Buckle up: Stephenson’s ARN is going to be a wild ride
Former Mediaweek editor and publisher James Manning is coming on board as a Mumbrella columnist and contributor. In his debut, Manning takes a look at what ARN’s past week says about the future of the company.
Michael Stephenson at the ARN upfront (Mumbrella)
When he arrived at ARN as chief executive at the start of 2010, Ciaran Davis started to shake up their radio brands which certainly seemed in need of some TLC.
Working alongside his head of content Duncan Campbell, Davis talked a big game and usually delivered.
Their most spectacular deal was poaching Kyle and Jackie O from SCA in 2014. When the duo arrived at Kiis 106.5, their newly branded Sydney home, they brought the audience with them.
Davis and Campbell also successfully lured British broadcaster Christian O’Connell to Australia where he soon dominated FM radio in his new market of Melbourne.
