Dan & Christie among the latest SCA casualties

You can’t cut your way to profit is what middle and senior management used to bemoan when cuts would come around…

What a doozy of a decision this one is. While listeners likely won’t notice huge, local advertisers do. It would’ve been far easier to sell into a networked metro show coming from the respective states capital than what will have to be an uber generic show out of Newcastle.

What an utter disgrace by SCA management. They’ll proudly trumpet the ratings in these markets and take local business’ money, but keep cutting and cutting, while I bet their execs all get their full salaries and bonuses. Did new CEO Rohan Lund sacrifice any of his salary as part of the cuts?

Hopefully the businesses in these markets invest as much as SCA does in them – nothing.

I had the pleasure to work at TTT in its heyday here in Hobart early 90’s when Robbo, Toni, David C, Adam W, Rob Logan and audio super stars Bruce Williams and Pete M, took me under their wing and helped me launch my radio career. I left over 10 years ago and do miss it.
I realise radio has changed in a HUGE way over the years, but I really don’t get these decisions. Audiences love local radio, especially here in Hobart. The anxiety for people going into work every day and wondering if they will have a job the next day is not good. anyways thats my 2 bobs worth.

good.

@One of many ex-SCA crew: I’m honestly surprised the decision wasn’t made to simply network the capital city shows into regional areas following these latest cutbacks.

And let’s face it, Nath & Emma on 2DayFM breakfast actually need something like a broadcast footprint expansion into regional areas if they’re to continue beyond the end of this year! It’d be far easier to somehow justify keeping a show on that’s ranked #8 in the Sydney market (with Triple J and 2UE breathing down their necks…) if it’s either #1 or #2 in Orange, Wagga, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, etc.

Although the way things are currently going, I sadly wouldn’t be shocked if the remaining local breakfast shows for metropolitan areas were axed in favour of completely national Hit (and maybe also Triple M) brekky shows by the end of this decade.

I simply don’t understand these decisions.

Having worked in radio sales, I’ve seen firsthand the revenue that local talent can generate, if done right. Surely the spend from local clients on campaigns, outside broadcasts, sponsorships, events and promotions outweighs the cost of a couple of salaries.

There’s absolutely a place for a mix of national and local programming, but removing local talent from MAJOR day parts risks costing more than it saves. I’ve seen it happen before.

People often say listeners don’t care whether a show is broadcasting from around the corner or interstate. That’s true to a point, but what’s often overlooked is the commercial value local personalities bring. They’re out in the community, hosting events, MCing functions, meeting listeners and building relationships with local businesses and promoting the station where they work. Without this, you simply lose this added connection to drive sales. 

That local presence creates opportunities, strengthens the station brand and helps drive revenue in ways that can’t always be measured on a spreadsheet.

The power of local talent to generate business and advocate for a station is consistently underestimated by these networks. 

In a few years they’ll be wondering why fewer people are listening, why local advertising revenue continues to decline, and why community engagement has disappeared.

If listeners want generic, non-local content, they already have access to thousands of shows, podcasts and streaming options on their phones, so why would they chose this offering?  

Radio’s competitive advantage has always been its connection to the local community and talking about content they want to hear, which is regional areas, is often local related. 

Removing local voices from key dayparts might save money today, but it risks eroding the very thing that makes local radio valuable to listeners and advertisers alike. Once that connection is lost, it’s incredibly difficult to rebuild.

Just going to leave it there .. with just ‘Good’? Someone you didn’t like got their exit papers? Nice of you to put a name to your sentiments.

Proudly national, fiercely… ? Redundant?

Wow.. the denigration of radio continues. It wasn’t too long ago that SCA saw Albury and the Gold Coast as hubs for the Hit Network. Now, they’re little more than relay stations.

Will Newcastle go the same way in the next round of cost-cutting? How long before SCA start networking their metro breakfast shows into their respective state regional markets? They already do it in SA and WA; surely that same logic makes more sense than a single show from Newcastle covering all regionals from Hobart to Cairns?

Very sad news,

Danny Lakey has been great for SCA from late nights, triple M and breakfast radio.

Dan and Christie were a decent show, surely HOFM in Hobart will love this news as only pop station with local presenters.

Don’t understand SCA management, just look at ARN trying to do national breakfast shows… it’s doesn’t work.