According to several well-placed sources, Mediaweek understands the Australian Radio Network’s (ARN) Chief Audience and Content Officer Lauren Joyce has been made redundant.
Joyce was part of ARN’s public response to the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) proposed new licence conditions linked to The Kyle & Jackie O Show and its $200 million talent deal with Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.
Unless successfully challenged, the ACMA ruling would see any program involving the pair operate under tighter licence conditions for five years, including a requirement to comply with clause 2.2 of the Commercial Radio Code covering the respectful treatment of callers and on-air participants.
Joyce told Mediaweek in a recent interview that the proposed conditions had driven an intentional recalibration of the show’s content. “We have pared back some of that more extreme content,” she said, describing it as part of a broader tightening under intense scrutiny.
On the ongoing investigation, she stayed on script: “We respect the regulator and the Commercial Radio Code of Practise and our responsibilities as a licence holder, and we will provide a formal response in due course as part of the process.”
Pressed further, Joyce declined to elaborate. “It’s not appropriate for us to discuss those details at this stage. We will continue to engage with ACMA on this and formalise a statement when appropriate.”
Melbourne results and the $200 million question
Joyce has also been central to ARN’s positioning around the performance of the Melbourne extension of The Kyle & Jackie O Show, nearly two years after the high-profile talent deal was signed.
However, as Mediaweek understands, Joyce was not instrumental in either the crafting or the signing of the deal.
In Survey 7, Melbourne breakfast slipped from 6% to 5.5%, with cume easing from 427,000 to 402,000. Joyce emphasised that the numbers needed to be viewed in context: “The station as a whole, and that breakfast lot, is still very much within the historical range of that station.”
Kyle and Jackie O on stage at the ARN Upfronts
“You’re right, the show went down slightly, but the station went up slightly” she said. “We do know that we’re delivering a solid product down there and absolutely we have a job to do to attract more listeners to breakfast and then translate that across the day.”
Joyce stressed ARN’s commitment to the long-term play: “We will continue to support the show to deliver the best content that they can and, of course, the combination of both on-air and off-air marketing to attract new audiences to the station.”
More to come.