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10-May-07 INDUSTRY WELCOMES PASSING OF DIGITAL RADIO BILL
Australians will be able to enjoy one of the best digital radio services in the world following the passing of legislation in Federal Parliament today allowing for digital radio to be rolled out in the state capitals by 1 January 2009.
Digital radio ushers in a new era for radio and for the 95 percent of Australians who listen to radio every week,” said Joan Warner, chief executive officer of peak industry body Commercial Radio Australia, which represents 98 percent of commercial radio stations.
“The passing of the legislation means consumers will get vastly superior radio services sooner rather than later and it gives industry the certainty it needs to move ahead on the massive investment in broadcasting infrastructure that will be required.”
Ms Warner said while the legislation covered the licensing, planning and regulation for digital radio initially in the six cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart, regional and rural Australia would not miss out.
“There are around 220 commercial radio stations who play a very important role in the lives of listeners in regional and rural Australia, and it’s important that they share in the benefits that digital technology will bring,” she said.
“The industry has already started reviewing the needs of some regional licence areas. The metropolitan roll out will allow us to realistically cost the regional rollout and we will be approaching the government for assistance to help regional commercial broadcasters with the costs of digital infrastructure.”
Digital radio will provide listeners with more choice, crystal clear sound and many new features free to air. Because digital technology is so much more spectrum efficient than analogue, radio stations will be able to broadcast extra digital-only channels as well as data and images such as CD covers, weather and traffic maps and news images.
Ms Warner said the Act reflected the industry’s key policy requests and the vital role commercial broadcasters would play in the roll out and success of digital radio. “The industry appreciates the level of consultation we had with the Prime Minister and the Minister on this important area as well as the support of many Government MPs in helping to negotiate a workable set of policy settings.”
However, she said the industry was still seeking clarification on a number of aspects of the Act. These include a statutory review of the six-year moratorium period for new entrants depending on take-up levels after five years, restrictions on the allocation of new analogue commercial radio licences and broadening of allowable digital program content from “still visual images” to moving visual images such as dynamic text, animations and short burst video, which would encourage take-up. “We understood from the Minister’s policy announcement that there would be no restrictions placed on broadcasters’ use of spectrum,” Ms Warner said. “We will continue to work with the Government as the Act is implemented to ensure that the policy settings agreed between the industry and the Government come to fruition.”
Contrary to the government’s position, she said the industry considered digital radio a replacement technology for analogue broadcasting over time and not a supplementary technology.
Media contact: Judy Shaw. Ph: 02 9281 6577 or 0418 415 965.
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08-May-07 SNICKERS WINS BEST RADIO AD OF THE YEAR
An advertisement for Snickers called “Hoedown”, written by Paul Reardon and Jonas Peterson from agency, Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne, has won the 2007 Gold Siren award for best radio ad of the year, as well as a Silver Siren for winner of the single advertisement category.
The Snickers ad, announced today as winner of the industry’s annual award for creative excellence in radio advertising, will be automatically entered into the Cannes Radio Lions to be held next month The two-minute ad is the length of an entire ad break on radio and goes against the tradition of shorter, more frequently played radio spots.
Judge and member of the Siren Creative Council, comprising leading creative directors from national advertising agencies, which judged the Award, and last year’s Gold Siren winner, John Mescall of Smart agency in Melbourne said: “Hoedown won because it started life not as a radio commercial, but as an idea. And it was then brought to life free of the usual constraints most people put on themselves when creating a radio ad (it has to be 30 or 45 seconds, it needs a gag with a voiceover at the end, etc, etc). So it’s different, but still relevant. Which is what we all look for in a good ad, regardless of the medium.”
She said the credibility and importance of the Siren Awards was growing each year. “The Siren Awards provide a fantastic opportunity for excellent Australian radio creative to be recognised both at home and again at Cannes, alongside the world’s best,” Ms Warner said.
This year’s Siren winner is the third in a row from an agency based in Melbourne. Last year’s winner was an ad for Bic Pens called “Chicken Inseminator”, written by John Mescall, Rebecca Newman and Malcolm Chambers from Smart advertising agency in Melbourne. The inaugural Gold Siren Award winner in 2005 was the Victoria Bitter campaign, written by Josh Stephens and Ben Coulson from George Patterson Partners in Melbourne, with creative director, James McGrath.
The 2007 Gold Siren winner was announced today at a breakfast in Melbourne hosted by popular Austereo drive duo, Hamish and Andy and featuring renowned Australian comedian, John Clarke.
The breakfast was followed by a Masterclass, a creative seminar, also featuring Hamish and Andy and John Clarke as well as the Australian Cannes Radio Lions judge for this year, Ralph van Dijk of Eardrum Australia, who will run several interactive sessions on how to write world-class radio ads. The Masterclass will also feature Dr Rebecca Huntley, a researcher and author who will talk about reaching Generation Y effectively.
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson (02) 9281 6577 or (0402) 214 039.
Media note: Winning ads can be heard and downloaded on website: http://www.sirenawards.com.au
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23-Apr-07 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR BEST RADIO AD IN 2007
The best radio ad of 2007 will be battled out between nearly 30 ad agencies and radio stations as part of the national 2007 Siren Awards, which will be announced in Melbourne next week.
