In May of this year, KIIS FM national drive show hosts, Will McMahon and Woody Whitelaw extended their contracts with ARN for three years. After Mediaweek spoke with Woody yesterday, today is Will’s turn.

See more: Will & Woody part 1: KIIS drive time co-host Woody Whitelaw speaks out!

Re-signing with ARN 

McMahon said that the best thing about the new deal is the show of confidence from ARN, especially in what he would describe as a small-time show.

“Woods and I aren’t personalities or anything like that, we just have a radio show, so it’s pretty cool they think it’s a good idea to keep investing in us.”

Life in lockdown

During lockdown McMahon said that he sees people having bursts of creativity and inspiration and the pair are no different, hosting their radio show from Woody’s front porch.

“When we initially got into this game the thing that terrified me most was people putting boundaries around what I could do, but now I realise that’s when the best gear happens because you have this lens to look through. The worst thing you can give a creative person is a blank canvas, if you give someone a chair and a light bulb just wait and see what they come up with.”

During his eight plus years of broadcast radio with his partner Woody, McMahon’s opinions on content have evolved. Early on in their careers the pair wanted bigger budgets and high expectations, but he said the key to good content is enjoying the resources you have.

“It doesn’t come down to whether or not you had $20,000 to pay a guest for a five-minute interview or if you had $50,000 to do a production from a hot air balloon, it is a cool stunt, but who gives a shit? The stuff that really gets popping is when you have an authentic hilarious moment on air or when you put an actual sock on a microphone.

“One of the best things we did in lockdown was Woody’s isolation games where he just did ridiculous things, but people absolutely frothed it. Like, my bum is a drum, where he just slapped his ass into the microphone. We still play office phone bingo here in Melbourne because no one is at their desk and we ring someone’s office phone and they have to pick it up before it rings out and that doesn’t cost us a cent.”

Going national: The first year at ARN was pretty nuts

When the two best friends from Melbourne returned to their hometown after a four-year stint in Perth, they brought with them first time executive producer Tia Ucich, with the young team facing some early hurdles.

“The first year here was pretty nuts, we did this big stuff up early on with this stunt with T-shirts and mugs with Matt Tilley and Meshel Laurie’s face on them as a gag to Jase and PJ. [Matt and Meshel were replaced by Jase and PJ.] The Herald wrote an article about how Woody said he went for a boob grab on a first date with his girlfriend – it was like two or three things early on where it was like ‘oh stop’. None of these things were done with malintent, but we were keen to get over here and do stupid shit and ruffle some feathers, and we probably shouldn’t have done that in hindsight.”

McMahon said that once that early patch was behind them, they didn’t need to change much about the show to be successful on a national scale, with Ucich also blossoming into an integral part of the show’s success.

Commercial compromise

Another early challenge for McMahon was learning how to engage with the commercial part of KIIS FM, and the need to work with the brief and integration team.

“This stuff really pissed me off early on. Woody and I would go to these brief meetings and get all these briefs and we would throw around all these ideas and just get upset when they couldn’t do our ideas for us.

“I had a chat with Andy Lee early on about this and he said to me that a lot of the time he found the things he and Hamish compromised on were better solutions than what they originally wanted to put out.

“Sticking to the process and getting the right team around you is so important because both sides have to give for you to get that compromise, and that’s the only way you sell anything.”

On Monday 3 August, Sky News delivered an audience share of 5.5%, its highest audience share for 2020 and its #2 highest overnight audience share on record. Sky News was the #1 channel for the day on Foxtel.

Over the past 27 weeks Sky News has delivered an average audience share of 3.0%, ranking as the #1 channel on Foxtel.

On Monday the channel saw a +43% increase in its All Day average audience (2am – 2am) compared to the same time last week, as viewers tuned into the 24/7 news channel for the latest news and analysis surrounding Victoria’s COVID crisis, reaching 574,000 unique viewers for the day.

Afternoon Agenda anchored by Kieran Gilbert delivered its highest audience on record as viewers tuned in as Victorian State Premier Daniel Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivered live press conferences, followed by political analysis from the Sky News team.

