Radio

The Courier-Mail is predicting this morning that Nova 106.9 will look outside Brisbane to find a replacement for Ash Bradnam, who has officially parted ways with the former No.1 station. I reckon that would be a big mistake. There is plenty of talent in this city, and now's the time for Nova to make a fresh start by grooming a local rather than trying to parachute in a "star" from elsewhere - especially since anchor Tim Blackwell has been in town for less than a year. I'd suggest the powers that be spend a bit of time listening to other radio stations (commercial, community and the ABC), visiting comedy clubs and scouring the net.
PS: On 612ABC, Spencer Howson and I spoke about Lara Bingle, Doctor Who and stealing stationery. The audio has been posted here.

DMG's Vega stations are to be renamed Classic Rock 95.3 and Classic Rock 95.1, according to a report in Media Week.

Meshel Laurie has confirmed on Twitter that Ash Bradnam has left Brisbane's Nova 106.9. Laurie replied "Yep" when asked by Twitterer @iMatt93 if this was the case because only she and Tim Blackwell now appeared on the station's website. Bradnam only rejoined the station's breakfast program recently after a hiatus in which he entered rehab following his arrest and subsequent conviction for drink-driving last year. Nova's breakfast show lost its long-held No.1 spot to B105's Labby, Camilla and Stav in the first ratings survey for 2010. Laurie said via Twitter direct message that she could comment no further.
Disclosure: Brett Debritz is heard on 612ABC's Breakfast with Spencer Howson program, which is joint No.1 in breakfast with B105.

Rather than shave his head, 612 ABC's Spencer Howson is raising funds for the Leukaemia Foundation, via Sandgate High School, by threatening to wear a mankini if Members of State Parliament don't collectively cough up $1000. You can hear the audio here or donate directly to the Shave for a Cure campaign here.
Disclosure: Brett Debritz is heard on 612ABC on Friday mornings at 6.50am Brisbane time. You can listen online (if you have Windows Media software) here.

In the UK, commercial radio stations are licensed to provide a certain service. If they want to change their format, they have to apply to the regulator, Ofcom. The Guardian reports that a station in Wales, Nation Radio, has received permission to play "credible rock and avoiding 'manufactured' pop". Well done, Ofcom.

If you missed me on Spencer Howson's program on 612ABC, the audio has been posted here. We spoke about the possibility that I will run as an independent candidate for Lord Mayor of Brisbane -- on the grounds that local government decision-making in the city is far too politicised (and has been since 1955). I also asked: since when is 60 "elderly"?

The internet continues to present a challenge for radio folk who've never had to know how to spell. Here's a bit of my pedantry on Twitter (read from the bottom up):

I am trying to put together a showreel of highlights from my various radio spots and decided to search for audio on the ABC Brisbane website. Although I know Spencer Howson posts my segment every week, a search for "Debritz" at abc.net.au/brisbane yielded just one result (from 2007, when I co-judged a 612ABC competition with Lord Mayor Campbell Newman) and this message:

Luminaries from the Brisbane media, past and present, gathered at the Paddington Tavern on Friday night to say to farewell to producer Majella Marsden, who is retiring after 30 years working in broadcasting. Majella has worked with 4BK, 4BC, B105, Channel 9, River 949 and, most recently, 612ABC. Among those on hand to say farewell were Wayne Roberts (who is also Majella's brother in law), Rick Burnett, Billy J. Smith, Spencer Howson, Kelly Higgins-Devine, Loretta Ryan, Richard Fidler, Gerry Collins, David Greenwood, Rod "Mr T." Tiley, Peter Psaltis, Donna Lynch, Natalie Bochenski, Peter Gooch and Peter Dick. Earlier in the say, Kelly Higgins-Devine hosted an on-air farewell which included contributions from Wayne Roberts (pictured with Majella) and Jamie Dunn. More pictures from the function are here.

"You’ve heard of sexual dynamite, meet the man who’s sexual kryptonite." That's the tagline for the standup shows from Greg Sullivan, better known as Sully from Triple M Brisbane's The Cage breakfast show. He'll appear at the Brisbane Powerhouse from March2-7 as part of the Brisbane Comedy Festival which will also feature performances by Wil Anderson, Adam Hills, Josh Thomas, Kitty Flanaghan, Frank Woodley, Melinda Buttle, Felicity Ward, Peter Helliar and the Pyjama Men. Details here.

On 612ABC this morning, I spoke to Spencer Howson about the Deagon Deviation (bags, it's the title of my first novel), why I'm wearing black (it's Johnny Cash's birthday), where the $100 notes aren't (in my pocket) and how, unlike Shayne Sutton, I have a "city-wide perspective" and I'm quite happy to run for lord mayor of Brisbane for any party that will have me. The audio is here. And on the subject of Spencer, although this may seem self-serving, I think it's important to point out (especially to the journalists who made him a footnote in their reports on yesterday's radio ratings) that, while he tied for No. 1 in breakfast with B105, the survey actually covers the period of 6-9am. Spencer is on the air from 5-7.45am and, during that period, he is the outright No.1 in the market. 612ABC's ratings fall when he goes off the air. Oh, and to the commercial radio types who think the ABC doesn't count (and I know who you are): remember, every person who is listening to 612 isn't listening to you - and that should be a matter of concern to you and your advertisers.
Disclosure: Brett Debritz is currently heard on the top-rating Brisbane breakfast show with Spencer Howson on 612ABC, but is open to handsome offers involving regular fistfulls of $100 notes.

