Student radio used to be experimental, colourful, interesting, broadcasting for the peeps by the peeps.

Matt's a nice guy n'all but is there nobody close to target demographic and under 30 who could do the job? Maybe not. Maybe older is the target demo now. I dunno.

Although it wasn't so many years ago these two guys who must now be pushing 50 used to host bFM's electronic music shoBw

You talking to me and G? Heh..but to be fair when I killed the show, because of age, and the limitations of the format, and moved to?

It's certainly time for Mikey to go again, but I think his second run has shown off a better broadcaster. The first era trailed off, in part because it was always a long way down from?

I'm not sure wheich one of them said: __I watched violent?

I think coming down off that high has been a challenge for the station as a whole. I was on the board that bought the ratings. We thought we were bloody geniuses.

Heh, yeah I have mixed feelings about b joining up to the ratings. As I complained recently about?

@Kyle – they're expecting a good turn out? Awesome. Looking forward to it. We don't book tables as a general rule I don't think, you could ask the pub if they're reserving tables. Otherwise it's just first in first served?

Works for us at 7 don't ya reckon Russ?

Well, Damien, I very much doubt PA Radio is the highest rating show on Radio Live but someone seems to like us enough not to start issuing pink slips, even made up a finalist for an award. Jus' saying, in a?

Radio Live didn't enter us in the awards, the DLC did, thanks to a massive effort by Glynis in compiling an hour long highlights package of shows from the past year. So big?

Craig, you've known me long enough to spell my name correctly. The others I forgive, but reallly..

After all these years, I still think your name is "Oy, sweet buns" so cut me a little slack. :)

Radio Live didn't enter us in the awards, the DLC did, thanks to?

Mike for entertainment, humour, off the wall behaviour and the odd bit of music

Oh is that how it all hangs together.
Couldnt quite figure tit out meself.
And then at 9 there's another Mike with outrage, humour(is he off the wall?) and he doesnt do music does he?

DR?

(no women!?)

As an early riser (not necessarily by choice), I've been listening to Jennifer, the DJ who is on before/fills in for Mr Havoc before he arrives.

She's rather good, in my opinion.

I don't think Matt will do BOTY in the morning. I don't think Chris is coming?

As I complained recently about ratings re Campbell/Close Up etc, everyone loves ratings when they win, dismisses their validity when they don't. The best answer I believe is to stay away from them completely. Works for RNZ. Works for us at 7 don't ya reckon Russ?

Wellll ... neither Radio?

there's a cluster of stations in Auckland with 40-50k listeners

Good Ratings means agencies put you on the schedule and you get given monies by business citizens who wouldn't normally give you money.

If you want to sell ads you need some concept of who's listening to those ads. Wouldn't?

but it's all settled out now anyway: there's a cluster of stations in Auckland with 40-50k listeners --bFM, George, Tarana — but bFM remains more influential, and more noted in other media, than the ratings would suggest.

Sure, but doesn't that mean ratings are a tool that should be used?

I find myself hearing songs that sound exactly like the bit in the promo for the show that says "it's like, do-doodle-oo, do-doodle-oh"!

Heh heh heh. It's funny because it's true!

But, from an advertising point of view, while the show never appealed to the coverted 18-25 male demo, the people who were watching skewed very heavily towards rather affluent college graduates.

Yup. I'm guessing bFM still has 2-3x the average of $100,000+ households.

The challenge is always to make sure?

Yup. I'm guessing bFM still has 2-3x the average of $100,000+ households

Everyones guessing to an extent.

I guess my point was that having bought in the first time, we seemed somewhat condemned to keep buying them at the risk of "trying to hide something" if we didn't.

Markets like information, the more the better. Would you buy ads on a station that just winked at you?

the second survey (IIRC) showed a massive drop and bFM falling behind George, which was disheartening, and no doubt affected advertisers' decision-making.

Well it's a well known fact bfm lost large chunks of its 1990's audience. It was done in a quite stategic manner , imagine putting two talk back?

Markets like information, the more the better. Would you buy ads on a station that just winked at you and said, 'trust me"....

Again, as I said, bFM had advertising for many many years before it bought ratings in the 2000s. How much, and of what quality and value is?

The worst thing was when people wanted to do ads saying "come in and tell us you heard this ad and get a free whatever" and no-one did...

50% of your marketing works apparently, just no one knows which half that is. Tis a strange industry.

(BTW, I can only imagine how thrilled RadioWorks is about having bought George then finding Thane Kirby setting up Ponsonby FM 100 metres away.