Primetime programming featuring Credlin, The Bolt Report, Alan Jones and Paul Murray Live was up +25%, compared to the same time last week.

Additionally, the dedicated COVID channel, Sky News COVID-19 has seen an increase in viewers since the announcement of the Melbourne lockdown laws with audiences up +155% on Monday, compared to the same time last week.

Sky News Australia had 3.79 million daily video views on digital platforms on Monday 3 August, up +39% on July’s Monday averages.

Paul Whittaker, Chief Executive Officer, Sky News Australia said: “As Victoria faces its grim reality of the new COVID lockdown laws and their implications, viewers are turning to Sky News to hear the latest details, live as they happen. 

“At this critical time in the coronavirus crisis we are continuing to see an insatiable hunger for live, reliable and credible information direct from the health experts and our State and Federal Governments.”

Kieran Gilbert (pictured), Chief News Anchor, Sky News said: “It’s a time of such uncertainty and anxiety, people need accurate information as fast as possible.

“I’ve reported on national politics for close to two decades and I’ve not seen a story anywhere near this. It’s seen a sustained and increased demand for trusted news from journalists Australians trust.”

Source: OzTAM National STV, Linear data, Overnight, share rank: 2003-2020 YTD, analysis: 03/08/20 Vs STLW, channel rank: Wk 5-32, Total People, Average Audience, Share and 1Min Cume Reach.

Monday August 3 2020 aggregated video views; Brightcove, Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft, Adobe. – vs Monday 7, 14, 21 and 28 July 2020 average.

SCA iQ fuses the research, insights and strategy functions together, to better power insightful solutions for SCA’s Sales and Content teams and advertising partners and is underpinned by a suite of unique tools.

SCA iQ houses the Asia Pacific’s largest entertainment insight community with more than 300,000 members in metro and regional areas providing first party data that is a clear point of difference in market and gives SCA’s audience a voice at the table for both content and sales decisions. The community also offers behavioural insights to help shape insight-led content strategies and partner solutions by The Studio at SCA, along with demonstrating ROI and brand perception measures for advertisers.

SCA is the only media owner to invest in all three Nielsen tools at SCA iQ, including Commspoint Journey, Commspoint Influence and Consumer & Media View (CMV). Combined with SCA’s first party data, these tools enable SCA iQ to plan and pressure test solutions across the most effective channels to influence consumers at different stages of the path to purchase. 

Abi Wallis

Abi Wallis is National Head of Strategy & Insights for SCA iQ, leading the Strategy & Insights team to deliver effective solutions for advertising partners, utilising SCA’s suite of local and national platforms.

Working alongside Wallis and reporting to SCA iQ Head of Research and Insights John Musgrove, is Jasmine Beech as Head of Sales Research and Insights. Beech ensures the SCA iQ team has a comprehensive understanding of the latest consumer behaviour and attitude insights to develop solutions that engage brands and their target audiences.

Jasmine Beech

SCA Chief Sales Officer, Brian Gallagher, said: “The entire strategy for national and local sales is insight led ideation. The more we can know about our consumers and the more we can know about the challenges we’re trying to solve for our advertising partners, the more successful they are. This is where SCA iQ is invaluable.”

SCA National Head of Radio Sales, Nikki Rooke, said: “We engage with 95% of Australians every day and we want to continue to deliver value to our audience and our advertising partners. Bringing our research and strategy insights teams together to form SCA iQ propels our content and sales insights to a new level, especially as the way audio is consumed changes and areas such as live streaming, podcasting and on demand grow exponentially. Our insight communities sit within the centre of the business and it’s those insights that drive the business and our client solutions forward.”

For the first time, to enable media buyers to better understand the behaviour shift of audio listeners in 2020, Edison Research has conducted a deeper dive into two of the key players operating in the Australian market; free-to-air commercial radio and Spotify’s free subscription service.

