hours later.
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Claire Hooper and Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross start their new partnership on Sydney’s Mix106.5 breakfast show as Jane Hall joins Chrissie Swan on Melbourne’s Mix101.1 breakfast show.
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The Kyle and Jackie O Show opens the year with a ratings drop from 11.2 per cent to 10.1 per cent. Elsewhere, Adelaide’s Mix 102.3 clings to a market lead ahead of FiveAA.
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In late February Southern Cross Austereo appoints Jeremy Simpson to the role of Sydney GM.
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Merrick Watts’ new show, Merrick and The Highway Patrol, with Rachel Corbett and Julian Schiller, begins in the national drive slot for Triple M.
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Late March and the Australian Communications and Media Authority makes a decision on Sandilands’ 2011 outburst. He is found to have breached the Commercial Radio Code of Conduct and ACMA hands down tough conditions stating 2DayFM must not broadcast material that demeans or could be perceived as demeaning women.
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Sydney’s radio ad revenue for March is $17.5m, nearly 10 per cent down on March 2011. Come April, Sydney’s ad revenue will drop below Melbourne’s.
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Tony Thomas, dmg’s group marketing director, appoints ‘advertising genius’ Ted Horton of Big Red to launch Smoothfm in Sydney and Melbourne. The brand replaces the Classic Rock stations in both cities.
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2GB shock jock Alan Jones is cleared by ACMA for comments related to PM Julia Gillard after Jones suggested she should be put in a chaff bag and thrown out to sea. His comments, while deemed disrespectful and disparaging, did not breach guidelines, ACMA rules.
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ABC Radio National presenter Alan Saunders passes away.
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In June, Eardrum picks up a gold Radio Lion for its ad Eardrum Bully in Cannes.
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In July Bruno Bouchet, producer of Kyle and Jackie O’s breakfast program, is sacked by 2DayFM after making distasteful comments on Twitter following a massacre at a screening of the Dark Knight.
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Rdio and dmg launch a music streaming joint venture in August in what the platform claims is a global first. The service covers all of dmg’s brands.
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Yumi Stynes loses her job on Mix’s afternoon show, 3pm Pick-Up, which she co-hosted with Chrissie Swan.
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Derryn Hinch is fired from his 3AW drive-time show in Melbourne. Hinch had been with the Fairfax-owned talk back radio station for 10 years.
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Lachlan Murdoch buys the 50 per cent of dmg Radio Australia he didn’t already own in early September, three years after he bought the first half.
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The Kyle and Jackie O Show gets its best survey result ever with a 12.7 per cent share in Sydney.
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2GB suspends ads on Alan Jones’ show following the presenter’s inflammatory off-air comments in early October about the death of Prime Minister Gillard’s father. Advertising is reinstated a week later.
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At radio’s night of nights, the ACRAs, Jonesy and Amanda pick up the award for Best On-Air team in the metro FM category, 3AW’s Neil Mitchell wins for Best Current Affairs presenter and the Kyle and Jackie O Show wins for Best Networked Program.
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Peter Brennan announces his departure as programming director from Fairfax station 2UE.
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In November Mix 106.5 is reported to be looking for a new on-air partner for Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross as Claire Hooper reveals she plans to leave Mix.
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A prank by Today Network’s Michael ‘MC’ Christian and Mel Greig saw the pair call the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge for morning sickness. They impersonated Prince Chalres and The Queen and tricked a nurse into sharing details about the Princess’ condition. The initial delight of the Southern Cross Austereo-owned network at the worldwide headlines turned to horror and an angry public backlash when the nurse who put the call through was reported to have taken her life.
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- This list first appeared in the Encore and Mumbrella Annual available in the App store and Google Play.
Interesting reports today that 2UE is shifting to the political left, following SMH. We know what happened to Fairfax with that strategy
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Moving Jason Morrison from 2UE breakfast is the most stupid move they’ve made. Morrison is the strongest performer of all on the station and has great advertising. 2UE seems to be victim of the Melbourne knows best rubbish that killed it last time.
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Speaking of that phone prank which made a certain nurse kill herself (I’m not gonna use her name but you know who she is), I hope OFCOM steps in and punishes the ex Hot 30 Countdown team and throws them in jail. As far as I’m concerned, their radio careers are over. This will set a strong example to other top 40 radio stations in Australia. (Besides, you don’t see Smallzy’s Surgery resort to that to get extra ratings survey points). Oh and what will replace the Hot 30 Countdown next year?
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