The finalists are the winners and highly commended in each of the five rounds of the Siren Awards, which acknowledge the best radio creative in Australia, and include some of the best known agencies like JWT Melbourne, Clemenger BBDO; George Patterson Y&R; Love Communications and Leo Burnett. Boutique agencies like Eardrum Australia; Smart and AJF Partnership are also represented in the finalists as are several ads written and produced by radio stations including Nova 93.7 in Perth; Sea FM and Gold FM on the Gold Coast and Austereo in Sydney.
The national Siren Awards are run by Commercial Radio Australia and are designed to recognise the best radio advertising in the country. The awards promote the importance of creativity as a way to make radio advertising more effective. The Gold Siren winner receives a trip for two to Cannes and entry into the 2007 Cannes Radio Lions to be held in June.
Last year’s Gold Sirens winner was an ad for Bic Pens called “Chicken Inseminator”, written by John Mescall, Rebecca Newman and Malcolm Chambers from Smart advertising agency in Melbourne. The same ad also won a Silver Siren for winning the overall single category.
The craft category, included for the first time last year to recognise the crucial role of sound engineers in creating good advertisements for radio, includes nine finalists this year.
The 2007 Gold Siren winner will be announced at a breakfast in Melbourne on May 4 hosted by popular Austereo drive duo, Hamish and Andy and featuring renowned Australian comedian, John Clarke. The breakfast will be followed by a Masterclass, a creative seminar, also featuring Hamish and Andy and John Clarke as well as the Australian Cannes Radio Lions judge for this year and creator of the award-winning Australian radio brand campaign, Ralph van Dijk of Eardrum Australia, who will run several interactive sessions on how to write world-class radio ads. The Masterclass will also feature Dr Rebecca Huntley, a researcher and author who will talk about Generation Y.
Both the Sirens breakfast and Masterclass will be held at The Point Albert Park in Melbourne. Commercial Radio Australia is running the event in association with the Melbourne Advertising and Design Club (MADC). The breakfast will run from 7.30am to 9:30am and the Masterclass will follow the breakfast and includes lunch. Tickets are on sale now at $395 for the breakfast and Masterclass combined and $60 for breakfast only. For a booking form and more information visit the dedicated Sirens website.
Contact: Jenny Stevenson. Ph: 02 9281 6577 or 0402 214 039.
A full list of Siren 2007 finalists is attached in the PDF document.
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17-Apr-07 CAMPAIGN FEATURING REAL PEOPLE WINS ROUND 5 OF 2007 SIREN AWARDS
A series of radio ads for 7-Eleven created with actual voice messages left by consumers has won the overall and campaign categories for round five of this year’s Siren Awards, making it eligible to be considered for the Gold Siren, to be announced next month.
The campaign, called “Choc-milkoholics”, was written by Andrew Woodhead from the agency, Leo Burnett in Melbourne. The agency put up posters in 7-Eleven stores all over Australia featuring a fake helpline to assist people addicted to chocolate milk. Over 2000 people called the hotline, and the ads were made using the most outlandish responses received.
“I’m always trying to do something a little different with radio, so I took this brief as another opportunity to try something a little off-the-wall,” said Mr Woodhead. “Using actual voice messages from the public helped give it a quirkiness that you can’t capture with voice-over talent.”
One of the judges, Matt Dickson, creative director of Nova 93.7, said: “This was one of the most enjoyable campaigns to listen to. Pure and simple silliness. For me, the campaign stood out as one of the most different sounding.”
Two entries were highly commended in the campaign category. “Stay Wake Around Your Mates” for National Foods, written by Glenn Dalton and George Freckleton from AJF Partnership and the “Snowy Mountains Brewery” written by Ralph van Dijk from agency, Eardrum.
The winner of the single category was an ad for Domain.com.au called “Parents” written by Guy Lemberg from agency Love Communications.
Two ads were highly commended in the single category. They were “Space” for Ikea written by Dav Tabeshfar from 303 Group and “This song goes out to….” for Curtin Business School, written by Joe Hawkins from Gatecrasher Advertising.
Winner of the craft category was “Shareholder” for Commercial Radio Australia, written by Ralph van Dijk of Eardrum. The ad was produced by Rod Enright of studio Song Zu.
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16-Apr-07 COMMERCIAL RADIO CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF TALKBACK
Talkback radio officially marks its 40th anniversary tomorrow, on 17 April. To celebrate the start of talkback radio in Australia in 1967, the commercial radio industry will host a “Legends of Talk” lunch featuring many of the past and present stars of the medium.
Prominent politicians will be invited to attend the lunch, which will be held later this year, and will discuss the impact of talkback radio on Australian politics and the community.
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said talkback radio has had a huge impact on shaping public opinion in Australia and also in airing a variety of views over the past forty years.
“Forty years ago, it became legally permissible to take two-way phone conversations over the air and so the talkback phenomenon began,” Ms Warner said. “Talkback radio has been and continues to be extremely influential beyond its own audience in Australia and in times of crises’, elections and disaster, listening patterns show a strong swing to talk radio.”