The three sponsors of the study, including PodcastOne (a subsidiary of Southern Cross Austereo), Triton Digital and Commercial Radio Australia have used the latest data to develop a simple interactive online tool, making it quick and easy for media buyers to accurately compare the reach of commercial radio and Spotify free by age, gender and location, whilst also looking at any overlap in audiences. This will help media buyers to make informed decisions about where to direct budget based on a campaign’s target demographic.

The results highlight that commercial radio delivers superior reach and access to exclusive audiences.

Commercial radio reaches more than 14.5 million Australians aged 14+ each week, 11.2 million more listeners than Spotify’s free service.

Commercial radio reaches more than four times as many people as Spotify’s free service each week. 57% of Australians listen to commercial radio, compared with 13% for Spotify’s free service. Although music discovery is a driver of listening for some of commercial radio’s audience, the strong connection with radio talent is also a drawcard, as is the live and local content, including news, traffic, promotions, activations, station events and active listener engagement.

Commercial radio is the platform with the largest exclusive audience

Commercial radio reaches the majority (59%) of Spotify free listeners each week. For media buyers looking to maximise reach and reduce audience overlap, commercial radio is the obvious choice. Advertisers who use Spotify are tapping into only 14% of commercial radio’s mass audience, resulting in a missed opportunity to reach 12.5 million commercial radio listeners.

Read The Infinite Dial 2020 Australia report here.

Forty-one small and regional publishers will share in the $5 million available in the 2020 Round to help them address some of the significant challenges facing the news industry.

ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the funding is a boost for public interest journalism, particularly in regional areas with two-thirds of the available funding being awarded to regional applicants.

“The Innovation Fund has a strong record of helping news publishers improve their sustainability. This new round of funding will support projects that will improve each grantee’s capacity to generate public interest journalism including funding for journalists, staff training, new digital technology and website upgrades,” O’Loughlin said.

Successful recipients include:

The Trustee for Parkes-Brown Family Trust (Glasshouse Country News—Glasshouse Mountains, Queensland) will receive up to $108,200 to develop a new website and digital content publishing platform to support its production of public interest journalism and increase efficiency in production.

North Central Review Pty Ltd (North Central Review—Mitchell Shire, Victoria) will receive up to $119,410 to engage a digital marketing officer and to upgrade its online sales technology and video production equipment to improve its digital and social media presence.

Word Count Media Pty Ltd (Pittwater Life magazine, Pittwater NSW) will receive up to $42,768 to engage two specialist freelance journalists to increase public interest journalism output and support its local service delivery.

Of the forty-one successful grant recipients, 16 are from New South Wales, 12 are from Victoria, 6 are from Queensland, 2 are from South Australia, 2 are from the ACT, 2 are from Tasmania and one is from Western Australia.

Other successful applicants included:

Newstate Media (Canberra Weekly, Newcastle Weekly)
Central Coast Newspapers
The Byron Shire Echo
King Media Regional (LatteLife)
Solstice Media (InDaily and InQueensland)
The Hobart Magazine

The ACMA received more than 300 applications for the 2020 Round, almost three times the previous round.

Broadcast across TV, radio and online from 7pm AEST on Saturday night in partnership with NITV, the performance of new single “Gadigal Land” will be a highlight of the night as the music community comes together to celebrate First Nations culture. The song takes its name from Sydney’s traditional owners, many of whom continue to live in the city. The Gadigal (also sometimes spelt “Cadigal”) lands include what is now the CBD plus areas from South Head through to the inner west. “Gadigal Land” is a provocative recount of what happened in this place, and elsewhere in Australia, since 1788.

This single is the first new music from Midnight Oil in nearly 20 years. It features special contributions by vocalists Kaleena Briggs, Bunna Lawrie, Dan Sultan plus a lyrical section written and delivered by Gadigal poet, Joel Davison. Like all the band’s new recordings it was produced by long time collaborator Warne Livesey who also helmed legendary Midnight Oil albums, “Diesel & Dust”, “Blue Sky Mining” and “Capricornia”.

