BotW: Kiis prepares for a fierce gumming from ACMA; Radio National’s audience emergency; How to spend $770m
Welcome to Best of the Week, written on Saturday morning at beautiful Sisters Beach, Tasmania, after three hectic days of running around in Sydney.
Today: The Kyle & Jackie O Show may have breached the radio rules, but that doesn’t mean there’ll an an actual consequence; the radio ratings see ABC Radio National move into crisis territory; how should Nine spend its war chest?; and are those green shoots?
Happy Earth Hour. Remember how that used to be a big deal?
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While I am in the pre-1985 birth club, RN is a work of art optimised for someone like myself. It is also a work that for many people much of the time, is best consumed via podcast. Most people aged under 65 shouldn’t listen to it during their workday – it’s not something that can do it’s job well while it’s listeners are operating heavy machinery or doing anything else requiring concentration.
Given that nearly 50% of Australians are aged 40 or over, that people aged under that don’t listen is no great issue from a serving-the-public perspective. The Nine Radio talk stations have a similar age profile, and that doesn’t stop them being the most-listened-to stations in Melbourne and Sydney.
Comparing RN’s and the BBC Radio’s total domestic radio listenership is unfounded, especially when the very reasonable RN vs Radio 4 comparison gives a similar result. Why shouldn’t RN be as listened to as Radio 4? It’s factual programming is at least as good.
I suspect the same kinds of people that listen to Radio 4 in the UK would listen to RN in Australia if they knew it existed. ABC TV is the most popular outlet the ABC has – some cross promotion would go a long way. Some more Radio 4 style comedy and drama wouldn’t go astray either. Even if it’s commissioned primarily for TV and simulcast or repeated on radio.
Some cross promotion for the linear broadcast on the ABC’s podcasts would also be helpful. “Like this show? Tune your car to RN and be surprised with what else we’ve got!”