Aussie Radio Station Behind Royal Hoax/Nurse's Death Makes a Statement

Southern Cross Austereo, owners of 2Day-FM and the employers of Mel Greig and Michael Christian, the hosts behind the prank call that apparently led to the suicide of a nurse in England, have a giant shitstorm to deal with.

They have to do something to show contrition and repentance.  And they have to do the right thing.  But given the circumstances, all this is very, very tricky and very, very sensitive.  Here's one of the things they've decided to do.  It's a start.  The fate of Greig and Christian is still unresolved.

Meanwhile, CNN has this story on the history of prank calls in radio.

There's no question that this entire thing is a tragedy.  But like I've posted before, prank calls are as old as radio itself.  Tens of thousands of calls like this have been made.  This is the only one I've ever heard of that resulted in a death.  

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Last of the Old Time CFNYers, Dave Bookman Leaves The Edge

If you're anywhere near Toronto or familiar with the history of CFNY/The Edge, you know all about Dave Bookman. The guy was all over the station for a couple of decades.

Live in Toronto. Weekend guy.  Afternoon guy.  Evening guy.  The Indie Hour.  The guy who has numbers for all manner of muscians, from the newest indie act to Dave Grohl.  An amazing interviewer.  Host of Nu Music Night at the Horseshoe for a generation.

I first met Bookie sometime in the late 80s/early 90s (sorry, memory is foggy).  I was a co-worker for a decade-and-a-half before I became his boss.  When Brother Bill moved west to a job with CFOX in Vancouver (he informed me 15 minutes after I assumed the job), I instantly made Bookie the afternoon guy.  He stayed there the entire time while I was program director.

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Should Those Australian Radio Hosts Be Fired?

This is the question being debated in radio circles today.  Should Mel Greig and Michael Christian lose their jobs over the prank call that allegedly led to a nurse at Kate Middleton's hospital taking her own life?

Put aside the emotion and the tragic outcome aside for a second.  Let's think it through:

1. Prank calls by radio hosts is as old as the medium itself.  This one didn't start out any different than tens of thousands of similar pranks played by announcers across the planet

2. There is no way--NO WAY--this call should have succeeded.  The fact that people at the hospital fell for the gag--a claim that the Queen herself was on the phone, complete with a terrible, terrible accent--says more about them than the jocks making the call.

3.  Before the nurse died, this gag was hailed as one of the great prank bits of all time.  I don't know about that, but it was up there.  It made global headlines, which is something of a Holy Grail for a radio station. Greig and Christian were radio heroes.  Then someone died, apparently at her own hand, as a result of shame and embarrassment of being duped. This was totally unexpected and terribly, terribly sad.

4. And let's be very clear about the circumstances.  If this prank call had not involved British royalty, we wouldn't even be talking about it.

So again I ask:  should Greig and Christian be fired?  

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Radio's Digital Deniers: WAKE UP, PEOPLE!

I constantly run into radio people who believe that the hype over digital access to music, entertainment and information is exaggerated.  

"There's no business plan!"  "It can't be monetized!" "Most listening is still done via radio!" "What's the return on investment?" "We're a radio company, not a digital company!"

And so on.

These deniers will eventually have to face up to the facts--and sooner than later.  Those terrestrial broadcast companies without a solid digital strategy will end up going over a cliff.

Consultant Fred Jacobs and I are on exactly the same page when it comes to radio's choice between digital future or digital doom.  Here's what he writes today:

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A Sample of Radio the Night John Lennon was Killed, 32 Years Ago Tonight

It was 32 years ago tonight that Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon outside the Dakota in NYC.  Keith send a link to a recording of someone scanning across the radio dial that night looking for news of what happened.

Back then, radio was the place where everyone went when everyone needed to be together for a big event. Fascinating.