In somewhat of a surprise move Bauer sales boss Tony Kendall has been appointed as the chief executive of Australian Radio Network (ARN).
As chief executive of ARN, Mr Kendall will be responsible for driving the overall strategic direction, growth and operations of the radio business, as well as overseeing the expansion of the iHeartRadio platform in Australia.
Mr Kendall’s appointment at ARN comes as its consistent national strategy again recently delivered the number one national network position for the fifth consecutive survey of 2015. ARN has held this position all year with a 16.2 per cent share of all metro audiences 10+.
Mr Kendall will report to the chief executive of APN News & Media (APN), Ciaran Davis.
Mr Davis said: “Tony’s extensive commercial expertise in developing integrated commercial solutions across multiple platforms means he is very well placed to continue ARN’s growth strategies across its portfolio of brands. Tony is well regarded in the industry and has a deep understanding of the rapidly evolving media landscape in which we operate.
“It is an exciting time for Tony to be joining APN as the Company continues its strategy of growth across its broad range of assets in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
“ARN is a business with a strong executive leadership team, Australia’s most loved on-air personalities and award-winning content teams who create the most compelling, accessible and engaging content that audiences love. As a senior commercial executive with extensive leadership experience, I look forward to Tony joining ARN and APN’s executive leadership team.”
Mr Kendall said: “It is a fantastic time to be joining APN as ARN continues to strengthen its proposition for advertisers and consumers. ARN is an innovative media and entertainment company and the market leader with a large and engaged audience base. There is huge opportunity for continued growth and I’m looking forward to working with Ciaran and the ARN management team in continuing the business’ momentum in the market.”
Mr Kendall joins ARN from Bauer Media where he is currently director of sales. He joined Bauer in early 2013 from News Corp Australia where he spent over 23 years in senior commercial management roles across Melbourne, Sydney and New York including a year as the CEO of the Australian magazine division.