A big week in Brisbane radio, which has seen the release of the first ratings survey for 2010 and 20th anniversary celebrations for B105 and Ipswich's River 949, will culminate tonight with a party to celebrate the retirement of uberproducer Majella Marsden. Over three decades in radio, Majella has worked on popular programs at 4BK (the Wayne Roberts Show, where she was also heard on air as "Deirdre Slack"), B105 (the Morning Crew with Jamie Dunn and Ian Skippen), 4BC (the Peter Dick program, among others), River (Wayne Roberts again) and 612ABC (Breakfast with Spencer Howson and Drive with Kelly Higgins-Devine, who'll be paying tribute to Majella on air this afternoon). A big night is guaranteed, with many current and former radio stars in attendance, and there'll be news, gossip and pictures here tomorrow.

While the champagne corks have been popping at B105 and 612ABC, they'll be scratching their heads at 4BC and Nova 106.9 today. One Twitterer has already called 612's Spencer Howson (pictured) and B105's Stav Davidson the kings of Brisbane radio. Certainly, their shows tied for No. 1 in the important breakfast shift, pushing Nova 106.9 to third place. It's probably not entirely fair to single out Stav from his on-air colleagues, Labby and Camilla, but he has played a bigger role in the station's recent promotional and advertising activities. B105 has also reclaimed its crown as the No. 1 Brisbane station overall. In my view, this is the culmination of smart programming by the Austereo team and a few unfortunate incidents at Nova, including the decision by breakfast anchor Kip Wightman to quit and travel to the US in the middle of last year and the drink-driving arrest that tarnished the image of his colleague Ash Bradnam. But Nova is still in a strong position and has a good product and, barring any rash moves, should remain competitive. Commercial FM listeners will be the winners, as Triple M and 97.3FM are also performing strongly, the latter especially so among its preferred 25-plus female audience and with the all-important-to-advertisers grocery buyers. Meanwhile, at 4BC, they will be wondering why Brisbane's only commercial talk station has failed to replicate the runaway success of similar formats in Sydney and Melbourne. At BC stablemate 3AW, breakfast stars Ross Stevenson and John Burns scored 19 per cent of the breakfast audience, and the station was heard by 14.1% of the overall audience, rising to 27.4% in the 55-plus demographic. In Sydney, 2GB's Alan Jones was heard by 20% of breakfast-radio listeners, and the station had an overall share of 16.6% (people 10-plus). And 2GB has competition from 2UE which scooped up a further 6.7% of the breakfast audience and 5.8% overall. If one in four radio listeners are listening to commercial talk radio in Sydney, and one in five in Melbourne, why is 4BC rating just 6.7% with no commercial competition? It simply cannot be that Brisbane audiences are different. And it's certainly not because the breakfast team of Jamie Dunn and Ian Calder lack talent. It can only be that the former B105 stars are not appealing to the potential, and station-prefered, audience - listeners over 55. In fact, 612ABC is drawing away in the category, as well as leading 4BC overall. Perhaps it's that Dunn, the undisputed leader of the pack in Brisbane radio in the late 1980s and all of the 1990s, is better suited to a music station with well-timed and relevant comedy spots. He once said he should have moved from B105 to Triple M - but that decision was not his to make, and the B105 announcer who did make the jump, Ian Skippen, has had well-deserved success in appealing to the over-25 male audience with his Cage team of Emily-Jade O'Keeffe, Greg Martin and Greg Sullivan. Dunn is still a great talent, but he's a square peg in a round hole right now - and it seems unlikely he will stay on at BC in the long term if he can't dramatically reverse today's trend. And it's no secret in radio circles that at least one of his colleagues is eagerly waiting in the wings.
Disclosure: Brett Debritz is heard on the 612ABC Breakfast with Spencer Howson program, which was equal No. 1 in today's ratings.

In the first radio ratings survey for 2010, Brisbane's B105 has climbed to No. 1 overall and in breakfast (Labby, Camilla and Stav, pictured, tied with 612ABC's Spencer Howson), with longtime leader Nova relegated to a close third in breakfast and second overall. Despite predictions in some quarters of a stronger showing, 4BC's Jamie Dunn has lost ground in breakfast, slipping to a 6.7pc share - just avoiding the wooden spoon among the commercial broadcasters to sister station 4BH, which just squeezed ahead of Triple J. The top four performers overall were B105, Nova, Triple M and 97.3FM. Melbourne's underperforming Triple M has risen across the day, driven by stronger ratings for Eddie McGuire's Hot Breakfast, which added 1.5 percentage points - but he remains a long way behind market leader 3AW. In Sydney, Alan Jones at 2GB continues his winning ways but Nova 96.9 has had a shocker with its new breakfast team of Merrick, Dools and Ricki-Lee dropping 4 percentage points, while Triple M has gained. 2Day retained leadership among the FM stations overall and in breakfast, but lost some audience.
Brett Debritz is heard every Friday morning on 612ABC 's top-rating Breakfast with Spencer Howson program.
PS: It's five years, almost to the day, since B105 last won a survey.