A passion for localism

When chatting to Nick Hay, the expression “There is no ‘i’ in the word ‘team’” comes to mind.

Deflecting attention from himself, the General Manager of Mixx FM and 3CS would much rather shine a spotlight on his staff, in the wake of Colac’s first Xtra Insights radio survey in five years.

In fact, for Hay, working with his team is the best part of his job.

There was huge cause for celebration earlier this month at the ACE Radio stations in Victoria’s Western District, with Mixx FM and 3CS securing the top 2 spots across the airwaves.

The results (now based on a differing survey area) show Mixx FM had a huge 10+ audience share, while in the 10-40 age group,  Mixx had around six times the audience share of anyone else.

3CS dominated the 50+ demographic, while both stations increased their combined audience by 16%.

Hay (pictured above) tells Radio Today “I have always had a great little team in Colac, a hardworking, passionate bunch, who love what they do.  They live and breathe their local communities and I feel that passion comes through on air.”

Hay says he feels a huge sense of pride in the survey result.

“Pride in my team, pride in the product that we deliver and a lot of pride in my community for engaging in what is a fiercely local product.”

“We are incredibly proud of the trust our audiences place in us and are committed to delivering exceptional local content that entertains, informs, and unites the communities we broadcast to.”

Content Director Matt Lipiarski (pictured above) is equally proud, telling Radio Today “A lot of hard work behind the scenes has taken place over the last handful of years to ensure our brand in the community stands out.”

“We’ve had some changes over the last year or two with our on-air team but it hasn’t skipped a beat. It’s a nice reward for effort!”

Given it’s been five years since the last survey, Hay says the strong result is a great endorsement of what they’re doing, both on air and across social media.

For Lipiarski, the survey result brought with it a feeling of excitement, happiness – and relief – across all departments.

“Many staff here have ridden the ups and downs over the last few years and to see them enjoying the results was a nice touch.”

“We all work well in a team so the chance to celebrate and hang out together made it even better.”

As a born and bred Colac boy who went to the local high school, Hay has a deep-rooted connection to the local community.

“I have been fortunate to advance my professional career without leaving my hometown,” says Hay.

Hay says he has gained valuable insights under the guidance of respected General Managers such as Grant Johnstone and Cathy Jubb.

Hay counts himself lucky to have worked for some great leaders, and says Rowly Paterson, Stephen Everett and Mark Taylor have all had a positive influence on his career to date.

“I am fortunate to work with a leadership group within the ACE Radio network that have always had great comradery and friendship. GMs with years of industry experience like Peter Headen, Paul Gadsden and Stephen Jones are great cultural drivers in our business.”

Lipiarski – who grew up in Melbourne – has loved the world of media for as long as he can remember.

And while he juggles several different roles, Lipiarski takes it all in his stride.

“I co-host the local Breakfast show on Mixx, I’m the Content Director for 3CS and Mixx, and just for good measure I program the FM music for ACE.”

For Lipiarski, all those roles have their own highlights.

“The Brekky show is just straight up fun. Content directing wise, I’m fortunate to work with a great team who really push themselves to be better and to have a hand in helping them is a good feeling.”

“And as for music, I just love it, and when you love doing something it’s not really work.”

As for the future, Hay says radio always seems to adapt to the ever changing media landscape.

“We have consistently embraced digital technologies, and we continue to provide content that resonates with our target audience, the future is strong!”

“But the big one for me in regional radio is localism.  I have a strong passion for localism, because in a time when ‘share of ear’ has never been more competitive, if you do ‘local radio’ well, you have no competitors.”

Lipiarski reckons it’s pretty hard to argue with that.

“Localism is key, and it’s one thing we do so well at Colac.”