By 1968, 12 metropolitan stations were broadcasting more than 250 hours a week of open line programming. Stations began dial-in quizzes, music requests and programs on controversial social topics. Today, there are over 50 commercial radio stations throughout Australia which run talkback shows and on average, one in four Australians tunes into metropolitan talkback each week.
Talkback listeners also tend to be very loyal with the average listener spending 15 hours and 13 minutes listening each week. The biggest group of commercial talkback listeners are the baby boomers with 45 percent of all talkback listeners aged over 55 years, while 27 percent are aged 40-54 and 18 percent are aged 25-39.
Ms Warner said the lunch would feature both past and present stars of talk radio in Australia. Personalities invited will include stars on air on the first day of operation: Mike Walsh (2SM, Sydney); Garvin Rutherford (2SM, Sydney) and Barry Jones (3DB, Melbourne). Other on and off-air personalities to be invited include John Laws (2UE); Bob Rogers (Sydney); Ron Casey (Sydney); John Tingle (Sydney); Alan Jones (Sydney); Jeremy Cordeaux (Adelaide); Howard Sattler (Perth); Ray Hadley (2GB); Mike Carlton (2UE); Peter Fitzsimons (2UE), Angela Catterns (Vega), Stan Zemanek, George Moore, John Stanley, Brian Bury, Phillip Clark, Ernie Sigley, Ross Stevenson, John Burns, Ian Parry-Okeden, Gary O’Callaghan, Steve Price (2UE); Steve Liebmann (2UE); Clive Robertson (2UE); Neil Mitchell (3AW); Derryn Hinch (3AW); Hayden Sargeant (Brisbane); Bob Francis (5AA); Brian Wiltshire (2GB), Charles Woolley, Liam Bartlett and Bettina Arndt (Sydney). Relatives of early talkback stars John Pearce (Sydney); Ormsby Wilkins (Melbourne), Norman Banks (Melbourne) and Claudia Wright (Melbourne) would also be invited to the event.
“As you can see, talkback radio has attracted a diverse group of talented personalities over the years - bringing them together is a great way to help celebrate the impact of this fascinating medium on the social landscape of Australia over the past forty years. This is by no means the final or definitive list of great talkback radio personalities and we’ll continue to add to the list over the next couple of months,” Ms Warner said.
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson. Ph: 02 9281 6577 or 0402 214 039
Media note: Historical images, audio recordings and background can be downloaded from the Radio Info website from midday 16 April 2007. Please credit each item used as listed.
12-Apr-07 MARCH RADIO AD REVENUE UP 9%
Advertising expenditure on metropolitan commercial radio stations grew by 9.3 percent in the month of March 2007 to $52.6 million compared with $48.2 million in March 2006, according to data released today by peak industry body Commercial Radio Australia.
The Sydney market increased by 11.3 percent in the month of March, for its third consecutive month of increase. Advertising expenditure on Sydney stations in the March quarter grew by 7.2 percent to $49.8 million compared with the same period a year ago.
“Advertising associated with the New South Wales state election provided a welcome boost for Sydney radio stations in March,” said Joan Warner, chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia. “It was pleasing to see that stations in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth also experienced solid growth in ad expenditure during the month.”
“The advertising market remains extremely competitive but these figures show that advertisers are continuing to view commercial radio as an important part of their marketing strategy,” Ms Warner said. “There is a bit of buzz around radio because stations have attracted a lot of new high profile talent and stations are staying fresh and innovative with their content and the way they deliver it, and that is proving popular with listeners.” The most recent survey results released in March showed that on average Australians are spending more than 17 hours 38 minutes listening to commercial radio each week.
The revenue figures are compiled by PriceWaterhouseCoopers for the five major capital city markets. Perth was the fastest growing market in the month of March 2007, up by 19.4 percent. Melbourne increased by 7.0 percent compared with the same month a year ago, while Brisbane rose by 6.4 percent and Adelaide by 1.9 percent.
Ad revenue for all markets across the nine months year to date was $457.3 million, up by 2.6 percent compared with the same period a year ago.
Meanwhile, figures published by the Commercial Economic Advisory Service of Australia (CEASA) showed that $924.8 million was spent on radio advertising in calendar year 2006 (including metropolitan, regional and community stations). This represented 7.8 percent of total advertising expenditure, or 9.6 percent excluding directories and online.
Advertising expenditure on radio grew by 3.0 percent in 2006 compared with $897.5 million spent in 2005. The CEASA report said total advertising expenditure (excluding classified directories and online) increased by 1.2 percent in 2006 to $9.6 billion.
Media contact: Judy Shaw. Ph: 02 9281 6577 or 0418 415 965.
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10-Apr-07 RADIO AWARDS TO BE HELD IN MELBOURNE
Entries are open for this year’s Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs), which will be held at the Crown Casino in Melbourne on October 13 and will continue with the format of statues presented over dinner.
The 19th annual event has become a highlight of the radio industry’s yearly calendar and will again attract radio personalities and stars from around Australia.