If RadioWorks didn't had the sense to put contractual steps in place to stop that happening, then they've got bigger problems than Thane :)

50% of your marketing works apparently, just no one knows which half that is.

I'd heard it was more like 10%. When I was selling ads at b (waaay before ratings and we had our own way of selling around them) I used to tell people "they say only 10%?

Because as you say, bFM has always had a cool factor that all those other 'marginal' radio stations didn't, and the ad agencies knew it.

I don't know bFM, but I presume it's the same as Radio One in Dunedin, in that they make a conscious decision by attaching themselves?

Competition is of course fiercest at breakfast, but it does indicate that more people switch to (or stay with,?

Funny – I used to sell ads at b with no ratings and at Pavement with no auditing. And did just fine.

I sold some ice to an eskimo once. He was very thirsty.

It also says the audience is ageing....

It hurts 'cos it's true...

It hurts 'cos it's true...

It'll be like we were at the Pixes Mark – a whole bunch of us in our mid thirties all wearing Chuck Taylors... sigh.

It'll be like we were at the Pixes Mark – a whole bunch of us in our mid thirties all wearing Chuck Taylors... sigh.

You read too many magazines.Stop 'sighing', it's unmanly.

Damian, Backbenches was runner-up in one category.

Mike has the personality and presence that keeps people like me going back to bfm

... and switched me and many friends right off at the time. If we had wanted braying and blathering in the morning, there was plenty of commercial radio around.

I believe that if bfm had?

Shame it has taken this long. It was a retrograde step and showed little courage. Surely "student" radio should have someone at least younger than thirty. My pick would be Ritchie Hardcore.

To which, for all his talents, most people would go "Huh?". At least Mikey had his pseudonym thoroughly?

And if bfm had properly reflected the dance music that came through in the early 90s (like Radio Active did) rather than propping up derivative rock, the other stations like George would never have got a foot in the door.

Okay, here's where I probably piss someone off. Active is?

Is that Matt Heath? Not?

There was a point after 2000 where Auckland social life emphatically swung back to bands playing, and bFM was there.

I was talking early 90s?

b also ran sold-out dance parties through the 90s.

Yes but called them Oonst which was seen as very condescending by the dance community and the DJ lineups tended to be rock survivors playing that funny dance music. They were less than dance-credible.

There was a point after 2000 where?

I believe that if bfm had properly reflected the dance music that came through in the early 90s (like Radio Active did) rather than propping up derivative rock, the other stations like George would never have got a foot in the door. Not that I mind having options.

As I?

Specialist shows are where it's at on stations like the b and Active. For some reason both outfits seem to struggle with regular shows IMNSHO: too much talk, too?

it was cafe jazz

That fits. Someone told me George was initially aimed at providing daytime background music for Ponsonby retailers, which in turn generated the advertising goodwill. Props to anyone who gets a station off the ground, including the mad buggers who started radio bosom.

It was at many times brilliant radio with a big listenership?

When I left George it became almost exclusively house for a long long time. Aural wallpaper as Russell points out.

Ah, that explains it then. I found it frankly unnerving. And I like house music.

When I left George it became almost exclusively house for a long long time

Not really true though Damian. When I arrived there in 2002 there were tons of specialist shows on the station, killer jazz shows on Sunday, Victoria's Sunday show, ambient shows, drum'n'bass, hip hop shows which went?

If RadioWorks didn't had the sense to put contractual steps in place to stop that happening, then they've got bigger problems than Thane

The advice I've had in the past is that restraint of trade clauses are hard to enforce, especially for longer than a few months. They also have?

Active is dull

It's *variable*. I suspect (somebody can put me right) that it's almost entirely a volunteer operation, so it's up to who volunteers.

Like I mentioned upthread, *I* think that Liam is pretty good in the mornings. Some of the others play stuff in daytime that isn't really?

Do the programmers get together and agree that on Sunday lunchtimes, if you want to listen to the radio, it will be jazz?

I'd wager there was, and likely still would be 20 kids in Auckland entertaining themselves in the clubs along K Rd, Pons Rd, and down High Street for everyone at a live venue that night.

@Simon – I think you're probably right, although I'd argue – in terms of one's?

The weekends (which include Cian, Victoria, the funk shows, the jazz shows) have always been a bit of an exception on George (and I did say "almost exclusively"). What did happen though, was a number of the shows that I had set up with?

always seemed to overlook us when those Ooonst gigs were put on. We were the only dance show on B and we were not even given tickets to the bloody things.

