Telum recently hosted a webinar, "The Battle for Breakfast", looking at how COVID-19 has changed the breakfast radio market. Get in touch to sign up for future events at alert@telummedia.com.

The panellists for the webinar were:

• Siobhain McDonnell, Executive Producer, Stav, Abby & Matt (B105)
• Julia Holman, Executive Producer, RN Breakfast (ABC Radio National)
• Zac McLean, Executive Producer, Ben Fordham Live (2GB)

Key Takeaways

• More people are listening to radio, but fewer in their car. There is a need to provide content across multiple platforms, especially podcasting.
• COVID-19 is still a big focus and it is at the centre of the big stories coming up - in particular, a vaccine and the impact of removing financial support.
• Short and sharp, good talkers and the ability to come across as relatable are the key elements producers are looking for in interviewees, as well as knowing the show and audience and currency / timeliness. A personalised pitch was also raised as going a long way to getting cut through.

The impact of COVID-19 on breakfast shows; both production teams and audiences
In the early stages of the pandemic, everything went remote to a large degree. Siobhain had three presenters to look after and keeping them separate was a real safety issue, but it meant having her in studio with one presenter and the other two remote. It was a shaky start, but the team adapted well and it is now “the norm”.

It was the initially same for Zac and the team at 2GB’s new Ben Fordham Live breakfast show, but a few months later, while much of the building is still empty, the breakfast team is all together in the mornings.

Early on, it was all COVID-19 all the time for ABC’s RN Breakfast and at Ben Fordham Live, but that has eased back, with around half the content focused on other subjects and news. It was a different story for Siobhain and the team at B105 in Brisbane: “Radio shines in an emergency - people turn to radio to get both news and comfort. We made decision early on that we’re not people’s primary news source, but where people would turn for entertainment.”

For Julia at RN Breakfast, one big upside was the sudden availability of talent. “We found that all of a sudden, we could get people on the show we’d wanted for a long time. People had more time on their hands.”

It was a similar story for Siobhain: “National programmes tended to get big celeb names, but with everyone stuck their own homes, they were more than happy to come on our show. And Zoom changed things up in terms of content, moving away from phone-ins, and that changes the dynamic.”

COVID-19 also saw a significant change in audience behaviours and that meant changes to how broadcasters delivered content. Zac spoke of a real shift towards multiplatform content at 2GB: “We now use Instagram for lighter content and do "highlights" podcasts of the show, running 40 minutes. It all has to be an extension of the programme, and we have found a lot of people listening to the podcast rather than listening live.”

Siobhain agreed that listener habits are changing: “People are not in their car as much. But if you are offering podcasts / extended podcasts, streaming, adapting and pushing content out on different formats, then you WILL stay relevant and in reach when people get back in the car.”

It isn’t an easy shift to make, however, and it is a learning process, as Julia explained: “You never know what story will pique interest. We podcast whole show and also individual stories. We are trying to get content out in different ways, but it takes time to turn around. It is not instant and it’s not fresh content - it is republishing. The question then is how much focus goes on refreshed content versus seeking new content.”

What makes a good story, good on-air talent and how should they be pitched?
It all comes back the key ingredients of relevance and currency / timeliness. For Zac at Ben Fordham Live, having an idea of what the show is and who its listeners are is all important: “We do a wide range of current affairs and Sydney stories, so generic national stories with no local breakdown don’t tend to hit the mark. We want stories and talent related to what is happening now or what is about to happen. And personalise it - "Hey Zac, we know you’ve been covering this issue and we’d like to put this expert forward who can talk about X angle’”.

Siobhain agreed that mass mail outs might be efficient, but blur into one another. Mentioning her and her team by name makes it stand out, even more so if there is a celeb attached to the pitch. And timing is everything: “We are often booked up 2 - 3 weeks ahead. You might have an amazing pitch, but we may have the story already booked in for the week ahead with someone else.”

For Julia at RN Breakfast, it is about the shareability of the story: “You know something will make a good story if it has the "Hey Mum, guess what?" factor. If I get a pitch and immediately want to tell colleagues, then it has that zing.”

For all three executive producers, finding the right on-air talent is critical. “Talent checking is a bit part of the day,” said Zac. “I call them, talk as if I’m the host, ask questions, get ideas. You can tell quickly if they will be good talent. And once you find someone really good, the host wants to go back again and again.”

Julia says RN Breakfast has the luxury of longer interview times, and that affords them some flexibility: “It gives us more scope and leeway. Sometimes the importance of what someone has to say overrides their ability to talk in short sharp soundbites.”

All three panellists have a good working relationship with their respective newsrooms. While Ben Fordham Live is quite independent, Zac said they do while the show is going on, especially about breaking news and key material from interviews on the show, and they work closely when something big happens. That said, Zac recommends sending pitches to the newsroom at 2GB as well as the show.

Julia has to coordinate carefully, as AM airs in the middle of RN Breakfast, and they try to avoid doubling up too much, and they do coordinate with the newsroom on grabs and interviews.

Siohbain coordinates closely with the newsroom at B105, monitoring the newsfeed, teasing what is coming up and seeking out human interest angles on stories coming through.

Best way and time to reach them?

• Zac at 2GB: Early morning and then by email till 10.30am. During the show is often best
• Julie at RN Breakfast: NOT during the show. With some team members working from home, Julia doesn’t have scope for receiving pitches till after 9am
• Siobhain at B105: An after-show email is best, but pitch thing well in advance

What will be driving the breakfast news agenda in the coming months?
COVID-19 will continue to be a significant focus, but there are two key elements that loom large.

For Julia, a COVID-19 vaccine is the biggest story approaching: “The fate of the world rests on the development of a vaccine. We have been building up experts in this area and preparing ourselves.”

For Zac at 2GB, it is about the economy and the easing out of lockdown. “The most emotional issue for listeners has been financial support such as JobSeeker and JobKeeper and early access to super. We have a lot of small business owners as listeners, and these stories will get bigger as support is taken away.”

B105 might have continued with an entertainment focus, but Siobhain and the team are very aware of the pressures listeners are facing: “A lot of people are on the edge, so we are very careful of our tone.”

But COVID-19 is not the only story, with the Brereton Report, the Queensland election and end of year school exams all featuring on the panellists’ agendas.