Dobbo’s back: Rush Hour reinstated
A rare victory for local radio in the wake of the Marty Sheargold debacle
A few months ago, Brisbane’s Ben “Dobbo” Dobbin and the Queensland Drive show was dumped from the Triple M line-up to make way for a national program hosted by Marty Sheargold.
Well, you probably know how that turned out. (If you don’t, you can read about it here).
Now, the Brisbane-produced Rush Hour is back for Queensland audience, hosted by Dobbin and Elliott Lovejoy.
There will also be a roster of co-hosts including Brisbane Broncos NRLW captain Ali Brigginshaw, Broncos and State of Origin player Romy Teitzel, Gold Coast Titans star Jaime Chapman and the North Queensland Cowboys’ Mackenzie Weale.
Yes, it’s a rugby league-focused show, so not the kind of thing I’ll be listening to on a regular basis. But it’s great news for local radio.
Dobbo says in a media statement: “I’m excited to be driving listeners home again in 2025. Rugby league and sport have always been my passion and to be able to share that with listeners on a daily basis is an honour.
“Elliot is one of the real good guys in this industry but make no mistake, we have some very different opinions and we won’t be shy to take each other on. The addition of some of the toughest, smartest minds in the NRLW to the lineup brings a fresh perspective and their insight is going to take Rush Hour to another level.”
There’s more on this story here.
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Live but not local
On a related matter, there’s a discussion on the Melbourne Radio Wars podcast about doing “local” radio from outside of the local area.
The hosts discuss how easy it is technologically to insert market-specific content into a networked show.
I heard and example of this on Nova 1069 on Easter Monday, where a local traffic report included a quick weather report and local branding to give an otherwise generic music program a Brisbane “feel”.
It’s not the same as having people broadcasting from your hometown 24/7 but it’s a small and cheap way to make radio that’s more intimate.
Finally …
A reminder to all media: it is not unusual, and certainly not newsworthy, that a celebrity’s child resembles them.