Acts of kindness perhaps :)

Like some have said, you can't 'F' with the specialty?

And I've never really gone back to George.

I think we've had this discussion before several times, maybe it's not one for a forum, and I know you had your issues with George, which I respect. But when I arrived at the station in 2001 I'd go as far as?

As for George, since it was bought and renovated by RadioWorks, it's taken on a whole new commercial timbre that has doomed it to fitting in with the commercial dross around it on the frequency – it just sounds cheesy.

Indeed. It was not good when I was back earlier?

I don't do appointment radio. Therefore specialist shows can be great, but only if they're at a time I'm likely to bump into them. Like most people, I listen to radio in the morning, in the car during the day and?

Even today they have a Nocturnal Dominion death metal show, but no drum and bass show

'The Warning'? 11-1 fri nights with DJ DWare?

Even today they have a Nocturnal Dominion death metal show, but no drum and bass show

'The Warning'? 11-1 fri nights with DJ DWare?

There's been a D&B show right through, I think. For years it was the one with the funny "chocolate milk" promo.

Sunday Sounds" 12-2 every Sunday

FWIW I think this is a very good show.

Im quite a fan of the music Oscar's co-pilot kirk james plays too. Kind of a weird mix of funk and jazz and not quite either, old and new. Not quite sure how their time table?

I always thought bFm was a bit of a nursery for breeding new talent

and then host Zm breakfast shows and do quirky late night news. It must have a stronger vision than that surely.

one of the two stations made me feel really welcome and were super supportive and one of them generally gave me grief after almost every show I did

the only station that never told me what to play – george, where I happily played rock,?

My favourite quote from commercial radio comes from Solid Gold FM. I still trot it out in my cocknouncer voice quite often. You've got to say it in a fake deep yet nasal voice and all running together quickly...

"Hey yeah that was 'Hooked on a?

"Hey yeah that was 'Hooked on a Feeling' and if you're gonna be hooked on anything it might as well be a feeling eh, make it a good one, have one for meeeeee."

That sounds like Kevin Black, now to be seen on Triangle's The Beat Goes On, quite possibly?

Triangle's The Beat Goes On, quite possibly the worst TV show in New Zealand's history.

+1. Mesmerisingly bad.

Mesmerisingly bad.

Someone's really gotta YouTube some of that show. It's awfulness would soon become legend.

Someone's really gotta YouTube some of that show. It's awfulness would soon become legend.

It's got its own YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TBGONZ

Random clip from the Over 50s Karaoke champs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtM-2qZiT0E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oPyUCcug1I

Awesomely bad.

Random clip from the Over 50s Karaoke champs

OMG, that is f**king fabulous. I've sent it off to people all over. Tingles of national pride.

But, gotta say, compared to the Indonesian variety shows on every channel each Saturday night, it's still high art.

Kevin Black look like John Peel

?

where I happily played rock, country, indie, lo fi, noise amongst house, techno and other styles more associated with george – I was on during the day... background music it most certainly wasn't

Any chance you could maybe, please, do it again, huh? It was rather good radio.

But Hugh when he was calling up people with last names that rhyme with 'muck' to make fun of them live on air used to drive me nuts also. He grew on me. It took time.

It wasn't a person and it wasn't muck.

It was a company – Cox,?

I'll defend my cocksuckers till the grave.

Soo, Grabet & Dash will provide their services for free.

(from the Beat Goes On site)

Politics can be boring but not with Tony Amos. Tony chuckles to himself at least 10 times a day as his?

I was just going to say, and not to draw a line under the conversation at all, because I'm liking it a lot but,?

Was it not you that got Telecom to include Ivan Itchyanus in the directory?

Nope – but boy are you bringing back some memories. Wasn't that something to do with the Croatian apple farmer? I forgot his name, but his cat was called Mr Sexy.

It was a company – Cox, Arcus and Co. 307 8237

Heh. I'd forgotten all about them.

But I am minded , Hugh, of one of your finer ad-lib moments, when you got a delay on a phone call because someone had the radio on at the other end, and?

Cons.
-5 drive shows are cut, halving the number of run of station music shows during the week. (Not including The Wire here).
-Mike and bFM are still locked?

Cons.
-5 drive shows are cut, halving the number of run of station music shows during the week. (Not including The Wire here).
-Mike and bFM are still locked in their co-dependent relationship, and those that don't enjoy Mike's style can no longer listen to drive.

Okay, having given the?

...and yes, that phrase of mine was indeed uttered by "Big" Tony Amos.

