Media Street: SEN boss Craig Hutchison is set to lose key radio rights deal with the AFL

One of the great underrated qualities about media success stories like Craig Hutchison is his commitment to promoting youth. And that’s just what he is doing this weekend.

Craig Hutchison’s reign as the radio rights kingmaker is coming to an end.

The AFL is going over the final details of a new radio broadcast rights agreement with a restructuring of Hutchison’s Sports Entertainment Network role looming as the main change.

In a piece of genius negotiating back in 2016, Hutchison became the umbrella rights-holder which meant he oversaw various programming and match-day calling agreements with all AFL broadcasters across Australia.

It was a bold and gutsy move — the overall radio rights deal doubled from $5m to about $10m for six years — but it enabled Hutchison to get better advertising deals with companies such as McDonald’s as he was able to push them not just across SEN but rival stations as well.

Games broadcast through SEN’S AFL Nation then appeared in interstate markets on 5AA in Adelaide and 6PR in Perth.

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SEN boss Craig Hutchison was able to secure a premium AFL radio rights deal in 2016.

As part of the deal, Hutchison took control of the high-rating 3AW show Sports Today hosted by Gerard Healy and Sam McClure.

In a bizarre situation SEN took over its production even though the show remained on 3AW at 6pm weekdays and would then syndicate it out around the country.

However, Hutchison’s power base is set to be eroded with Nine Radio boss Tom Malone, whose company took over the ownership of 3AW in 2019, keen to take back control of their own destiny.

At the top of the list is taking back the popular drive show and rebranding it under the Wide World of Sports banner.

Malone also wants to do his own syndication, which was Hutchison’s great jewel in the crown of the 2016 deal.

While the SEN boss will still play a key role in the AFL radio world and continue syndicating to his expanding empire of stations around the country, the new rights deal will have a different look to the previous blockbuster deal.

Triple M, K-Rock and the ABC are all expected to remain as AFL broadcast partners.

Experienced commentator Dave Culbert interviews Usain Bolt in 2016 as part of Athletics Australia’s Nitro Summer series. Picture Norm Oorloff

COMMONWEALTH GAMES ASSOCIATION ROCKED BY RESIGNATION

THE Commonwealth Games Association has been rocked by the shock resignation of its media boss David Culbert.

Culbert has decided he can no longer combine his commentary duties with running the PR for the Commonwealth Games.

Regarded as one of the best media managers in the business, the former Olympic long-jumper is keen to explore more opportunities behind the microphone.

Culbert was last month awarded the Sport Australia Media Award for Best Sport Coverage on TV for his commentary across Channel 7’s Tokyo Olympic coverage which included his memorable call of Jess Fox’s canoe gold medal alongside Jess’ father, Richard.

He was heard on Monday commentating the Stawell Gift for Seven alongside Jason Richardson, Bruce McAvaney and Tamsyn Lewis.

Culbert has an extensive CV which includes covering six summer Olympics, three Winter Olympics, six Commonwealth Games and numerous Australian Opens.

Given Channel 7’s recent introduction of new faces to its AFL coverage, don’t be surprised if Culbert turns up on a Sunday down the track next to Brian Taylor.

Bulldog star Ellie Blackburn will be co-hosting The Kids Edition on SEN.

15-YEAR-OLD GIVEN SEO SHOW

One of the great underrated qualities about media success stories such as Eddie McGuire and Craig Hutchison is their commitment to promoting youth.

They both remember where they came from and how they climbed the ladder so anyone with a bit of spunk gets a kick along.

Hutchy has found a budding protégé in the form of 15-year-old Max Becker, to whom he has given a hosting gig on SEN this Sunday.

Becker will be co-hosting The Kids Edition alongside AFL Bulldogs star Ellie Blackburn.

His big break came about after Max reached out to Hutchy on his own podcast The Sporting Max. So impressed was the SEN boss that he didn’t just give the kid a co-hosting gig but he has also aired the podcast at 7am on Sundays.