Three Questions: Joan Warner
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It was a big 2016 in radio, as the New Year rolls in; we are asking a bunch of you three quick questions. Up next it’s the CEO of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner.
The year in review, what are you most pleased with from 2016.
This year has been an exciting year of continued growth in audience and revenue. The first ever Share of Audio study reconfirmed radio’s dominance and reminder that commercial radio continues to reach more Australians than any other audio platform. It has been a year of innovation with the launch of RadioApp, allowing listeners to stream 250 Australian radio stations providing yet another way listeners can access live and local Australian radio anytime anywhere. The industry has also announced the Automated Holdings partnership with AudioNET. Plus, the appointment this year of Xtra Insights as the official provider of regional surveys, outside of the GfK contract has resulted in 27 surveys this year alone, validating a regional radio audience of 3.9 million people. Exciting progress in DAB+ digital radio with 27% of metro listening to DAB+ each week and significant progress in regional rollout with permanent services recently announced for Canberra, Darwin and Hobart. We also reached settlement in the long running simulcast case with the PPCA.
Biggest challenge facing radio in the next 12-months?
Radio industry’s biggest challenge in the next 12 months is to continue to grow revenue and audience and to work with Government on the reduction of the onerous red tape burden carried by radio. We are also looking for another licence fee reduction. Another exciting challenge will be working with partner AudioNET on the rollout to all commercial stations of the automated holdings software. It is an Australian and possibly world first across an entire media industry and we are aiming to have testing complete in the first quarter of 2017 and rollout complete by end the third quarter. This advancement will make radio ads easier to buy and facilitate more efficient interaction between commercial radio stations and networks and media agencies .
Favourite song of 2016?
Adele – Hello
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