Where else could you have seen comedian Tommy Little on stage, sat next to Abbie Chatfield, saying “my c*ck disappeared inside of me” It really could only be at Cannes in Cairns.
Yesterday, SCA’s chief content officer Dave Cameron sat down with some of the biggest voices in Australian audio.
He was joined by radio presenter Carrie Bickmore, comedian and presenter Tommy Little, TV and radio host Abbie Chatfield and chief commercial officer at LiSTNR Commercial, Seb Rennie.
As someone who has spent her career in both radio and television, Bickmore said that connection is the key to successful audio content.
When she moved out of radio into TV at the beginning of her career, there was talk that radio was dying. But instead audio numbers are “through the roof” she said.
“The desire to be connected has never gone away. We can feel like the funnest part of someone’s boring or crappy day. The things people call up about”.
Her radio co-host said the best thing about radio is that because its live, you can really get nuggets of inappropriate gold before anyone (in this case Cameron) has the chance to run in and pull the show off air.
Talking about a particularly inappropriate call in about incest, Little said before Dave (Cameron) has the chance to get in you’ve already heard about “at least three people talking about how they f*cked their cousin”.
Chatfield gave an illuminating insight into how she started her career as one of Australia’s most celebrated podcast hosts.
She said she was making a lot of Instagram lives and reels and people kept telling her to make a podcast.
“Probably to make me f*cking stop,” she joked.
She then stayed up all night and drew the logo for her podcast – “I’m multi-talented” she said – before finishing the pan for the show at about 5am in the morning
The next day she raced down to the “DJ shop” and bought some mics.
When asked how she got people to listen, Chatfield said that launching just before lockdown in 2020 – “March the 9th” – really helped.
“A lot of people were bored”.
Chatfield is currently hosting the show FBOY Island.
Cameron made it clear that he was not an FBOY – : “I’m not an FBOY,” he said “I’m an S-BOY – as in I’m a shy boy”.
Little was not impressed: “I think my c*ck just disappeared inside of me”, he said.
Bringing some sort of decorum to the table was the man with the numbers – Seb Rennie.
Rennie said things are looking great for audio with growth in both revenue and audience numbers. “Streaming and podcasting continues to increase”, he said “and this is a trend we are seeing in every major market”.
Despite the success of podcasts, he said that “you are not seeing the investment levels come through”. Which is a shame because of the “relationship” that hosts have with their audience.
Bickmore said that it is important with sponsored radio content that the sponsor follows the creative direction of what the hosts/show is doing anyway.
She pointed to the success of Spec Saver’s P!nk in Paris with Carrie & Tommy, as well as them seeing The Spice Girls with Vodafone.
If the sponsor tries to “squeeze” the content into “some box” it can be “jarring” she said.