Organised by Commercial Radio Australia, on behalf of the radio industry, the Awards include 32 categories, which cover all areas of radio broadcasting including news, talk, sport, music and entertainment. The ACRAs differ from television’s Logie Awards, in that they are peer judged with judging panels comprised of industry members.
There are four new categories this year. They are: Best Show Producer (Music and Entertainment), Best Show Producer (Talkback and Current Affairs) and the Best Salesperson category has been split into Best Agency Salesperson and Best Direct Salesperson.
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said the Awards were highly competitive and set a new standard for the event every year.
“The diversity of winners over the past few years highlights the depth of radio in Australia. It will also be a special year given talkback will celebrate its 40th birthday this month,” Ms Warner said.
Winners from last year’s Awards include well-known radio personalities, 2GB’s Ray Hadley, 3AW’s Neil Mitchell, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O from the Kyle and Jackie O Show on Sydney’s 2DayFM and Bianca Dye from Nova 96.9 in Sydney. Sydney’s Mix 106.5 won the Best Community Service Project category for its Variety Kid’s Radiothon.
Ms Warner said a feature of the Awards is the Hall of Fame, which acknowledges a lifelong commitment to the Australian radio industry. Last year, legendary rugby league caller, Frank Hyde, who dominated the ratings at 2SM in Sydney for more than 30 years, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, with his family there to accept the Award on his behalf from Ray Hadley.
Other previous inductees have included Rod Muir, John Laws, Bob Rogers and Paul Thompson. Hall of Fame recipients are nominated by industry colleagues and decided by a high level judging committee.
Entries for this year’s Awards close on Friday May 4. Information about entering the Awards, categories and conditions of entry can be found at the Commercial Radio Australia website.
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson. Ph: 0402 214 039
28-Mar-07 CHANGES TO LOCAL PRESENCE LICENCE CONDITION FOR REGIONAL COMMERCIAL RADIO
Peak industry body Commercial Radio Australia has welcomed the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s changes to the draft local presence licence condition for regional commercial radio following consultation with the industry.
Commercial Radio Australia has consistently stated that both the local content and local licence conditions being imposed on commercial regional radio operators are an unnecessary intrusion by Government in the day to day running of commercial enterprises.
The original draft local presence condition was extremely restrictive and inflexible. In discussions with the Minister, National Party MPs and ACMA, and in its formal submission, Commercial Radio Australia argued that in order to be workable the condition needed to be flexible and to recognise the reality of running commercial radio stations in regional areas. The industry requested significant changes to the draft, in particular to the drafting around the requirement to maintain existing staffing levels and studio facilities in the event of a trigger event.
“While it is far from ideal to have such a licence condition imposed, we are pleased the Minister, other Government MPs and ACMA have taken the industry’s concerns on board. We have worked closely to make the condition as flexible as possible under the required legislation,” said Joan Warner, chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia. “The changes provide a broader definition of local presence. In addition, the industry and regional radio stations will be able to request a review of this condition at any time.
Media contact: Judy Shaw. Ph: 02 9281 6577 or 0418 415 965.
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14-Mar-07 AUSTRALIA TO USE DAB+ FOR DIGITAL RADIO ROLLOUT
Commercial radio broadcasters today announced they will adopt the new DAB+ standard for the implementation of digital radio in Australia. DAB+ is the new standard for the Eureka 147 platform using advanced audio codec (AAC+). It was officially approved by international standards body ETSI in February.
The chief executive officer of industry body Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner, said DAB+ would provide a better digital radio experience for listeners.
“We have been very active in supporting the international development of DAB+ because it means Australia will be able to adopt the latest, most spectrum efficient technology in the world for the roll out of our digital radio services,” Ms Warner said.
DAB+ is two to three times more efficient than the original Eureka 147 standard which uses the MPEG Audio Layer II coding. This means radio stations will have more choice in how they use their allocated bandwidth.
“DAB+ offers much more efficient compression, which means more stations can be broadcast on a multiplex, resulting in lower per station transmission costs,” Ms Warner said.
“It also means each broadcaster will now have the ability to deliver either superior audio quality, split their signal to offer two or three audio channels, or broadcast a combination of better than FM quality sound plus lots of associated data such as text or images. Whichever way stations choose to implement digital radio, the result will be a better service for listeners and advertisers.”
Ms Warner said commercial radio was continuing to work with the ABC and SBS Radio to test the DAB+ standard in Australia and to ensure there will be no transmission or other technical issues. The industry is also working with overseas broadcasters and receiver and chip manufacturers on the development of new DAB+ receivers.
DAB+ services and receivers are expected to be rolled out in a number of countries where digital radio is currently in trial phase, which potentially includes the Netherlands, Malta, New Zealand, India and China.
“We want to encourage the availability of a wide range of affordable digital radio receivers with new features such as picture capability,” Ms Warner said. “Some leading manufacturers have told us that they expect to start shipping DAB+ radios later this year.”The Federal Government is currently drafting digital radio legislation and has set a launch date of 1 January 2009 for the launch of digital radio services in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart. The commercial radio industry is planning for a phased rollout across the rest of Australia to follow.
