It’s more common outside the U.S. for radio programmers to travel between territories, but Ronnie Stanton has had an especially globetrotting career. Sixteen years ago, the Australian programmer began working mostly in Canada, but he also served as a VP/content for the Alpha Media for several years. For the last three years, he was VP/Audio for Canada’s Corus Media.
Earlier this year, Stanton returned to Australia, but his focus remains worldwide as Chief Content Officer for Virgin Radio Worldwide — a brand licensed in multiple territories (including as Bell Media’s Canadian CHR brand). Virgin recently launched in France, joining the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Turkiye, the UAE, Oman, and Lebanon. That job, he says, can mean working with “mornings in one territory, music at another, ratings somewhere else, or helping with imaging.”
This June, Stanton returns to Canada for Radiodays North America, the international radio conference scheduled for Toronto June 2-4. In a June 3 session called “Lessons from Down Under: Why the Radio Industry Can Learn from Australia,” Stanton will interview John Musgrove of Australia’s Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA), one of the world’s most successful radio lobbies.
On the following day, Stanton will interview youth-media consultant Emily Copeland about the launch of CADA radio, a suburban Sydney Hip-Hop station that relaunched as group-owner ARN’s Hip-Hop network. (We took a First Listen at the time.)
We spoke to Stanton about Australian radio, and about his impressions of North American radio. ARN is back in the headlines this week, thanks to the rollout of Kiss FM Sydney’s dominant Kyle & Jackie O show on Melbourne’s Kiss FM, a testament to radio’s less-diminished place in the stratosphere.
Ross: You’re back in Australia after three years. How has Australian radio changed in that time (or since you first left 16 years ago)?
Stanton: Radio is evolving everywhere in mostly the same ways. Sadly, Australia is not immune to downsizing, consolidating, and networking. There have been networked shows here for decades, but we are seeing more and more of it now.
Ross: And yet from here, it looks so much more robust. There are still major stars. There’s a viable digital tier of radio stations.
Stanton: Oz has always been very good at pushing content forward. North America is still growing into that notion that music is becoming a secondary magnet for the audience, as it’s now accessible everywhere. The content from the announcers, the contests, the imaging – that’s the memorable stuff, now more than ever. Australia is still doing that – shows like Kyle and Jackie O, like them or hate them, do that every day.
Also, there are fewer stations and fewer operators, which means better ratings, bigger profits, more investment in product, etc. Over-licensing has made it hard in North America, only amplified by the new competition of Spotify, podcast, and other things taking their share of audio.
Ross: I’m following Kyle & Jackie O’s Melbourne launch through the trades and social media. What’s your sense of the rollout seeing it first-hand, in terms of how people are reacting?
Stanton: I’m not in the market. There seems to be all the noisy pushback you’d expect from a polarizing show like them launching in Melbourne. I really don’t know how it will go. I’m grabbing popcorn and watching with delight.
Ross: What about thoughts on leaving North American radio? What did the U.S. and Canada’s radio look like to an Australian?
Stanton: I loved my time in Canada and the U.S. They’re so different and yet with similar radio DNA. I think PPM was a jolt for the industry, and we are still feeling the effects of that, with frustratingly wild swings in numbers book to book. Ultimately, I truly believe radio’s best days can be ahead of us, not behind, but we have to believe that, be proud of what we can do that no other medium can in terms of connecting with the audience, and invest in talent development.
Ross: I’ve written more than most in North America about Australian radio. It’s still a relative handful — Alternative non-comm network Triple-A, Kyle & Jackie O, Christian O’Connell on Gold 104 Melbourne, Brisbane’s Oldies 4KQ and 4BH, CADA two years ago. Who would you tell an American to listen to?
Stanton: Triple-J is a good one – so unique in its formatting and very successful (although no commercials sure helps). Hamish and Andy are a podcast now – formally (OR FORMERLY??/KB) a national show (very good). I love what O’Connell does on breakfast at Gold in Melbourne. I98 in Wollongong is [a small-market gem].
Ross: What are the Canadian stations that American programmers should be listening to?
Stanton: Virgin Canada is genuinely top of their game, and the rise to juggernaut status that is CFOX Vancouver is something I will always be very proud of. [CHBM] Boom in Toronto is a brilliant Classic Hits station. CFNY [The Edge] Toronto will always be legendary. Alternative CFEX (X92.9) Calgary and [CHDI] Sonic 102.9 Edmonton are great. CKRY (Country 105) Calgary is also a format benchmark, I think. There are so many really great stations.
Ross: Just about a year ago, you were one of multiple speakers at the British Columbia Assn. of Broadcasters convention urging radio people not to fall behind in the use of AI. What do you think of how radio has used it over the last year?
Stanton: I think it’s very new, and new equals scary. Daniel Anstandig and Futuri have done a really good job of making it a usable offering. The thing we don’t know yet is truly how audiences will react to it – both perceptually, knowing it’s not human, and the content itself. I think there is a great opportunity for AI in nights and overnights, but I’ve seen the Terminator movies and am cautious.
Radiodays North America takes place June 2-4 in Toronto. A full schedule is available here and panelists are still being announced.
