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When Christian O’Connell moved from the UK to Melbourne, he was starting from scratch. Now, he’s taking his radio show national. In this episode, Christian talks about his leap of faith — and the wildest live moment of his career, featuring a rock star and a world leader. For more, head to news.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today we talk to Christian O'Connell about his plans to (sort of) take his radio show national. Plus a big fall for Seven West Media on the Unmade index.We've announced the schedule for this year's Compass series. Our panel-in-the-pub, end-of-year tour kicks off in Sydney on November 3 and concludes in Hobart a fortnight later. Reflecting on 2025 and projecting into 2026, please hold the date for your city:* November 3 – Compass Sydney* November 5 – Compass Brisbane* November 10 – Compass Adelaide* November 11 – Compass Perth* November 17 – Compass Melbourne* November 18 – Compass HobartUnmade's paying members get a free ticket to Compass. Your annual membership also gets you tickets to September's REmade conference on retail media; and to October's Unlock conference on marketing in the nighttime economy.And you also get access to our paywalled archive.Upgrade today.When is a radio show not really national? When it's on DABI have something of a confession.When I recorded this week's podcast with Christian O'Connell on Monday morning, I didn't have all the facts. When you listen, you'll hear me miss what is now an obvious question.ARN Media had just announced O'Connell's Melbourne-based Gold FM breakfast show was going live nationally. After last week's announcement that Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller were vacating their Gold FM Sydney breakfast show for a shift to drive, it was clear that O'Connell would be networking into both cities, but the national move was a surprise.I took the announcement at face value. The technical problem I focused on was that of the time difference.Depending on time of year, when the show kicks off in Melbourne at 6am, that would be 3am in Perth. Or 5am in Queensland. Or 5.30am in Adelaide. But the announcement was unequivocal (and, as I'll explain further down, misleading): “This is the first time a commercial radio breakfast show will go live across the country.”For a show that thrives on the conversation with callers, that would, I assumed, have to mean a longer show. Stay on air longer, until at least 11am Melbourne time perhaps, in order to be genuinely live. There's precedent for running long. Over on Kiis FM, stablemates Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson usually stay well beyond their official finish time.Alternatively, as a half way house (and admittedly not properly live), shortly after 9am in Melbourne, record a bunch of talk breaks to cover the next two hours.The practicality of time zones is already a reality for broadcasters. The likes of ABC Radio National, and the TV networks, broadcast their shows as live, on a time delay. But when something big enough is breaking, they go fully live for their west coast audiences.But the assumption that I - and the rest of the industry - made was that ARN Media was planning to put The Christian O'Connell Show to air in each market on one of their existing stations. That had been the plan when ARN was looking to capture Triple M in its failed Southern Cross Austereo takeover bid.The new national plan was most intriguing in Perth where ARN's 96FM leads the market with a 14.8% audience share. However, 96FM is more closely aligned with ARN Media's Kiis network branding than Gold. ARN shares a second licence in the city with Nova Entertainment.And the existing 96FM breakfast show, featuring Dean Clairs and Lisa Shaw, underperforms compared to the rest of the station, sitting third in its time slot. Dropping in The Christian O'Connell Show would be a bold move but plausible.At the very least, with one licence in the market, ARN Media appeared to have selected O'Connell over the Kyle & Jackie O Show to lead its national networking strategy. To use the Formula One analogy, where each team has two drivers, ARN had chosen O'Connell as its number one driver.But the plan appeared anything but fully formed.As you'll hear O'Connell concede during the interview: “The Perth side, we're still working out the best way to do that. It might sound like ‘If you've been talking about this for seven years, why haven't you sorted that out?'”In truth, it's not going to be a national show. Or at least not on radios nationally. Outside of Sydney and Melbourne the show will be DAB only. Disingenuously, the word DAB did not appear in the announcement.Almost nobody listens to DAB. And for fans of O'Connell in other cities, they can already stream the show anyway.DAB ratings are so low that Commercial Radio Australia doesn't even publish the average listening numbers, only cumulative audience - the number of people who merely tune in at some point across the week. On DAB, the station 96FM 80s has a cume of just 61,000. That's compared to a cume for the main 96FM of 506,000. So why pretend the show is national when it is not?That's where ARN has made a hash of its communications.They were bounced into it after Jones and Keller decided to tell their listeners they were being moved to drive time. Reading between the lines, it's clear the duo would rather have stayed in breakfast.As O'Connell says in the interview: “Things have been jump started a bit. We were meant to be announcing this in a couple of weeks time.”ARN should have waited until it got its story straight.The mere fact of Christian O'Connell broadcasting live into Sydney was interesting enough, and a credible first step to a national audience.But that's not what this move represents.Instead, it potentially sets him up for failure.If ARN had presented it to the market as a two-city show, then Sydney and Melbourne would have been seen as the battleground - and, incidentally, one where O'Connell has the craft, talent and work ethic to win.It could even have been accompanied by the supplemental message that the show will additionally be available on DAB in those other markets. But it can't pretend that the show is fully in each of those markets - advertisers won't accept it