Have our wannabe shock jocks got it all wrong? Maybe talk radio is not a race to the bottom after all.
In the very competitive UK market, LBC 10am-1pm host James O’Brien just notched up a record weekly audience of 1.5 million people, according to the quarterly RAJAR data. His program is the most popular commercial speech radio show in Great Britain and its audience has increased year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter. LBC overall has 3.6 million listeners.
The thing about O’Brien is that he’s not a far-right dog whistler; he has quite progressive views. He rejects the label “left-wing” — even if some of his critics have called him a “champagne socialist” — but is socially liberal and centrist in his approach.
Does O’Brien’s success belie the common “wisdom” that talk radio has to appeal to the lowest common denominator to prosper? Has he proven that it’s possible to make engaging and popular content that still has some bite without humouring people who begin conversations with “I’m not racist, but…”, giving oxygen to conspiracy theorists, tacitly endorsing extremists or punching down on already marginalised people?
At the very least, it shows that you don’t have to conform to a lazy stereotype to make good radio.
Greatly exaggerated
While we’re in the UK, Radio Caroline has apologised “for any distressed caused” after mistakenly announcing the death of King Charles.
A computer error was blamed for playing out the “Death of a Monarch” procedure.
It reminded me of when I was producing the the fledgling ABC News Online on the day Princess Diana died (for real).
All reports seemed to be indicating she had passed away in the car crash that had claimed her companion, without explicitly saying it. So, I rang the boss, who cautioned me that the ABC had to be especially careful since it had recently got it wrong about the Queen Mother.
I posted the story (which I’d already written) as soon as the French news agency AFP confirmed it — and the ABC scooped other online news sources, including the BBC and CNN. Of course, back in 1997, nobody noticed.
Mark on the move
Congratulations to Mark Hine, formerly of the 4KQ/4BC Laurel, Gary and Mark show and voice of the Brisbane Lions, who has just been appointed content director for ARN’s 91.1 Hot FM & Zinc 96 on the Sunshine Coast.
He has been working at Star 102.7 and 4CA in Cairns.
Hine said in a media release: “It’s bittersweet to be leaving Cairns, but I hear the Sunny Coast has less stingers and crocodiles.”
Top of the pods
Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has released April results from the Australian Podcast Ranker, which is said to be the country’s only independently verified measurement of podcast listening.
Built in partnership with Triton Digital, the Ranker has become the industry’s scoreboard, with CRA CEO Lizzie Young saying the surge in podcast popularity has created a real need for credible, third‑party data.
For some reason, it divides podcasts into genres — which is a little odd, since some of the ones I listen to are a little difficult to nail down to just one category.
Anyway, the April numbers show the most listened-to genre is News, which attracts nearly five million monthly listeners, followed by Society & Culture, Sports, Comedy and True Crime.
On the podcast leaderboard, Hamish & Andy are number one, followed by Mamamia Out Loud and Sky News Australia Update. The Daily, from the New York Times, also remains a favourite with Australian listeners.
With more than 300 podcasts tracked each month, the Ranker offers an interesting snapshot of Australian listening habits as our appetite for on‑demand audio continues to grow.
Which is why CRA and the radio stations it represents are embracing the podcasting trend.
(CRA/Trident)
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P.S.
CBS News Radio will officially shut down today, May 22, ending nearly a century of service. The closure of the historic radio network, which once provided news to about 700 affiliates, isn’t the only change at CBS. The CBS television network, under separate ownership, will screen the last Late Show with Stephen Colbert today (May 22) Brisbane time.
Disclaimer: All previous disclaimers about Brett Debritz still apply.