On Wednesday, May 11th ARN held an update at Walsh Bay’s View By Sydney, giving attendees information on the latest successes from the brand’s audio offering, the launch of CADA, and how the brand is growing audiences across the country.
See More: ARN’s 2022 Update event lights up a rainy day in Sydney
ARN CCO Peter Whitehead opened the event, speaking about ARN’s new business footprint that reaches upwards of 8 million people, the recently announced content expansion that will see major shows syndicated across the country via regional stations, and the Podcast to Broadcast Strategy.
Mediaweek caught up with Whitehead after the update.
2022 has been a big year for ARN so far. How is H2 looking?
“I’m really confident on a number of fronts because I can feel the ad market picking up, I can feel it continuing to surge out of Covid. The radio market in the month of April was well up year on year. I’m confident in the radio market, confident in the broader ad market, and confident in our product.
“The market is really embracing what we’re taking out there: the scale and the ease of transaction, different offerings like our Podcast to Broadcast Strategy, and the evolution of CADA. ARN is a true multi-dimensional, multi-platform media company, and clients and agencies are well and truly leaning into what we’re taking out there.”
ARN’s Podcast to Broadcast Strategy seems to be really taking off. How significant is that program to the business?
“I think it will become more and more significant. Life Uncut has got 30 million downloads and now has its own Saturday morning show where we can see listenership building, we mentioned Collective Noun in our presentation, and there will be another show that we’ll be launching over the next two weeks – there’s a big name there as well. It’s fantastic because what you are seeing is a new audience coming back into radio through podcasts.”
ARN have started syndicating major KIIS and Pure Gold Network shows via regional stations, meaning shows like Christian O’Connell and Kyle & Jackie O are being broadcast nation-wide. What are ARN’s goals in regional Australia?
“The goals in the regional areas are largely to make sure that we have stations that are connecting, as they currently are, with their local communities. In a nutshell, we’re not going to be messing with what’s coming out of the speakers in the local market, we’re going to be enhancing it, and we’re going to be providing new content – Christian O’Connell, Kyle & Jackie O, Jonesey & Amanda, Will & Woody. Breakfast shows will not be touched in any of our markets.
“From a commercial perspective, what this provides our clients is the ability to reach consumers in one hit out across the country. That comes back to ease of transaction – You run a promotion on Will & Woody, and it goes out through metro and out into the regional markets in one go.”
When you are reaching one in three Australians like ARN is, how do you go about creating content for people from such varied backgrounds and so many different locations across the country?
“It comes back to the balance of local content. Every breakfast show knows their market, so that can’t be cookie cutter. What you hear in Bundaberg, you’re not going to be hearing in Murray Bridge, and you’re not going to be hearing in Hobart. It’s about making sure that you’ve got a team, and producers, and content directors aligned and in touch with their market.
“Then, the broader syndicated content is going to be the most engaging content that we can produce that’s going to drive the ratings. We hear it now, we can see it through the dominance of the likes of Christian O’Connell and Kyle & Jackie O, day in day out. That’s such engaging content, which is what’s driven the audience and got them to where they are.”