anyway.Now, unless ARN rapidly changes its messaging, each survey will be accompanied by terrible comparisons in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.Presented as a national sell, it will cause confusion about what should be a simple buy. Marketers and media agencies won't buy the national story until it's a genuine national story.What a waste of what should have been good news from ARN.Seven share price decimatedSeven West Media and Vinyl Group both took big hits on the ASX today, losing 10% and 7.6% respectively.SWM's price of 14c is close to its low point of 12c it briefly hit in April. Vinyl Group is at its lowest point since May.Meanwhile Nine, which is currently the biggest locally based media and marketing stock, rose by 1.2% to a market capitalisation of $2.7bn.The Unmade Index rose slightly by 0.15% to 586.2 points.More from Mumbrella…* Call for AI compensation fund in copyright fight* Sports marketer Marissa Pace switches lanes, joins Guide Dogs NSW/ACT as CMO* Opinion: The loneliest place on earth (for a creative)* New York Post goes west with daily California Post newspaperToday's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio. Time to leave you to your evening. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great dayToodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmade + Mumbrellatim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe
Did you spot our very own Amanda Keller at the Logies last night?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We did it, fiends! 200 episodes! They said it couldn't be done, and here we are. This week, to celebrate the special occasion, we're finally watching two movies we've been wanting to get to since day one. We're discussing the alternating dual-role performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller in the British National Theatre's production of Frankenstein. So join us as we compare the two versions. See if we agree or disagree on the best version! Please rate, review, and tell your fiends. And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future installments. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/thefrankencast. Find all of our various links atlinktr.ee/frankencast or send us a letter at thefrankencast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!Your Horror Hosts: Anthony Bowman (he/him) & Eric Velazquez (he/him). Cover painting by Amanda Keller (@KellerIllustrations on Instagram).
We love these two!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Baher Skaik, a Gaza refugee featured on Amanda Keller’s The Piano, is officially beginning a new life in Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It just keeps getting better and better!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who’s the ultimate Aussie radio star of the past 25 years? I’m joined by the always outrageous Mitch Churi to sort through a shortlist of broadcasting heavyweights - from Kyle Sandilands to Carrie Bickmore … even Marty Sheargold. We laugh, debate, and maybe offend a few fanbases as we attempt the impossible: crowning Australia's greatest radio legend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What did Amanda discover last night?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's that time of the week... FIGHT FOR YOUR FLASHBACK!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Darts champion Dave 'Big Fish' Marland from JDC Sutherland Shire Darts Academy gave Amanda a private darts lesson, and it's safe to say that Jonesy should be worried
Anyone who’s heard Amanda talk about her love for Barry Manilow has probably also heard her mention her childhood best friend, Melanie. Earlier this year, Melanie’s world was turned upside down when her daughter, Jess, was suddenly diagnosed with renal failure. Jess is now on the waiting list for a kidney transplant — and Melanie is her donor. Listen to more at doubleachattery.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What tips does Jack have for Ingrid?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We love you, Amanda.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
OnlyFans creator Annie Knight has been admitted to hospital after a challenge where which she slept with 583 men in a single day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen to Amanda Keller's latest episode of Double A Chattery at doubleachattery.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
'The Piano' on ABC is absolutely extraordinary!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amanda Keller's co-star from 'The Piano' Andrea Lam joins Jonesy & Amanda to chat about the exciting new show!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week on Double A Chattery, Amanda Keller and Anita McGregor unpack the rise of panic rooms, secret bunkers, and even flammable moats (yes, that’s a thing).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What a night!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jonesy & Amanda’s Gets My Goolies – it’s the only radio contest in Sydney where having a whinge can make you a winner! Submitting your Goolie has never been easier – just follow these simple steps: 1. Download the iHeartRadio app2. Listen to GOLD101.7 on the app3. Look for the microphone that you can simply tap to record your message!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oh no, no, no, no!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Unleashing You, I sit down with Amanda from Northwoods Creative and Marketing to explore her incredible journey from 13 years in corporate to running her own thriving business. Amanda opens up about the highs and lows of working for the same company for over a decade, the emotional toll of constant change, and the pivotal moment when she realized it was time to step away and follow her own path.We dive into the challenges of leaving behind the comfort of a secure job, the fear of starting fresh, and the divine timing that guided Amanda toward success. From navigating uncertainty to building a business that reflects her passion and purpose, Amanda's story is both inspiring and deeply relatable. If you've ever felt stuck in your career or wondered if it's time to make a bold move, this episode will give you the motivation and confidence to trust your gut and take that leap.