The incendiary rock track is drawn from “The Makarrata Project” – a themed mini-album of collaborations with Indigenous artists. Midnight Oil will donate its share of any proceeds it receives from this release to organisations which seek to elevate The Uluru Statement From The Heart in particular and Indigenous reconciliation more broadly (https://ulurustatement.org/). Sony Music Entertainment Australia will match any artist contribution.

The awards, broadcast on National Indigenous Television (NITV), Double J, National Indigenous Radio Service, TEABBA, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter at 7pm AEST on August 8 will also feature a tribute to the Warumpi Band with an exclusive performance of ‘My Island Home’ featuring songwriter Neil Murray and the artist who took it to the mainstream, Christine Anu alongside TSI rapper Mau Power, Jim Moginie and Rob Hirst. The event also welcomes national treasure Archie Roach, Gumbaynggirr and Yamatji singer Emma Donovan and the new guard of Australian music including Gamilaraay singer Thelma Plum, Pitjantjatjara and Torres Strait Island R&B star Miiesha, Numbulwar band Mambali and  triple j Unearthed competition winner JK-47.

Thelma Plum

The awards will be hosted by Elaine Crombie (Top Of The Lake, Top End Wedding, Black Comedy) and Steven Oliver (Faboriginal, A Chance Affair, Black Comedy) and feature crosses to superstars Jessica Mauboy, Mitch Tambo and Electric Fields, and remote communities including Yirrkala and Broome, bringing a fun, inclusive, sometimes emotional and family-friendly program. The public can engage across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, creating a unique online event celebrating community and connection at a time where it’s needed most.

—

Top Photo: Jessica Mauboy

Open for entries from 15 August – 15 September 2020, the SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition is searching for the next generation of bold new voices that reflect the diversity of contemporary Australia, providing them with a platform to share their unique experiences and perspectives.

An initiative from SBS Voices, SBS’s online platform which champions the voices of diverse and often underrepresented Australians, the competition has been created to support the discovery and development of emerging talent and contribute to greater diversity in Australian storytelling.

Writers aged 18 and over are invited to submit a memoir piece of 1,000-2,000 words on the topic of ‘Growing up in diverse Australia’. The winning submission will be awarded a $5,000 prize to further their storytelling future, as well as having their story published on SBS Voices.

Entries will be judged by acclaimed author Melissa Lucashenko, winner of the 2019 Miles Franklin award for her novel Too Much Lip, and Benjamin Law, creator and co-writer of the award-winning SBS TV program The Family Law and editor of Growing Up Queer in Australia.

SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition judge, Benjamin Law, said: “The SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition is so necessary and important. Given the rich diversity of Australia’s multicultural communities, we don’t nearly have enough of that diversity in publishing. And we’re definitely not hearing enough from young people. Thankfully we have a lot more young and diverse writers coming up through the ranks, but I want to hear more.”

Fellow judge, Melissa Lucashenko, said: “Australia is so much more than we have been led to believe. This is a country of Black, brown and yellow voices, both heard and unheard. It is the country of those who know they don’t feature in the mainstream imagination. The country of those excluded, and downtrodden and for too long left out of the picture. As a First Nations writer and the child of refugees, I feel a strong compulsion to say to emerging writers: you matter. Your story matters. I’m listening. Together we can make change happen.”

Marshall Heald, director of TV and online content at SBS, added: “SBS is committed to sharing stories that explore diverse cultures and experiences, and reflect what it means to be Australian today. We’re excited about the opportunity to discover and support new talent through the SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition and elevate the next generation of diverse voices through this important initiative.”

There will also be a $3,000 prize awarded for second place, and two honourable mentions will each receive $1,000, to support the emerging writers to further develop their skills and knowledge. Winning entries will be announced in November 2020, with all winning entries having their stories published on the SBS Voices website.

Writers from diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, are encouraged to enter submissions to share their unique experiences.

Entries open 15 August 2020 and must be submitted online at sbs.com.au/writers.

