Radio 2UE are set to resume regular programming on January 14 but their on-air line-up for 2008 is still not confirmed.
Steve Price has been confirmed for the morning show, vacated by the now retired John Laws with John Stanley to resume hosting Drive.
Breakfast is currently hosted by John Stanley and Tim Gilbert over summer. It is not really working as
2UE have known about Laws decision for 9 months so to still not know their on air line-up show signs of weak management, dare I say a station in disarray?
Ellen Fanning, Ken Sutcliffe and more recently Deborah Thomas were linked with to the co-hosting chair with
Perhaps 2UE should have launched a new breakfast show and moved Mike Carlton to either Drive or Mornings?
Steve Price has all ready started bickering with Ray Hadley but his comments may be deemed useless if 2UE do not have a strong performing Breakfast show to launch the platform for the day.
Unless 2UE can pull a rabbit out of the hat, 2008 appears to be looking dismal as they start on the back foot with No Laws and No replacement for FitzSimons. In turn this will affect potential advertisers.
Believed 2UE ON-AIR Line-Up 2008
9-12 Steve Price
12-3 Tim Webster
3-6 John Stanley
6-8 Sports Today with Greg Alexander & John Gibbs
8-12 Stuart Bocking
12-5:30 Clive Roberston
With Breakfast not being confirmed yet advertisers may look elsewhere will across the schedule the line-up is not all that flattering and will struggle to compete with 2GB and ABC 702.
So, what would I do?
If the decisions that have been made so far in regards to programming be taken into account and it looks like top-rating weekend breakfast hosts George More and Paul B Kidd will not get a weekday slot, then I would change that first because if 2UE don’t use them, don’t be surprised if they jump ship to get a permanent weekday gig somewhere else.
My suggested 2UE ON-AIR Line-Up 2008
5:30-9 Mike Carlton & John Stanley
9-12 Steve Price
12-3 George More & Paul B Kidd
3-6 Steve Liebmann
6-8 Sports Today with Greg Alexander & John Gibbs
8-12 Clive Robertson
12-5:30 Stuart Bocking
Partnering John Stanley with Mike Carlton may if fact work because Carlton would lead the discussion allowing Stanley to fill the co-host Fitzsimons role which he would perform amicably.
Steve Price has all ready been given Mornings so there will be no back-flip there, yet.
Tim Webster in Afternoons is not right. George and Paul have an excellent weekend formula that is desperately needed in Afternoons which to some extent is provided by
Afternoons is a slower news time until Drive where news breaks and news is being wrapped up for the day. Afternoons should be lighter, informative yet entertaining. All that 2UE need to do is condense the weekend breakfast formula to afternoons with George and Paul and their show would rate.
Steve Liebmann is professional and polished and is always easy to listen to when he fills in on drive. He may not want the shift permanently but he is smart enough and a very good interviewer which compliments the Drive time audience.
Nights have not been set alight by Stuart Bocking but its a hard gig. Bocking is becoming a better presenter, shift by shift but Nights are not him. He would be better in a Afternoon show or weekend breakfast.
Bocking has that laid back easy listening voice and presentation style which I like but not at nights. So either return him to mid-dawn or present weekend breakfast because Clive Robertson is needed on nights.
Robertson has a brilliant speaking voice, he is quick whited, funny, irreverent and cheeky. He has some similarities to the late Stan Zemanek. The night show is Clive Robertson.
We are only 10 days away from the start of the first ratings period with a number of radio stations launching new breakfast shows or new members to their breakfast shows particularly on the FM band with MIX 106.5, NOVA 969, VEGA 95.3 and TRIPLE M hedging their bets on new teams but their decisions were made in 2007.
2UE go into 2008 without a confirmed breakfast show, they have 9 days to find someone...