For more information about digital radio, visit www.digtialradioaustralia.com.au
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14-Mar-07 RADIO VERSUS TV - BREAKFAST FIGURES (B&T 9/3)
Commercial Radio Australia would like to correct some inaccuracies in the article “TV and radio’s war of words” as appeared in B&T. (9/3/07).
Firstly radio stands by its figures which clearly show commercial radio on average reaches over four times more people than commercial TV in metropolitan areas nationally between 6am-9am.
Free TV quotes reach figures of 5.2 million people a week in metropolitan areas in the article - the comparable reach figure for commercial radio in metropolitan areas is 6.6 million people each week.
Commercial radio does not aggregate audience figures as claimed by a Seven Network spokesperson. Figures used are average audience figures – the number of people at anyone time that listen to commercial radio during breakfast.
The graph contained in the CRA press release, as referred to in the article, was titled Free TV – but should have read commercial TV including channels 7, 9 and 10. This simply excludes SBS and ABC TV and in no way would affect the overall findings that radio remains the dominant medium at breakfast.
The radio ratings have been in operation for more than 50 years and the diary system is operated worldwide. It is the most reliable and accurate audience measurement system for radio in the world.
The simple fact remains - radio remains the dominant medium at breakfast – television does not deliver similar audiences during this timeslot.
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson 0402 214 039. Figures compared from the following sources: Radio Source: Nielsen Media Research, Radio Advisor, 5 Capital Cities, Survey 1-8 2006, All people 10+, Mon-Sun 6am-12MN. TV Source: OzTAM, 5 city total TV, average audience, All people 10+, Mon-Sun 6am-12MN, Feb 12 – Dec 2, 2006
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12-Mar-07 JOHN CLARKE TO FEATURE AT SIRENS EVENTS
One of Australia’s most experienced writers, John Clarke will be the guest speaker at a breakfast in May to announce the winner of the year’s best Australian radio ad, the Siren Awards, and will also speak at a creative seminar following the breakfast.
Clarke, best known for the mockumentary, The Games and also his weekly mock interviews with Bryan Dawe on ABC TV’s The 7.30 Report, will talk about the inspiration behind his comedy and some of the barriers in writing from script to production. He will also talk about the similarities between advertising and entertainment and what advertising can learn from the entertainment industry.
The Sirens breakfast and Masterclass will also feature renowned Australian comedy team and top-rating radio personalities, Hamish and Andy. The duo, who began their careers on radio in Melbourne at Fox FM, hosts a nationally syndicated drive time show on the Today Network. They will discuss how they write observational comedy and connect with their under 40 audience.
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner, said the annual Sirens breakfast and Masterclass provided a great opportunity to recognise the excellence in Australian radio advertising and also look at ways to further improve it.
‘As an industry we have tried to be creative in our own advertising campaign – recently launching the latest series of ads which feature one of the world’s funniest men, John Cleese. It is important to keep looking at radio creative, recognise its strengths and also focus on ways to keep improving it,” Ms Warner said.
The winner of the 2007 Siren Awards will be chosen from the winners and highly commended of the five rounds of the Awards and will be judged by the Siren Creative Council - comprising leading creative directors from national advertising agencies. The 2007 winner will be automatically entered into the Cannes Radio Lions – to be held in June and will also win two tickets to attend the festival.
Last year’s Gold Siren Award winner was an ad for Bic Pens called Chicken Inseminator. The advertisement, written by John Mescall, Rebecca Newman and Malcolm Chambers from Smart advertising agency in Melbourne, used comedy to promote the importance of using a failsafe pen. Mr Mescall will also be part of a panel session at the Masterclass, featuring John Clarke, which will look at some of the best advertisements in the market and why they are good.
The Masterclass will also feature Dr Rebecca Huntley, a researcher and author, who recently published a book, The World According to Y Inside the New Adult Generation. Huntley will talk about Generation Y and how to engage them and will also be part of the panel. Cannes Radio Lions judge for this year and creator of the award-winning Australian radio brand campaign, Ralph van Dijk of Eardrum Australia, will also talk at the Masterclass and run several interactive sessions on how to write world-class radio ads.
Both the Sirens breakfast and Masterclass will be held at The Point Albert Park in Melbourne. Commercial Radio Australia is running the event in association with the Melbourne Advertising and Design Club (MACD). The breakfast will run from 7.30am to 9.30am and the Masterclass will follow the breakfast and includes lunch. Tickets are on sale now at $395 for the breakfast and Masterclass combined and $60 for breakfast only. An early bird discounted rate of $350 is available for those members of Commercial Radio Australia and MADC who book and pay before Thursday April 5. For a booking form and more information visit the dedicated Siren Awards website.
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson. Ph: 02 9281 6577 or 0402 214 039.
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09-Mar-07 RADIO AD REVENUE RISES IN FEBRUARY
Commercial radio stations experienced a stronger advertising market in February, with ad revenue up by seven percent compared with the same month in 2006. PriceWaterhouseCoopers Radio Revenue Performance figures released today show radio stations in the five capital city markets earned $44.2 million in advertising revenue in February 2007, compared with $41.3 million a year ago.
