Our annual listing of 25 media executives who made a difference this year and are shaping how 2018 will look.
Rob Atkinson, CEO, Australian Radio Network
The former CEO of Adshel had been doing a good job in the outdoor space. With parent company HT&E now largely reliant on radio and out-of-home revenues, former radio CEO Ciaran Davis looked to Atkinson to run the critical radio business after former chief Tony Kendall segued into a group commercial role.
When Atkinson joined midyear, Davis noted he expected much more from the radio business. Atkinson and his team subsequently delivered with the all-important KIIS and WSFM Sydney stations reporting strong enough ratings that it lifted the group to a best-ever national performance with help from the other metro markets too.
The performance in Melbourne was not enough to convince programmers of long-term success so they have dropped both KIIS and Gold breakfast shows in that market and for good measure also hired a new KIIS drive team. Some of the talent is largely unknown to the Melbourne market – which is part of the attraction of being able to shape something from scratch.