The number one media brand in Australia is a radio show.

Think about that for a second.

The number one media brand in Australia is a radio show.

So says Southern Cross Austereo’s Craig Bruce as he provides a master class on making great audio entertainment and developing and nurturing talent.

There’s a lot U.S. broadcasters can learn from Craig’s keen comments and finely-tuned best practices, which he shared with all of us in his Q&A at hivio 2014, the audio future festival.

Be forewarned: Not all of what he says about U.S. radio is complimentary. And you will particularly want to watch this Q&A if you have an aging morning show and are pondering the question of succession.

Some of the questions Craig answers:

• 
  
• What’s special about radio and audio in Australia?
  
• Why is the #1 Media Brand in Australia a Radio Show?
  
• What’s your assessment of what you hear on the radio in the US?
  
• Talent development is a choice that you spend money on. Do you have to convince management of this?
  
• What do you think about radio in the US?
  
• How do young people in Australia interact with the medium? What’s their audio usage like across platforms?
  

Craig Bruce is, flat out, one of the smartest broadcasters I have encountered anywhere.

Please watch and share this video:

Prefer audio?

Try this: if(typeof(jQuery)=="function"){(function($){$.fn.fitVids=function(){}})(jQuery)};jwplayer('jwplayer-3').setup({"aspectratio":null,"width":320,"height":30,"primary":"html5","file":"http://www.markramseymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hivio-2014-Session-05.mp3"});

Download Audio

Go here for more info about hivio, the audio future festival. The free event for everyone in the audio entertainment and information space.

(You can subscribe to all the MRM video and audio via iTunes and get the goodies before everybody else. You can also get advance notice of this content if you “like” MRM on Facebook or follow me on Twitter).