“Radio stations in all five markets experienced growth in the month of February, with Adelaide and Perth leading the growth,” said Commercial Radio Australia chief executive Joan Warner.
The Sydney market grew by 4.8 percent in February, for its second consecutive month of increase. However, ad revenue for Sydney is still down 3.1 percent for the eight months of the financial year to date, compared with the same period previously.
Ad revenue for all markets across the eight months year to date was $404.7 million, up by 1.8 percent compared with the same period a year ago.
“Some cautious optimism is returning to the market after a tough few months, and news that the Australian economy is still healthy and the New South Wales economy has avoided a recession should provide a boost to consumer confidence,” Ms Warner said.
“Online is grabbing a lot of attention at the moment, but advertisers are realising just how cluttered the Internet is and how valuable a mass media like radio can be in directing audiences through the billions of pages on the world wide web.”
Media contact: Judy Shaw. Ph: 02 9281 6577 or 0418 415 965.
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05-Mar-07 RADIO STILL STRONGEST AT BREAKFAST
On average, up to 20 per cent of people (or around 2.24 million people per quarter hour) in metropolitan Australia are listening to commercial radio during breakfast – according to figures released today by Commercial Radio Australia.
The same figures show that in comparison, only four per cent or around 623,000 people are watching breakfast commercial television in metropolitan areas.
The analysis of Nielsen Media radio surveys 1-8 2006 and OzTAM TV surveys for the same timeframe, shows that commercial radio on average reaches over four times more people than commercial TV in metropolitan areas nationally for the three hours from 6am to 9am.
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said the figures highlight the effectiveness of radio at reaching Australians at the start of the day with further analysis showing that radio retains its higher reach until the early evening when television takes over.
On average, over 6.6 million people tuned into metropolitan commercial radio each week during breakfast in 2006. The figures also show that commercial radio breakfast reach is largest for people aged over 55 years with on average, up to around a quarter of this age group listening to commercial radio compared to seven per cent watching breakfast TV. The next largest reach is among people aged 40-54 years (up to 21%); 25-39 year olds (up to 20%); then 18-24 year olds (up to 17%) and ten to 17 years (up to 14%).
Ms Warner said that despite competition from newer entertainment choices, commercial radio continued to attract loyal audiences, with over 8.6 million Australians tuning in to metropolitan areas each week, during 2006 representing an audience reach of nearly 80 percent. The average time spent listening to commercial radio was 17 hours and 57 minutes each week, or two hours and 33 minutes per day.
“Radio remains a crucial medium for all Australians and commercial radio remains the most important sector of the radio industry for eight out of ten people throughout Australia. Radio stays with people throughout the day, keeps people up to date and is a very portable medium,” Ms Warner said.
The figures were released on the same day as a second ad by funnyman John Cleese was aired nationally. The ad, called “Big Finish” was recorded for the commercial radio industry by Mr Cleese as part of its ongoing brand campaign, which promotes the effectiveness of the medium.
Similar to the first ad, launched last month, the ad features Mr Cleese and Australian comedian, Mark Mitchell discussing why there is no need to use glamour or glitz in radio advertising. The new ads, on-air from today, were written and produced by international award-winning director of Eardrum Australia, Ralph van Dijk.
“The figures released today show why radio is often the best answer for advertisers looking for effective and efficient forms of advertising in what is a very competitive and highly cluttered market – and this is also what the ads by John Cleese aim to highlight,” Ms Warner said.
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson 0402 214 039.
Figures compared from the following sources: Radio Source: Nielsen Media Research, Radio Advisor, 5 Capital Cities, Survey 1-8 2006, All people 10+, Mon-Sun 6am-12MN. TV Source: OzTAM, 5 city total TV, average audience, All people 10+, Mon-Sun 6am-12MN, Feb 12 – Dec 2, 2006. Media note: The new John Cleese ad can be heard on the website.
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26-Feb-07 BUNGEE JUMP AD WINS ROUND 4 OF SIREN AWARDS
A 30 second ad promoting a bungee jump ride, which was recorded live, has won the single and overall categories for round four of this year’s Siren Awards. The ad, called F...k, was written for the company Bungee West, by Matt Dickson from Nova 93.7 in Perth.
Judges and previous round winners, Ant Keough and Grant Rutherford said the ad won the category because of its simplicity and truth. ‘The Bungee West “F…k” ad, out of all the spots, was the funniest, most insightful and bang on strategy,’ said Grant Rutherford.
Three entries were highly commended. “Stress Transferrer” for Bic Pens, written by John Mescall from agency Smart in Melbourne; “French” for J Boag and Sons, written by Glenn Dalton and George Freckleton from agency AJF Partnership and “The Fine Print Guy” for Think Mobile, written by Ben Davies from Sea FM and Gold FM on the Gold Coast.
A series of ads for Bic Pens, called “Early Finisher, Hot Chick, Inadequate, Stress Transferrer” and written by John Mescall from agency, Smart in Melbourne won the campaign category. Mr Mescall won the overall Gold Siren in 2006 for an ad for Bic Pens called “Chicken Inseminator”.
