How Australian Radio Network plans to make Mix 102.3 No. 1

The mission to make Mix 102.3 No. 1 again is no Sunday drive for its sister station Cruise 1323. Find out all the goss and what ARN has to say.

Australian Radio Network is making it harder for easy listening station Cruise 1323 to succeed in order to boost sister station Mix 102.3, industry insiders say.

Cruise and Mix are both ARN stations that are heard on the AM and FM bands respectively.

AM radio station Cruise 1323 was launched at the Stag Hotel in 2005. Announcer Mark Elliston with Ammi Trainor and Carolyn Koch. Picture: Advertiser Library

“They have changed the format at Cruise to only play music from the 1960s and 1970s, anything from the 1980s onwards doesn’t exist,” one source says, adding: “They want Cruise to sound older because it has been taking a lot of listeners from Mix.

“They are doing that to help Mix, to strengthen it, because Mix is what they want to work (in the ratings), it is where the (advertising) money is.”

Another industry insider agreed ARN was “putting all of its efforts” into Mix – which is the home of The Ali Clarke Breakfast Show – to “further bolster” that station’s ratings.

Mix 102.3 breakfast presenters Max Burford and Ali Clarke Picture: Supplied

In the most recent radio ratings survey results Triple M was the No. 1 station overall, a position once held by Mix, for what seemed like forever and a day.

In the latest rankings, Mix was in second spot with 11.9 share points, behind Triple M’s 13.6. Third place went to Nova (10.5), followed by SAFM (9.3) and FIVEaa (9).

Recording 8.7, Cruise was ahead of ABC Adelaide (8.5).

In the all-important breakfast shift, Triple M was in top spot with 15.2 share points, while Mix’s The Ali Clarke Breakfast Show lagged well behind on 9.1, tying for fourth place with SAFM.

Leo Sayer, pictured with Anne Combe and Gabriella Lorenzetti, came to the party when Cruise was launched in 2005. Picture: Advertiser Library

A number of sources have told The Advertiser a similar strategy was used for the Austereo Network’s Adelaide sister stations in the late 1990s, when SAFM was outperforming Triple M in the ratings.

One also says of ARN decisions: “Adelaide has no say, it all comes out of Sydney.”

Last month, Cruise’s mornings presenter and music director Dom Rinaldo was made redundant.

It was a surprise exit because Rinaldo had performed consistently well in the ratings.

Dom Rinaldo in 2021. Picture Dean Martin

While Rinaldo would have been celebrating 13 years at Cruise in December, ARN did not announce his departure, meaning he was not able to bid his listeners farewell on-air.

ARN released a statement when contacted by The Advertiser, after we noticed Rinaldo appeared to have gone AWOL.

Chief content officer Duncan Campbell said in a statement: “We thank him for his passion and contribution to the network over the years and wish him all the best.”

Rinaldo wasn’t the only one to go; newsreader Alan Baskin – who is based in Melbourne but was on-air in Adelaide for 23 years – was also made redundant, along with another local presenter and radio stalwart Mark Elliston.

Jeremy Cordeaux, when he owned 5AD in 1992, flanked by announcer Jeff Sunderland, general manager Wayne Clouten and announcer Mark Elliston. Picture: Advertiser Library

Three weeks ago ARN told The Advertiser that “a fresh approach to the Cruise 1323 line up will be made shortly”, but there has been no such announcement.

Asked to comment on what is happening at Cruise in terms of music and job losses and the theory that Mix is now the priority, an ARN spokesperson said: We are focused on delivering the music we know our Cruise listeners know and love.”