Return to radio ratings: ARN’s Ciaran Davis on lockdowns, stand downs and trusting in audio
With GfK radio ratings paused during COVID-19 and reporting set to return at the end of September, the industry has faced a rare period without constant reporting. Is that a chance to take the foot off the pedal, make big changes or continue with business as normal? Mumbrella’s Hannah Blackiston spoke with ARN CEO Ciaran Davis to find out.
It’s August when I speak to Australian Radio Network’s CEO Ciaran Davis, and we’ve currently been through six months of restrictions and lockdowns relating to COVID-19. As well as the impacts of the virus pushing the country into its first recession in nearly 30 years, the media industry has also been devastated by the pandemic.
But things are set to return to normal, or closer to normal, soon for the radio industry. Australian Radio Network (ARN) CEO Ciaran Davis spies green shoots on the horizon, although they had to follow ‘intense cancellations’, and the GfK radio ratings reporting is set to return at the end of this month.
ARN, which features both the Kiis network and Gold FM, planned for the return with a marketing push across its network, focusing on talent, which is something incredibly important to the network, says Davis. While talent is obviously a vital part of good radio in all cases, ARN has made its commitment clear with long contracts that lock in its key people like Kyle Sandilands, Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and Christian O’Connell.
