What's New
BY Sarah Patterson June 29, 2026
What's New September 25, 2025
“If we cannot celebrate our industry and its people, then what do we have?”
Reporter
“If we cannot celebrate our industry and our people, then what do we have?”
Audio integration expert and proud ACRA winner Zak Davies says the permanent cancellation of the Australian Commercial Radio Awards is devastating news for our industry.
“How do we benchmark our greatest achievements? How do we motivate our people to do their best work if we can no longer profile them and their success in front of their peers? How do we attract young talented people and maintain radio as an aspirational medium?”
Davies – recently appointed Content & Promotions Director at amplifyCBR, operators of Canberra’s Mix 106.3 and Hit 104.7 – says radio remains relevant and, no matter the platform it is on, requires people to create and deliver content that engages and connects with its audience.
“As an industry we must fight to recognise our people and celebrate their work. Certainly on a national level, but more crucially on a regional level – the birthing suite and nursery of our industry – we need to ensure that we are nurturing our upcoming talent.”
Davies has flagged the idea of like-minded individuals and organisations getting together to create a new regional Australia awards system to celebrate industry achievements, based on the New Zealand model of a telecast event which awards framed certificates instead of lavish trophies.
“The reward is the industry and peer recognition even if it is just 30 seconds of your name and photo being flashed up,” he says.
Davies worries that if Australia’s radio industry loses its awards system now, it will never get it back.
“And people who are far too young to say so will say ‘Remember the good old days?!’”
*Images: CRA
“As an industry we must fight to recognise our people and celebrate their work. Certainly on a national level, but more crucially on a regional level – the birthing suite and nursery of our industry – we need to ensure that we are nurturing our upcoming talent.”
This is the content director of the regional Hit station that has a former metro announcer and CD in his 50s on breakfast? Correct?
Hi Chris, you are absolutely correct about Rod but as well versed as you may think you are on the Hit 104.7 station I should also remind you that Rod is an industry veteran with remarkable credentials as a broadcaster and CD who has helped, and continues to develop many young broadcasters careers with great success. If you genuinely believe that age is a major factor in being able to relate to an audience may I suggest that you have a think about the age profile of some other announcers on significant metro breakfast shows. You may find that talent and professionalism is far more defining.
Now to address your slant towards me, for context readers of your comment should also know that our workday announcer recently stepped up from her former role at Hit Shep, the brekky EP is in her first fulltime radio gig and we’re currently working with several people in their teens and early 20’s and giving them on-air experience and training. This also goes through to our Newsroom and of course well proven Promotions pipeline. So I think we’re doing okay when it comes to backing my comments about nurturing young talent.
As ever, Chris, if you want to discuss this with me or give me some additional pointers feel free to drop me a line, I’m fairly certain you have my number 😉
EDITOR’S NOTE: Some comments in this thread have been modified and some containing personal comments have not been published.