“Australian radio is leading the world”: ARN’s Ciaran Davis

Australian Radio Network CEO Ciaran Davis has reiterated his belief in the adaptability and innovative nature of Australian radio.

Speaking with CEO Magazine, Davis said that Australia is leading the world in many aspects of radio.

“That’s in terms of innovation, the ability to adapt to changing environments and the ability to keep a close association with the fundamentals of great radio,” he said.

“For me, great radio is live, local, free and community-based. Regardless of whether you’re in a big city or a small town, having that level of connection with audiences who are engaged, who trust you – that’s what makes radio great and what’s still relevant today, despite new technologies.”

He also spoke about the power of personalities, a core belief of ARN with market leading local shows including Kyle & Jackie O and Jodie & Soda.

“People still want to wake up in the morning and know what the weather’s going to be like. They want to know what the traffic’s like,” he said.

“They want to know what happened on TV last night. They want to know what happened at the Oscars or in the entertainment world, and they want to hear it from personalities that they know and love.”

Davis, also the managing director and CEO of ARN’s parent company HT&E, said that being at the forefront of audio consumption possibilties will be vital for the success of the company and its advertisers.

“It’s going to come into its own in the next few years as audio consumption changes to include podcasting, streaming, catch-up radio and artist radio,” he said.

“It’ll be in an environment where we’re able to capture data from our audiences and provide deeper content consumption for them. We can also provide that data to our advertisers, who can target consumers more effectively.

He summed up; “If we as a business know our listeners are now consuming content in different ways than they were 10 years ago, it’s our job to provide content and make it accessible to them anywhere, any time, and on whatever platform they choose, at whatever time they choose to consume it.”