“The Bic pen ads took me straight back to high school exams, nicely playing out the characters we've all met in that high pressure, yet tedious, environment. I like the way the strategy pinpoints a single target market and then aims to entertain only that group, which gives the creatives a chance to create a specific and fresh angle on the whole thing, “ said Ant Keough.
One other entry was highly commended in the campaign category for round four. It was “French/Teddy Bear/Roses” for J Boag and Sons, written by Glenn Dalton and George Freckleton from AJF Partnership.
The winner of the craft category was an ad for the Gold Coast International’s restaurant, called “Yamagen Iron Chef”. The ad was produced by Brett Johnson from studio, AudioOne.
Judge and previous winner of the craft category, Vaughan Jones from Hot 91 Sunshine Coast said the ad displayed a great depth of field by using layers of sound in great proportion.
“The project displayed a number of well executed production techniques including many specific and unique sound effects; a multi character scene with densely overlayed voice overs presented in various positions across the soundscape and a specific “timing” requirement to accurately depict the typical “iron chef” environment,” said Vaughan Jones.
Highly commended in the craft category for round four was an ad called “Shareholder’ for Commercial Radio Australia, produced by Rod Enright from studio, Song Zu.
The national Siren Awards are run by Commercial Radio Australia and are designed to recognise the best radio advertising in the country. The awards promote the importance of creativity as a way to make radio advertising more effective.
Round five of the Siren Awards close on Thursday, March 15. Entries are free and will be accepted for any radio ads that have aired between March 1 2006 and March 15 2007, and commercials which have been entered previously into Rounds 1-4 can be resubmitted into Round 5. Entries can be submitted at the Siren Awards website.
The annual winner from the creative categories is automatically entered into the Cannes Radio Lions in June 2007 and receives a trip for two to the world’s biggest ad festival.
The winner of the 2007 Siren Awards for creative excellence in radio advertising will be announced at a gala breakfast in Melbourne on May 4, featuring renowned Australian comedy duo and top-rating radio personalities, Hamish and Andy. The breakfast will be followed by a Masterclass, a creative seminar, featuring Cannes Radio Lions judge for this year and creator of the award-winning Australian radio brand campaign, Ralph van Dijk of Eardrum Australia, who will run several interactive sessions on how to write world-class radio ads.
Both the Sirens breakfast and Masterclass will be held at The Point Albert Park in Melbourne. Commercial Radio Australia is running the event in association with the Melbourne Advertising and Design Club (MADC). The breakfast will run from 7.30am to 9:30am and the Masterclass will follow the breakfast and includes lunch. Tickets are on sale now at $395 for the breakfast and Masterclass combined and $60 for breakfast only. An early bird discounted rate of $350 is available for those members of Commercial Radio Australia and MADC who book and pay before Thursday April 5. For a booking form and more information visit the dedicated Siren Awards website.
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson (02) 9281 6577 or (0402) 214 039.
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12-Feb-07 BEST AUSTRALIAN RADIO AD TO BE ANNOUNCED IN MELBOURNE
The winner of the 2007 Siren Awards for creative excellence in radio advertising will be announced at a gala breakfast in Melbourne on May 4 featuring renowned Australian comedy duo and top-rating radio personalities, Hamish and Andy.
Hamish and Andy, who began their careers on radio in Melbourne at Fox FM, now host a nationally syndicated drive time show on the Today Network. The duo will host the breakfast and also speak at the Sirens Masterclass, a creative seminar directly following the breakfast.
The Masterclass will also feature Dr Rebecca Huntley, a researcher and author with ten years experience in publishing, academia and politics, who recently published a book, The World According to Y: Inside the New Adult Generation. Huntley, who is also the Director of Research and author of the Ipsos Mackay Report, will talk about Generation Y and how to engage them.
Cannes Radio Lions judge for this year and creator of the award-winning Australian radio brand campaign, Ralph van Dijk of Eardrum Australia, will also talk at the Masterclass and run several interactive sessions on how to write world-class radio ads. More high-profile speakers will be announced soon.
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner, said the annual Sirens breakfast and Masterclass provided a great opportunity to recognise the excellence in Australian radio advertising and also look at ways to further improve it.
As an industry we have tried to be creative in our own advertising campaign – recently launching the latest series of ads which feature one of the world’s funniest men, John Cleese. It is important to keep looking at radio creative, recognise its strengths and also focus on ways to keep improving it, Ms Warner said.
The winner of the 2007 Siren Awards will be chosen from the winners and highly commended of the five rounds of the Awards and will be judged by the Siren Creative Council - comprising leading creative directors from national advertising agencies. The 2007 winner will be automatically entered into the Cannes Radio Lions – to be held in June and will also win two tickets to attend the festival.
Last year’s Gold Siren Award winner was an ad for Bic Pens called Chicken Inseminator. The advertisement, written by John Mescall, Rebecca Newman and Malcolm Chambers from Smart advertising agency in Melbourne, used comedy to promote the importance of using a failsafe pen. The same ad also won a Silver Siren for winning the overall single category.