One part insincerity, three parts inanity. I easily recognise his work, even when written down.

last night, a friend of mine who shares the same name as one of the radio stations we've been discussing...

GH?

...?

The aural equivalent of an office poster saying 'you don't have to be mad!!!!!! to work here, but it helps!!!!!'

V?

Yep. Hi.

Drive has been an excellent development space in the past few years, and they're throwing that away. One Drive show with Mikey (which is what I had hitherto taken to be the plan) would have been cool. Taking out all the other Drive shows is not cool.

Surely the reasoning?

Drive has been an excellent development space in the past few years, and they're throwing that away. One Drive show with Mikey (which is what I had hitherto taken to be the plan) would have been cool. Taking out all the other Drive shows is not cool.

Just tell me?

V?

Yep. Hi.

Everyone knows everyone.

*;)

V?

Yep. Hi.

He's a Visitor. Seize him!

a friend of mine who shares the same name as one of the radio stations

The Rock?

Hello...Hello, is anybody out there ?...apparently not, and now back to Auckland

...as you were :)

I don't know about Christchurch

we used to have a great Student Radio station here – until some ad salesman who apparently couldn't sell enough ads bought the station for a $1 off the Student Union (as I understand it) a travesty up there with the ECan dismissal I reckon...?

I would be disappointed if?

a friend of mine who shares the same name as one of the radio stations

Ray-Joe Live?
Solid Clod?
Reamer?
Key Wee Effem?
Nat Schnell?
Howe Racqui?

obviously it's not as simple as
some bloke called George...
a broad-caster maybe...
Bea Effeminate?

oh I give up...

That's cool that you find Mike's tardiness fine. But for others, including station management, it's not cool.

Particularly for a job which actually has hours in the title. How many hours you have to work to do the broadcast hours, I would have thought those hours would be the minimum?

and you used the echo to freestyle a version of the Rhythm Selection theme. That was very clever.

Clever. Hmm, probably just the weed Dubhead gave me everytime I mentioned his show in primetime.

Nor is the slot being extended. My comment about the 2-4 being extended was facetious

Yes I did get it wrong, stand corrected. Thinking about your comment on MH tardiness, I was reminded of a comment I heard the other day by 2 20 year olds when, having been given?

we used to have a great Student Radio station here – until some ad salesman who apparently couldn't sell enough ads bought the station for a $1 off the Student Union (as I understand it)

He was first and foremost a drum n' bass DJ, but oh he's come along?

I also note that Mikey's tardiness has had an effect on others on the b. John Key doesn't show up at all sometimes for his weekly update. ;)

Yes, the irony of Mikey getting wound up by others not being punctual burned soooo bad. He's a real rough diamond that?

@Andrew C – yes, as I think I mentioned here a few years ago on this topic, Mike actually expressed indignation to me once at the fact that the breakfast host (yes, you Hugh) who had been there from 6-10 (am I right? 6am start?), wouldn't?

I believe any number of key appointments over the years have been made because the person in question has a TV show, a slot on music TV ...

I can see some merit in putting people with a profile into key slots.

OTOH, the Cryptid Factor on Sunday mornings is?

I'm not sure what name recognition Marcus Lush or Wallace Chapman brought with them.

Wallace was from Radio One. Probably nil name recognition in Auckland but [insert JAFA snide remark here/south of Bombay Hills/mainland blah blah blah].

Don't get me wrong. As much fun as it is to take the piss out of that show, I love it, because in a sea of imported culture it's a little slice of real New Zealand on the tube. It may be ghastly, but it's our ghastly.

I'm?

Wallace was from Radio One. Probably nil name recognition in Auckland but [insert JAFA snide remark here/south of Bombay Hills/mainland blah blah blah].

Oddly enough, he was hired at bFM as an advertising creative, not in an on-air role. The Breakfast gig came some time later.

Charlotte Ryan came from?

Breakfast with Matt 6-9am

Morning Glory 9-noon (an extra hour for Charlotte)

The Wire cut back to an hour.

New 1-4pm afternoon shows with various hosts.

Drive with Mikey 4-7pm.

bFM's nurturing of editorial talent has been one of its?

Cutting The Wire in half is a terrible, terrible move

Second that.

Cutting The Wire in half is a terrible, terrible move

That is REALLY bad news. Apart from the being one of the few radio shows that can interview people for up to 20mins at a time without ads, it's been a really rich training ground for journalists and broadcasters.

I guess my nightmare scenario is that in two years Matt will move on

Two years is about the perfect length i reckon. For both listeners and host.

it's been a really rich training ground for journalists and broadcasters.