—

Top Photo: Benjamin Law (Photo: SBS/Daniel Francisco Robles)

While live Red Room concert appearances have been put on hold because of Covid-19, the pandemic has not hampered the ambitions of Nova Entertainment’s Claire Marshall to continue to bring listeners unique experiences.

As the broadcaster’s music marketing director, Marshall these days organises and oversees Nova’s Red Room live performances and Q+As from her home office instead of from some of the most intimate, and sometimes largest, venues around the world.

Yesterday it was the turn of Katy Perry to chat to fans in a live stream Q+A. There was no music performed, but that didn’t stop Perry from dressing up for the appointment as she allowed fans to virtually enter her US home. While Perry looked every inch the glamorous pop star, she revealed to fans she just have had something a little more casual on underneath!

“I usually work at a ferocious pace, but today I am more relaxed which is why I have my pyjama bottoms on.”

The Q+A was hosted by Nova’s Smallzy who will be featuring highlights from the interview on his national award-winning #1-rating Smallzy’s Surgery program Wednesday night.

When Smallzy asked Perry if it was true she had made a lot of music videos for the tracks on her new album due August 28, she replied: “I made a visual component for every single song.” She added a video for the title track, Smile, will be released August 14.

The questions from the dozen fans who got to meet Perry revealed some interesting facts. Like how Perry spent part of her weekend. Shopping at Target, by herself and wearing a mask. “I spent two hours there and walked every aisle.” She bought a bookcase which she then assembled by herself at home on Sunday night.

Other questions included:

Advice for people hoping for a career in entertainment?
“Important to learn a skill.”

Had she considered releasing a documentary or writing a book?
“I am only five chapters into a life that might have eight or more. Who knows what my next era is going to be.”

Katy Perry’s song writing process?
“I mostly write about my own experiences. I do have a couple of collaborators who help me with lyrics.”

Recording during lockdown?
“Luckily most of the new album was finished beforehand. It was amazing some of the stuff that happened.”

Values she would pass on to her daughter (who is due soon)?
“Integrity. Justice. I always give people the benefit of the doubt.”

Nova’s next Red Room Live Stream will connect fans with British pop sensation The Vamps with a performance and Q&A in the second week of August.

The Vamps will perform their pop rock hits ‘Somebody to You’ and ‘All Night’ along with new single ‘Married in Vegas’, a song created remotely in lockdown. Listeners will also be treated to an intimate fan Q & A with the band.

Listeners can win their exclusive invitation to take part in Nova’s Red Room Live Stream with The Vamps by entering at novafm.com.au and listening to Smallzy’s Surgery.

One of the most respected voices in Australian sport, Hill will add his distinguished tone to the featured game on every matchday of the Champions League knockout stages, in addition to the finals of both European tournaments.

“To have the privilege of calling the world’s best club competition is a huge honour, and hopefully I can do it justice for our Australian audience,” Hill said.

“Many people rate it a better standard of football than the World Cup, and it’s easy to see why. The world’s best all want to play in this competition, and it has a history that resonates with so many around the world.”

Hill’s voice is the soundtrack to some of the biggest moments in Australian football, such as the Socceroos’ 2005 World Cup qualification, the nation’s first men’s World Cup goal in 2006, and the Asian Cup Final triumph in 2015.

The Manchester-born commentator will call the Champions League for the first time since 2005 and brings a wealth of experience from his time living and breathing football in Europe.

Whilst always neutral in the commentary box, the Manchester City supporter’s first task will be to call the second leg of City’s Round of 16 tie with Real Madrid this Saturday – which will be a unique moment in his career.

“Twenty odd years ago, I stood on an open terrace at York City watching my team lose in the third division, so that win at the Bernabeu in the first leg had me rubbing my eyes in disbelief,” Hill said.

“All the remaining Round of 16 ties are finely balanced, and of the others I’d say Napoli v Barcelona holds the most fascination, especially as I love the firebrand that is Gennaro Gattuso!”

“Of the players – to get to watch and call the likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, De Bruyne, Lewandowski – I think that speaks for itself.”