Both the Sirens breakfast and Masterclass will be held at The Point Albert Park in Melbourne. Commercial Radio Australia is running the event in association with the Melbourne Advertising and Design Club (MACD). The breakfast will run from 7.30am to 9.30am and the Masterclass will follow the breakfast and includes lunch. Tickets are on sale now at $395 for the breakfast and Masterclass combined and $60 for breakfast only. An early bird discounted rate of $350 is available for those members of Commercial Radio Australia and MADC who book and pay before Thursday April 5. For a booking form and more information visit the Sirens website.
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson. Ph: 02 9281 6577 or 0402 214 039
09-Feb-07 SYDNEY RADIO REVENUE UP FOR JANUARY
Sydney has recorded its first monthly increase in radio advertising revenue for the month of January – the first rise since April 2006, according to figures released today by Commercial Radio Australia.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Radio Revenue Performance figures for the five main capital cities show the Sydney market recorded growth of 4.7% to a total of $15.07 million for January compared to the same timeframe last year. All other metropolitan markets recorded growth but Perth was particularly strong - up 11.55% to $5.16 million compared to January 2006 – a continuation of its strong growth in 2006.
The other figures recorded for the month of January for metropolitan radio markets were Brisbane (up 1.5% to $6.4 million); Adelaide (up 5.4% to $4 million); and Melbourne (up 3% to $11.29 million).
Overall the commercial radio industry increased its revenue for the month of January by 4.6% to $41.9 million and also recorded growth of over one per cent for the seven months year to date (ending January 2007) to $360.5 million – compared to the same timeframe last year.
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said that this was a pleasing start to the calendar year and welcome news for the Sydney market.
“Although it is way too early to tell if the Sydney market is improving longer-term – this news is certainly welcome and demonstrates the resilience of the radio industry,” Ms Warner said.
Metropolitan commercial radio stations generated advertising revenue of $599.6 million in the calendar year 2006 - a 1.4 per cent increase compared with the $591.4 million generated in the 2005 calendar year.
“Commercial radio audiences remain strong and the industry continues to increase revenue streams through innovative online and podcasting activities,” Ms Warner said.
“The industry is also hopeful of securing a significant share of political advertising in 2007 with a state election slated for NSW, and a Federal Election likely before the end of the year.”
Media contact: Jenny Stevenson. Ph: 0402 214 039.
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30-Jan-07 JOHN CLEESE STARS IN NEW AUSSIE RADIO CAMPAIGN
One of the world’s funniest men, John Cleese, has recorded a series of radio ads for the Australian industry as part of its ongoing brand campaign, which will go to air nationally next week.
The first of the ads, called “Celebrity” features Cleese and Australian comedian, Mark Mitchell discussing why there is no need to use celebrities in radio advertising. The use of humor is an ongoing feature of the radio campaign as is the overall message, which highlights the cost effectiveness of using radio, and audience reach.
The advertisements follow a viral campaign released earlier this week on the internet to radio stations, advertising agencies, advertisers and media companies, which promote the Cleese ads through a game featuring the comedian.
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said the viral campaign aimed to create awareness and excitement about the ads and was also a fun way to help promote the new campaign and radio generally.
“It is very exciting for the radio industry that John Cheese agreed to do these ads for us while he was here last year as guest speaker at our conference and Awards. His enthusiasm for Australian radio was immense and he was keen to be involved in these ads,” Ms Warner said.
The radio ads are the latest in a series of well-known commercials Mr Cleese has undertaken including ads for Sony, Callard and Bowser and Schweppes.
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12-Jan-07 RADIO AD REVENUE STEADY IN 2006
Metropolitan commercial radio stations generated advertising revenue of $599.6 million in calendar year 2006, according to figures released today by peak industry body Commercial Radio Australia. The result was a 1.4 per cent increase compared with the $591.4 million generated in the 2005 calendar year.
“While there was good growth in Perth and Brisbane, the overall result was weighed down by the Sydney market, which continues to be adversely affected by the weaker New South Wales economy,” said chief executive officer Joan Warner.
Perth was the strongest market in 2006, up nearly 7 per cent in the 12 months ending December to $65 million, followed by Brisbane, which grew by 6 per cent to $91.8 million. Sydney stations attracted revenue of $216.0 million in 2006, a 5 per cent decline over 2005, while Melbourne was up 5 per cent to $170.2 million and Adelaide was up 6 per cent to $56.6 million. The data is compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the five major capital city markets.
Sydney was the only market to decline in the six months ending December 2006, with Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane showing solid growth.
“Commercial radio audiences remain strong and the industry continues to increase revenue streams through innovative online and podcasting activities,” Ms Warner said.
“The industry is also hopeful of securing a significant share of political advertising in 2007 with a state election slated for NSW, and a Federal Election likely before the end of the year,” she added.
Despite competition from newer entertainment choices, commercial radio continued to attract loyal audiences in 2006, with over 8.6 million Australians tuning in in metropolitan areas, representing an audience reach of 77 percent. The average time spent listening to commercial radio was 17 hours and 57 minutes each week, or two hours and 33 minutes per day.
Media contact: Judy Shaw 0418 415 965
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