Opinion

When radio performers are on a good thing, stick to it

Radio duos can’t be concocted by management says Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis and there’s no more classic example than Jono and Dano. 

Jonathon Coleman and Ian Rogerson first came together as ‘Jono and Dano’ at the birth of Triple J in 1980, pioneering the now well-worn path of a slot on the Js leading to a commercial network – in their case it would be Triple M, who they joined despite, in Coleman’s words, “everyone  calling us fucking turncoats”.

The pair were part of a golden era of radio with stable-mates Doug Mulray, Rob Duckworth and Stuart Cranney. Together they took the new station to number one. They parlayed that success into a TV show on Channel Seven, but in a twist on the current climate of radio and TV crossovers, Triple M weren’t so receptive to the pair’s on screen ambitions and the duo were immediately axed.

One man instrumental in their continued presence on Australian radio is Charlie Fox, now content director at ARN, who says: “Jono and Dano were the first ‘real’ style announcers. They are probably still one of the unique acts to appear on radio.” The first time he hired them to do breakfast on 2SM, “which we did and went up three per cent”, says Jono. “Then we were told ‘you guys are going really well – now we’re going to fix you’. That’s when I realised how stupid radio management can be in that they hire you for something and then they try and mould you to be something in their image which invariably 99.99 per cent of the time kills the act,” says Rogerson.

After 18 years apart, once more, Charlie Fox rang. This time for a national drive show on WSFM. The show thrived for three years until a change of management. “They said ‘Jono and Dano, it’s okay but I’m not sure they’re hungry enough’,” says Coleman. “In the end it was more about ARN getting control of their airtime back than whether Jono and Dano were successful,” claims Fox.

But key to Jono and Dano’s appeal and longevity is that element of ‘out of control-ness’ that attracts an audience in the first place. Too much radio these days seems to follow a formula that results in a half-baked product. It’s all good to experiment with chemistry. The best outcome can be an explosion of talent. But it can also blow up in your face.

Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis is a media personality with 15 years’ experience in TV and radio. 

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