Joining Hill and host Richard Bayliss across the coverage will be former Socceroos Mark Schwarzer, John Aloisi, Craig Moore, Luke Wilkshire and Scott McDonald, along with former UEFA Champions League semi-finalist Michael Bridges, and Matildas legend Heather Garriock.

“To add Simon to Optus Sport’s Champions and Europa League coverage really is a privilege for us,” said director of sport and presenter Richard Bayliss.  

“The hair stands up on your neck when you hear Simon’s great calls of those seminal moments in Australian football, and to have him call the best club competition on the planet will be something to savour.

“After the Round of 16 ties are completed, there are no more return legs; each match is a knockout. This mini tournament where games come thick and fast means it will be one of the most unique spectacles European football has ever seen.”

Hill will also appear as a weekly columnist on sport.optus.com.au, and on Optus Sport’s European matchday podcasts.

In addition to live studio coverage which includes extensive post-match discussion for breakfast-time viewing, Optus Sport will provide Mini Matches and highlights for each game, as well as magazine shows, features, interviews, press conferences and behind the scenes material, as well as in-depth written features.

The UEFA Champions League resumes on Saturday morning at 4.45am AEST when Manchester City take a 2-1 advantage into their tie with Real Madrid, while Juventus look to overturn a 1-0 deficit to Lyon in Turin.

The UEFA Europa League Round of 16 stage resumes on Thursday morning with four matches, including Manchester United’s second leg against LASK – featuring Australian midfielder James Holland.

However, with Umbrella Academy hovering near the top and its second season being released on July 31, the show may find itself at the top of the Digital Original and Overall TV chart next week.

Last week the Netflix Original Cursed joined the Digital Original charts and it has continued with that momentum this week as it finds itself well placed on the charts once again.

The show’s first season premiered on July 17 and is based on the illustrated novel of the same name by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler. The story is a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend centring on Nimue who becomes the Lady of the Lake. The series stars Australian actress  Katherine Langford who is best known for the Netflix Original and TV Demand chart regular 13 Reasons Why.

Seven News 1,189,000/1,151,000
Nine News 1,107,000/1,019,000
ABC News 878,000
A Current Affair 728,000
7.30 712,000
The Project 363,000/564,000
10 News 421,000/265,000
Sunrise 269,000
The Drum 224,000
Today 220,000
News Breakfast 218,000
SBS World News 175,000
Nine News Late 137,000

Tuesday TV

Seven: Home and Away dipped from 650,000 Monday to 600,000 last night.
Australia’s Got Talent struggled to keep up with competitors at 7.30pm as it ranked #5 with programs starting at 7.30pm with 311,000.
There was AFL football featuring a clash between contenders Richmond and Brisbane last night, but it was a program for Fox Footy viewers only.
Seven’s second of two Olympic Games docos then screened with 221,000 watching after 260,000 watched last week. 

Nine: A Current Affair started the week on 813,000 and then did 728,000 last night.
Australian Ninja Warrior was the best non-news performer with an audience again over 800,000 which secured Nine a big Tuesday win.
The movie London Has Fallen followed with 262,000.

10: Bachelor in Paradise was again just over half a million before The Masked Singer and The Bachelor take over the weeknight 7.30pm timeslots for 10 next week.
Earlier in the night The Project was on 564,000 with another recent Bachelor in Paradise visitor amongst the guests. 

ABC: Shaun Micallef has helped turn Tuesday nights around for the channel recently and the final of the three-part Shaun Micallef’s On the Sauce did 540,000 after 595,000 last week.
Also helping keep the share above 14%, as the channel outrated Seven and 10 in Sydney and Melbourne, was the return of Anh’s Brush with Fame on 685,000.
Earlier in the night Leigh Sales hosted 7.30 from home while self-isolating with 712,000 watching.

SBS: Great Asian Railway Journeys found a place in the top 20 as Michael Portillo pulled an audience of 319,000 as he travelled north across Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City.
Insight then did 161,000.