Examples please.

In no particular order ...

Me
Damian
Wallace
Hugh
Jacqui Brown
Mikey
Jeremy Wells
Jose Barbosa
Simon Pound
Imogen Neale
Aroha Harawira
Jude Anaru
Andrew Dickens
Chris Forster
Andrew Hawthorne
Hannah Sarney
Joe Nunweek
Gemma Gracewood
Noelle?

Examples please.

Ha, I'm glad I accidentally deleted my first post and saw Russell's much more extensive list.

I'd also add Kim Choe, now at TV3, and Paul Deady, the current bfm news and editorial director – he's a great interviewer.

Also, Kim Choe, now at TV3, and Paul Deady, the current bfm news and editorial director – he's a great interviewer.

Both talents.

Apart from the being one of the few radio shows that can interview people for up to 20mins at a time without ads

And this is a very important point in itself.

You made up Stinky Jim and Troy, right?

Stinky Jim is gonna murder you.

So with that impressive list, shouldn't someone voice the opinion to bfm that it would be an epic fail to reduce the Wire slot. Be proactive!

I have already.

I will also miss the Cocktail Corner, even though nearly every drink they made sounded revolting.

Maybe Matt will take it with him to the breakfast slot.

As i understand it, The Wire will become one hour of straight News and Current Affairs – no songs. That would actually make it longer...

I suppose so. But the ability to intelligently mix music and editorial content has been quite unique. I'm not sure an hour of solid talk?

Wammo, you and Charlotte are missed from chch airwaves

Kind Ian, very kind. There is much that I do miss about broadcasting from Christchurch. I still broadcast to Christchurch but that largely goes under the radar along with the ad breaks.

In saying that, Christchurch really is an oddball city.?

So why doesn?t bFm get broadcast nationally then?

I'm not sure if the other student radio stations would be happy with that. In fact, I suspect they'd be pissed and it would tear their structure (b-net I think it's called?) apart.

They all seem to stream live over the interwebs,?

Radio One still gets a sizeable grant from the students association,?

I have the misfortune to cross the bridge twice a day

May I suggest, Move ;)
Hey what about those park an' ride bus things?

To give some perspective, that AUSA funding was about twice the entire budget of?

May I suggest, Move

Cruel :)

I'm not sure if the other student radio stations would be happy with that. In fact, I suspect they'd be pissed and it would tear their structure (b-net I think it's called?) apart.

It was looked at when I was on the board, and the likely response of the other?

The student union was only contributing about a fifth of bfm's annual income by the late 1980s, with adverts counting for the rest. Space in the student union building probably helped (did the station pay rent?).

I'm not sure if the station pays rent now, but it's years since it?

It's about the advertising industry's need for comfort

Does anyone do the equivalent of those Q ratings (?) for TV personalities?
I for one would love to assure those tame agency decison-makers that my ears won't be going anywhere near a radio show featuring Mr Roberts' dulcet tones. Mind you,?

I can sympathise. But in the end, I think you've got to take a stand and tell them they're out of touch.

that sounds like a media 7 show.

You have to somehow get your hands on a frequency, and then be able to transmit.
In the end, it's way more effective to just be on the internet.

Whatever happened to the Sky TV option, I seem to remember it being discussed when I were there. Now, of?

Or a delegation

How about a hikoi from Parnell up to Newmarket, up Khyber Pass, over Newton Bridge to Ponsonby, down College Hill, up Queen St, along K Road to Symonds St and then to the b offices?

That'd sweep up 95% of Auckland' media folks in its wake.

Thanks! That helps.

According to Cheese on Toast, this is the new deal:

Breakfast with Matt 6-9am

Morning Glory 9-noon (an extra hour for Charlotte)

The Wire cut back to an hour.

New 1-4pm afternoon shows with various hosts.

Drive with Mikey 4-7pm.

I know this is not terribly constructive, or original, given?

You made up Stinky Jim and Troy, right?

Stinky Jim is gonna murder you.

And nobody could make up Troy Ferguson

That'd sweep up 95% of Auckland' media folks in its wake.

And mine. There would be a bloody wake for me if I walked that far.
Whaddarya, fit or sommit? ;)

I always hated the ego-infested brainless drivel that was Radio Mikey,

Jeez, and Sacha said I was cruel.

And nobody could make up Troy Ferguson

Though he is kinda like the Boogeyman. In the nicest possible way.

And if they really are chopping out the music, when is the host meant to get a breather?