We have a very special treat for you! You're going to want to send this episode to your best friend immediately. Because it's about the power of the most important relationships in many of our lives - the one we have with our great mates. One our very favourite episode's from this season of MID. You would know Amanda Keller from her many decades as an Australian television and radio presenter, comedian, writer, actress and journalist. You might be meeting her best friend forensic psychologist Anita McGregor for the first time, but once you have, you'll know exactly why these two have been inseparable since they first met, 17 years ago. This conversation goes everywhere from the things your friends can hold your hand through and what they can't. When and if you should offer your best friend "feedback", and what happens to your relationships with everyone and everything - from your friends to your work and your grown-up kids, as you move more into Mid. You can listen to Amanda and Anita on their podcast, Double A Chattery, here If you'd like to listen to more MID you can listen to season four here. THE END BITS: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Follow us on Instagram @MidbyMamamia or sign up to the MID newsletter, dropping weekly here. CREDITS: Host: Holly Wainwright Executive Producer: Naima Brown Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray Producer: Tahli Blackman Audio Producer: Jacob Round Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rappin' With Mouncey is BACK!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is amazing!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Marty Sheargold said that the Matildas players reminded him of "year 10 girls".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As Christian is about to enter a new phase of his life as an empty nester, he sits down with his good friend Amanda Keller to talk about life as a parent and her new show The Role Of A Lifetime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The fantastic Maggie Dent joins Jonesy & Amanda to talk about her new show (with our very own Amanda Keller), The Role Of A Lifetime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amanda Keller on her new TV show 'The Role Of A Lifetime', which starts tonight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oh, Amanda!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Here's what you missed on Jonesy & Amanda this week!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We're getting retro this week, fiends! Join us as we go to an Old Dark House, and meet a cast of Haunted Hill style trope characters, who are all being menaced by Lon Chaney Jr.'s grandson, Ron (obvs). We're talking about the classic eye-cutout paintings, some unfortunate racial caricatures, (and how to fix it), and gushing over a truly awesome MONSTER FIGHT! Please rate, review, and tell your fiends. And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future installments. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/thefrankencast. Find all of our various links at linktr.ee/frankencast or send us a letter at thefrankencast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you! Your Horror Hosts: Anthony Bowman (he/him) & Eric Velazquez (he/him). Cover painting by Amanda Keller (@KellerIllustrations on Instagram).
What should Amanda call her honey?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What do you think of it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome back, MIDs, and please send this episode to your best friend immediately. Because it's about the power of the most important relationships in many of our lives - the one we have with our great mates. You know Amanda Keller from her many decades as an Australian television and radio presenter, comedian, writer, actress and journalist. You might be meeting her best friend forensic psychologist Anita McGregor for the first time, but once you have, you'll know exactly why these two have been inseparable since they first met, 17 years ago. This conversation goes everywhere from the things your friends can hold your hand through and what they can't. When and if you should offer your best friend "feedback", and what happens to your relationships with everyone and everything - from your friends to your work and your grown-up kids, as you move more into Mid. You can listen to Amanda and Anita on their podcast, Double A Chattery, here THE END BITS: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Follow us on Instagram @MidbyMamamia or sign up to the MID newsletter, dropping weekly here. CREDITS: Host: Holly Wainwright Executive Producer: Naima Brown Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray Producer: Tahli Blackman Audio Producer: Jacob Round Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amanda Keller opens up about the negative impact that social media influencer Andrew Tate has on young men. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oh, Amanda... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rest in Peace, Simon Townsend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Something To Talk About is continuing to publish across the summer break, and will be back with a brand new episode on January 12. In the meantime, we are revisiting some of your favourites from the 50 episodes we released over the past year. Today’s conversation is with Amanda Keller, which originally aired June 22, 2024. *** Amanda Keller is a confessed oversharer. It’s her job to share snippets of her private life on the breakfast radio show she’s co-hosted for the past 19 years, Jonesy and Amanda on Sydney’s WSFM. But last year, Amanda revealed she’d been keeping a secret. On her new podcast, Double A Chattery, Amanda told the world that for the past six years, her husband Harley had been living with Parkinson's. On this episode of Something To Talk About, Amanda joins Stellar’s editor-in-chief Sarrah Le Marquand to talk about her husband Harley, parenting adults, whether or not she’ll ever consider a role on television again, and why she’s even forgiven Tom Gleeson, the man many believe robbed her of a well deserved Gold Logie. Listen to Jonesy & Amanda weekdays from 6am on Sydney’s 101.7 WSFM, or look for Double A Chattery wherever you get your podcasts. Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or stellarmag.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amanda Keller is one of Australia's most successful and most loved media personalities. Whether it be hosting the nation's most listened to radio show or presenting a number of top rated TV programs, Amanda has been at the head of the field for over 30 years. Also a respected author, actress and journalist - this episode beautifully demonstrates her natural talent and pure authenticity responding to the Five of My Life Challenge. Follow The Five of My Life on Instagram Contact Nigel here Follow Amanda on Instagram here
You know that incomprehensibly dry British humor you always hear people talking about? Well, we found some. Join us for a Frankenstein comedy from the 80s that kinda feels like it could be from the 70s. We have Donald Pleasence as a pervy Frankenstein, a feminist racecar driver/political protestor, a bunch of nameless bureaucrats in an incredibly out-of-print movie that is thankfully available on YouTube. It's... fun? I think it's fun. Please rate, review, and tell your fiends. And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future installments. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/thefrankencast. Find all of our various links at linktr.ee/frankencast or send us a letter at thefrankencast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you! Your Horror Hosts: Anthony Bowman (he/him) & Eric Velazquez (he/him). Cover painting by Amanda Keller (@KellerIllustrations on Instagram).
This week we've got another heartwarming story from the '90s, but this time the Frankenstein is more explicit, and yet also more metaphorical? Join us as we get real mad about an evil teacher, fawn over dream sequences for maybe the first time ever, and give into the nostalgia. Please rate, review, and tell your fiends. And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future installments. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/thefrankencast. Find all of our various links at linktr.ee/frankencast or send us a letter at thefrankencast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you! Your Horror Hosts: Anthony Bowman (he/him) & Eric Velazquez (he/him). Cover painting by Amanda Keller (@KellerIllustrations on Instagram).
Last night, Amanda went to see Cirque du Soleil'd LUZIA under the Big Top at the Entertainment Quarter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We are so excited for this!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's time for the first episode of... Keller's Kraft Korner!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amanda visited her 90-year-old dad in Brisbane over the weekend...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2024 has given us so many interesting new takes on the Frankenstein story, and this is another great example, only instead of making a monster out of corpse parts, an unsuspecting dad just buys a really hot robot and things go awry. Join us as we learn we're both members of the Megan Fox Stan Society, try to decide if robots count as cheating, and wonder if polyamory would have fixed this whole "murderbot" problem. Please rate, review, and tell your fiends. And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future installments. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/thefrankencast. Find all of our various links at linktr.ee/frankencast or send us a letter at thefrankencast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you! Your Horror Hosts: Anthony Bowman (he/him) & Eric Velazquez (he/him). Cover painting by Amanda Keller (@KellerIllustrations on Instagram).
Do you want to play a game?? How about 85 of them? Join us this week as we step out of the movie screen, and then step right back into the video game screen. We're welcoming Special Guest Vic Romero, who has played every Frankenstein game he could get his hands on, so he can tell us all about them. Join us for all the 8-bit, 2D action! You can find Vic's YouTube channel, NoiseLand Co here: https://www.youtube.com/@Noiselandco His book can be found at: https://goodolvic.itch.io/bart-vs-my-hopes-dreams Please rate, review, and tell your fiends. And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future installments. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/thefrankencast. Find all of our various links at linktr.ee/frankencast or send us a letter at thefrankencast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you! Your Horror Hosts: Anthony Bowman (he/him) & Eric Velazquez (he/him). Cover painting by Amanda Keller (@KellerIllustrations on Instagram).
This week we're headed to the ominously modern estate of our tech bro boss and surely nothing bad could happen there, right? Join us as we reuse cliched quotations, try to understand AI, and lose all concept of what counts as "naked". Please rate, review, and tell your fiends. And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future installments. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/thefrankencast. Find all of our various links at linktr.ee/frankencast or send us a letter at thefrankencast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you! Your Horror Hosts: Anthony Bowman (he/him) & Eric Velazquez (he/him). Cover painting by Amanda Keller (@KellerIllustrations on Instagram).