Singo, Jones and Tate slam media for ignoring 2GB success story
Broadcaster Alan Jones has slammed the mainstream media for its obsession with FM radio after Macquarie Radio Network station 2GB made history with its 100th successive Sydney radio survey win.
John Singleton: “Advertisers know what works. If you are 25 or 30, you weren’t around when there was no FM. That’s only 1980”
Jones himself sits on the cusp of a double century of wins across his career at 2UE and then 2GB, with 199 career wins.
But at a celebration at 2GB’s Sydney studio the station’s majority owner, John Singleton – who lured Jones from 2UE to create the winning breakfast and morning combination with Ray Hadley – said he was frustrated that FM stations captured headlines despite 2GB and 3AW’s dominance.
Well someone at the smh got the memo today! Giant plug in the paper.
This sounds like a job for Mark Ritson. You know, how media books media in their own likeness. Except of course Mark writes for the Oz so if Tate is right that won’t be happening soon.
All this crap to get publicity for 2UE/2GB has some synergies with the Donald’s election. “Rich content”- you mean ads? BAH
Couldn’t agree more. The surveys are radio surveys. There should be no reporting AM vs FM. They are all radio stations.
I complained once to a commentator on survey results about ignoring the huge ratings win by stations such as 2GB, 3AW and some ABC outlets on AM. The author replied said it wasn’t “sexy” to report on their consistent success. FM was where it was happening.
If Mr Tate thinks the age of the media buyers is to blame, then Mr Tate is wrong headed.
Media buyers, in my experience, buy to whatever audience the client brief requires. If that happens to be the 45+ pure gold in Sydney that Mr Tate says it is, then that being bought must contribute to the revenue Mr Singleton crows about earlier.
It’s difficult to understand this story as anything other than ‘White Rich Middle Aged Men Sad Their Egos Aren’t Being Stroked Enough And Their Irrefutable Brilliance Recognised Enough By Everyone Else’. Perhaps both gentlemen would like to relocate to the US of A where the hegemony of that particular demographic will likely return with a vengeance.
Coinicidentally, I was at lunch yesterday and my brother in-law said ” I bet you wish you were still at 2GB after their 100th consecutive ratings win” (I was responsible for agency sales, in what was without a doubt the most frustrating year of my 27 year ad sales career to date)
Of course I replied not at all, as I explained that whilst the ad agencies didn’t prioritize the number 1 wins – the clients direct yielded phenomenal results and the revenue Mr.Singleton ‘crows about’ is delivered by these same clients – I believe his frustration, as with mine, is the fact these revenues should be much higher if the media buyers bought to the audience the client brief requires…
He’s absolutely correct, of course, and Mumbrella leads the pack. Take the radio ratings story headline a couple of days ago:
” Melb – Fox claims crown ”
Umm, no they didn’t. They came second, beaten nicely by – shock, horror – an AM station (3AW).
Go back of the last, say, 100 survey results and Mumbrella shows beyond any doubt that it has an FM fixation.
Hi Rrrrrosco,
You have conveniently missed the first header on that article about 2GB’s win.
The problem in a way is being a victim of their own success – the news will always be angled on where the movement and action is. 2GB/3AW wins again ain’t going to get read, it’s taken as a given.
Cheers,
Alex – editor, Mumbrella
Amen. You can add the fact that NO ONE LISTENS TO THE ADS ON MUSIC RADIO. They just flick from song to song. TSL shows that.
Selling the furphy that is FM radio is the biggest marketing achievement of the past 20 years. It’s worthless.
Sam, agree 100%.
Ads….flick immediately to another station.