McDonald out, Millward in at 4BC?
Latest radio rumour has Brisbane media industry abuzz.
Saturday 8.30pm UPDATE
This comment has appeared on the Courier-Mail Facebook post:
I can’t couch for the identity of the poster, but this matches information I have received from other sources.
My original post:
The Courier-Mail has dropped a bombshell on its website this afternoon, with a story claiming Nine Radio-owned 4BC is set to drop Mornings announcer Bill McDonald in favour of Jessica Millward.
Millward will be coming back from London, where she is Nine’s European correspondent, to the River City to join her husband Joel Dry, who has been confirmed as the new co-host of 9News Queensland.
Many assumed she would return to the Nine newsroom, but this report says she will be parachuted into the ratings-challenged radio station.
I have long been saying 4BC, and Nine Radio in general, needs more women on air to reflect modern attitudes, experiences and expectations. I’m sure the highly regarded Millward ticks those bosses.
It’s not unusual for couples in the media to negotiate together to ensure they both have jobs in the same place, but if this report is true, it raises the question: Why this particular decision?
The Morning shift might be a good fit for Millward personally, but in my opinion, and that of other pundits, it’s not where 4BC’s greatest weakness lies.
Indeed, despite a lacklustre survey 2, McDonald’s ratings have been above the station average, and mostly around or above* the share enjoyed by the Breakfast show.
A good look at the numbers would show that 4BC has a greater problem in the 4-7pm timeslot, occupied by the Drive shift and very low-rating Wide World of Sports program. Most radio analysts regard this time of day as being second only in importance to Breakfast.
As I write this is just a rumour. Among sources I have spoken to, one said this was expected but disputed the claim that Millward and Dry were “household names” in Brisbane. Another called the report “BS”.
It’s clear that something’s afoot, because 4BC has to do something to arrest declining ratings by attracting new audiences.
Time will tell if this happens, and whether it works.
Disclosure: Brett Debritz used to work for 4BC, including as producer for Bill McDonald when he hosted the Weekend Breakfast show. McDonald has not been contacted for this story, and the views expressed above entirely belong to the author.
*They’re a statistically insignificant 01. points lower in survey 2.
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