Kyle & Jackie O’s ‘risky content’ is fine by advertisers, says ARN exec Lauren Joyce

ARN’s low-rating Melbourne KIIS 101.1FM has been trying to lure new listeners with the chance of winning $5m. But, many giveaways come with a catch — this one had two.

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson have revealed the death clause in their contracts.

ARN’s low-rating Melbourne KIIS 101.1FM has been trying to lure new listeners with the chance of winning $5m.

But many giveaways come with a catch. This one had two. The $5m might not be won, and listeners had to tune into The Kyle and Jackie O Show — something the Melbourne audience has been reluctant to do since the controversial duo went live into the southern market 12 months ago.

As it happens, the major prize didn’t go off last Friday. There were plenty of other treats on offer, though, including new cars being given away in a live broadcast from St Kilda beach, the first time the hosts had visited the Victorian capital.

If the $5m Dawn Dig promotion doesn’t move the ratings needle for the station, will that be the end of the Kyle and Jackie O experiment in Melbourne?

“It’s certainly not a last chance, not at all,” ARN’s recently promoted chief audience and content officer Lauren Joyce told The Australian. “Audience growth comes through a combination of factors and us running a noisy tactic is just one of those.

“The Dawn Dig is a radio moment and it’s typical of Kyle and Jackie O to do something bigger than everybody else.”

The broadcaster is giving audiences and advertisers time to connect with the newly sanitised content. 

With Ms Joyce new to running a radio content team, she is getting the best possible mentoring. Outgoing head of content Duncan Campbell is still with the company before he edges sideways into a consultancy role later this year.

Mr Campbell has an enviable track record in radio here and in the UK. He helped lure Kyle and Jackie O away from rivals SCA and hired Christian O’Connell from Absolute Radio in the UK.

Lauren Joyce — chief audience and content officer at ARN.

O’Connell has been a ratings winner since shifting from London to Melbourne breakfast radio in 2018, defying the critics who said the move wouldn’t work.

The brief for Ms Joyce from ARN head office is clear. “My role is responsible for growing our audiences and ensuring that we’re growing in the right places,” she said.

In recent times ARN has been dealing with the failed Triple M acquisition and the Kyle and Jackie O Melbourne disappointment. And it is no longer the No. 1 FM broadcaster in the country — something Ms Joyce wants to rectify.

“We’ve had some audience declines in the last 12 months or so but interestingly that’s been patchy. If you look at each individual station you can see that there has been growth in key demographics,” she said.

“It’s cyclical and I’m really confident now that we’ve got the right people in place, the right strategies in place and we’re very focused and determined to get back to No.1.”

Ms Joyce shares the opinion often expressed by Mr Campbell about the Kyle & Jackie O failure in Melbourne.

“Their content is really global and it’s entertaining and it has appeal irrespective of which market it’s being played in. We underestimated the shock factor in Melbourne and we’ve corrected that.”

She was referring to the racy content that continues to attract the attention of regulator ACMA with multiple investigations into the show.

Audience turn off is one thing, but are advertisers staying away too? The big brands that would secure network dollars across multiple markets? Is the Kyle and Jackie O brand considered toxic by some?

“I don’t think so,” said Ms Joyce who is a brand specialist with a career in agencies and media under her belt.

“That’s their MO right? I wouldn’t say that it’s toxic for clients. We’re in a moment in time where we’re in a very politicised world and there is a sense of fear about offending anybody.

“The reality is Kyle and Jackie O speak to an audience that absolutely love them. What I encourage brands to look at is who the audience are and if that audience is going to be buying your product or are you wanting to influence those people to change their behaviour.

“The level of relationship and connection that Kyle and Jackie have with their audience is what I would be considering as a marketer and as a brand custodian as opposed to the subject matter that is within their show.

“There are 1.7 million people listening to them. They still buy toothpaste, they still buy washing powder, they’re out there looking for clothes and cars and holidays. It would be quite shortsighted to exclude that audience from your potential marketing buy.

“I accept that their content is risky but I also think you need to set the subject matter aside and actually look far deeper at the audience and the value of that audience.”

Ms Joyce wouldn’t be drawn on any future networking plans. Whether Kyle and Jackie O would be syndicated to Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth. Might Christian O’Connell shift to Gold Sydney with Jonesy and Amanda perhaps being handed the keys to a national Gold drive show?

Christian O'Connell.

“I certainly think that there’s strong appeal for (O’Connell’s) show to go beyond Melbourne. Already we syndicate the show across our regional network and both our metro and regional network at nights. We know that there is an existing audience there for him.,” she said.