Dave Cameron on why The Morning Crew on 2DayFM will reset the station’s fortunes

Former Editor & Content Director

As 2020 draws to a close, Southern Cross Austereo’s (SCA) chief content officer, Dave Cameron, has opened up about the new era for the Hit Network, in particular the revitalised Breakfast offering for 2DayFM in Sydney.

The new Breakfast show will feature Dave ‘Hughesy’ Hughes and Ed Kavalee – who this year helmed the national Drive show – alongside new recruit, Nine personality, Erin Molan.

The Sydney market is already stacked with strong shows, in particular 2Day’s former breakfast hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, now over on Australian Radio Network’s (ARN) KIIS 106.5.

And realistically, for years, with various lineups and attempts to taking on the K&J juggernaut, 2Day’s Breakfast offering has not been a real contender.

So what makes this time any different?

Cameron said he has every confidence in the new The Morning Crew show because, well, he’s basically already heard it on the air all year, in the form of Hughesy & Ed.

“We know the show,” he told Radio Today following the release of Survey 8 results, in which 2Day had a 4.2% share in Breakdfast. “I mean, it’s already on the air, and it’s awesome, and it’s got great chemistry and it’s a lot of fun and it’s hilarious, and we’re not going into something we don’t know.

“We feel like we’ve got a really strong product that starts on day one, versus other times where we’ve taken a different approach, which was to develop shows on the run and on the go, and start with something fresh.”

This time around, he said, the team knows what it’s delivering to market and how strong the players are.

And Molan, he said will be the “secret sauce”, which “feels really exciting for us”.

It is, he said, the best opportunity for 2Day to reboot.

Chief content officer, and the man ultimately in charge of The Kyle & Jackie O Show at KIIS, ARN’s chief content officer Duncan Campbell, said the network runs its own race, but he will keep a close eye on how the new SCA offerings unfold.

“I mean obviously we don’t dismiss them, and we look at what they’re doing. I think you always have to run your own race unless you’re forced to run another one, but we’ve been very consistent with our approach to these stations, and as a result we’ve had some very consistent survey results over several years. And we have a lot of confidence on our strategy,” he told Radio Today.

In the most recent results, KIIS Sydney had a 11.3% share in Breakfast.

His Sydney station is strong, he said, but he won’t get too cocky.

“To sit here and say I don’t see them as any threat would be a bit naive, and a bit immature of me to do that, but we take every move the other networks make seriously, and we assess them, and if we need to counter-program against that, we do. And that’s always ongoing with how we operate.”

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The Real Donald
17 Dec 2020 - 5:12 pm

Unfortunately after a couple of bad survey results it will be renamed The Mourning Crew.

Lee
17 Dec 2020 - 6:01 pm

2Day have said the same thing about every team they’ve installed. And H&E’s performance in Sydney drive has been less than stellar.

I don’t see this team being the white horse 2day is hoping for.

B
17 Dec 2020 - 6:01 pm

Dan and Maz was an established show on 2DAY for years before doing brekkie in 2015, and look how that turned out for them.

Rob Sutton
17 Dec 2020 - 6:08 pm

How do these over paid clowns keep their job when they keep failing?

Remember when they said Mel B was the secret sauce lol

Kane
17 Dec 2020 - 6:35 pm

anyone hear Kate L on the pick up this week say she declined the breakfast role at 2dayfm? So Erin was second choice it seems. maybe not so secret sauce Dave.

W
17 Dec 2020 - 9:09 pm

Bodge should be in that line up.
Not sure why he hasn’t been snapped up yet…

Richo
18 Dec 2020 - 9:57 am

SCA couldn’t afford Kate Lambroek it’s that simple, got Erin and Ed cheap.

Lisa
18 Dec 2020 - 10:57 am

Dave Cameron and Grant Blackley might be reaching for the special sauce when the ratings come in

John
18 Dec 2020 - 11:25 am

How much airbrushing do they need for the promo pic… trying to hold onto a certain demographic it seems.

John
18 Dec 2020 - 12:58 pm

I have a great deal of confidence in Dave’s remarks, I mean, we’ve heard them before, they’re awesome, the series of words chosen all have great chemistry and it’s not something we don’t know.

A couple of extra words in the mix there make up the special sauce and that feels really exciting for me.

I reckon these comments are in a race all on their own and they form the perfect reboot for 2021.

Brighton
19 Dec 2020 - 11:28 am

they need Bazz and Pilko or maybe Ric Melbourne, what the heck bring back Uncle Doug

Michael
19 Dec 2020 - 11:49 am

There is a spot in the FM market in Sydney for a news/talk/sport station. 2GB is trying desperately to get a younger audience as they can see the writing on the wall, the same as 2UE found out many years ago. Younger people grew up with FM. I’m not suggesting 2DAY do it, but I tell you it will happen. I wonder who has the gonads to do it? Funnily enough, this year would have been the perfect time to launch with Covid dominating everything and listeners turning to news/talk. Possibly a chance missed there.

Chris
20 Dec 2020 - 3:50 pm

Hamish Blake has now moved to Sydney.
As predicted he is readying himself for next 2dayfm breakfast lineup when this lot fails in 12-24 months.

Ryan Flynn
21 Dec 2020 - 1:25 pm

The day Guy Dobson “said Kyle and Jackie O were over and too 90’s” was the end of 2Day also would appear that people still love the 90’s then!!!!!!

But seriously once Austereo let them go that was the end of 2Day lets just call it hows it played out.

On top of that Austereo got rid of Duncan after MMM and when they bought PM-FM in Perth they did it again…….he went overseas then came back to rewrite the history book, and focused……and is beyond doubt he’s a winner of the contest.

Score card; SCA – 0 Duncan Campbell 2

SCA can only hope Kyle and Jackie retire to give 2day any chance…..or get the money out to but them back……but I doubt ARN would be stupid enough to repeat the mistake SCA made.

end of story

Tish
25 Dec 2020 - 12:52 pm

LOL
Another breakfast show.
This is truly incredible.

Dave
26 Dec 2020 - 7:02 pm

Reminds me of the same press release in 2014 and all the changes after that.

troy
30 Dec 2020 - 7:14 pm

Let’s give it 12 months and Dave/Gemma will be saying the same thing about their next show. Why not employ radio announcers rather than TV stars? Kyle and Jackie O, Amanda and Jonesy, Christian O’Connell, Jodie and Soda, all radio people who are on top of their game and the list could go on. But they (SCA) insist on putting on TV stars/comedians/ sportspeople and then wonder why it doesn’t work?

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