The Experts powered by Media Stable Media Stable

There is enough crisis going on in the media.

What do you need to do to protect yourself?

What will media be wanting from you? What can you do to protect your brand and yourself?

Carms and Nic riff ... crisis management with some absolute GOLD advice.

There is nothing more certain than death and taxes, but you can all be sure that there will be a time when we are looking to purchase a property. It is getting increasingly difficult to get into the property market, but our next guest is confident that the emerging generations know what they want, know how to get it, and will not let anything get in their way.

Chris Foster-Ramsay or as he is known in media more these days as simply ‘CFR’ is the finance and mortgage broker to the everyman out there. He has a real focus on “Mums and Dads,” and this has made his content, opinions, and view far more relevant to mainstream media. He is on the ground getting finance to those that are the audience of the media he engages.

What is inspiring from the podcast is the motivation, the strategic direction, and the effort that CFR puts into every engagement. Having a background in media that stems back to his parents has given him a respect and greater understanding of the media cycle in print and electronic media. There is a dedication that exceeds most and no greater example of this is that he goes into the 3AW studio for a regular overnight gig.

There is a characteristic that media wants from an expert or a commentator that CFR delivers in bucket loads. That is the energy and keenness to be a part of the media landscape. The delivery of this kind of content is always received from both media and audience in an appreciative way. You cannot fake that; you need to have it in you. The media engagement is a wonderful way to amplify your authority and the way you do it adds the cherry on top when it comes to establishing reputation.

The 2024 Media Landscape Report delivered by Medianet is a report all communicators, public relations and media professionals need to have a look at. The yearly report is a wealth of knowledge and background information into the media and public relations industry.

Amrita Sidhu the Managing Director of Medianet is back talking to us at The Experts to get her takeaways and observations from the report. The focus of the report was Artificial Intelligence. The emergence, the use, the concerns, the effects that AI will have on journalism and the industry. The data does demonstrate a real fear of the unknown here and at the same time some good that can come from it.

The report dives into a raft of topics including salaries, social media, the motivations of journalists, the sources of stories and where journalists get their content. There is a reinforcement of the past years to be fast and quick to the point in your pitch. There was also a very strong message coming from the journalists that they wanted the consumers to know that their work is done with integrity and quality was important to them.

The report is always fascinating with such a large pool of media personnel engaging this each year across digital, print, radio, TV and 11% of respondents are from the podcasting space. Amrita delivers a very thorough report each year that is relevant to the small business owner as it is to the international public relations firm.

The whole Australian media world is discussing the CEO of Woolworths performance on ABC Four Corners on Monday. It was the classic media training video that will be used for years on what not to do. Everyone has had their say on the topic but Carmen and Nic thought we might break it down a little differently. The real issue with a story like this might send other CEOs and leaders of industry back into the bunker.
The reality with this performance and the announcement of the retirement of the CEO is a little too much to take in one week for the media. The connection between the interview on Monday and the plans to leave in September is just too close to see how it can be any other way. It is just not a good look either way from Australia’s biggest retail supermarket and employer.
Nic and Carmen walk through the good and the bad of the interview. What CEOs and leaders can learn from the experience and where they might take confidence that they will not be thrusted into the spotlight for a seriously silly and avoidable mistake. Messaging, good advisors, preparation, practice, and a little bit of humility and empathy is going to go far in scenarios like this.
Do not let this incident put you off from engaging media. Instead use this as an opportunity to advance yourself, your people and those in the communications of the brand to get some media training. Work on this as it is not natural to have a microphone and camera thrusted in front of you, but it can be managed.

The guest this week was scheduled in for the second half of the year not today. There was no way that this person was going to have enough media in their portfolio to be able talk about their experiences, their feelings, their concerns, and challenges. When you are a workplace expert, and the federal government is pushing through the right to disconnect legislation then you are going to be busy taking media calls.

Steve Sharp is a culture curator and as mentioned earlier a workplace expert that has over twenty years’ experience working in BIG corporate. Steve was introduced to Media Stable by his mentor and professional speaker Amanda Stevens and has had some wild media experience in the last month. We had to get him on the podcast to talk us through the emotions, feelings, concerns and worries that Steve has experienced with this quick success.

When the government is trying to put legislation through that impacts working Australians you are going to get a reaction, and this has been big. The media is always looking for sound, direct and quality observations from the community and Steve ticked all these boxes. Radio and television came calling from the Media Board and in true Steve fashion he said YES to them all.

Steve had to work through issues of imposter syndrome, panic, fear, and to get his message right. The nature of media is that the conversation can take any direction particularly on talkback radio. The ability to stay focused, clear messaging and staying true to your values is more difficult when a microphone and camera thrusted under your nose with a national audience. He did it with flying colours and this is a great listen to those that are considering jumping in or jump out.

Steve was also an attendee of Sydney #MeetTheMedia and did very beautifully presenting his expertise and making eye contact with the media. The experience of that event has certainly made it possible for him to get media traction. Understanding the media cycle and what the media is looking for has helped with his delivery of content and execution of an interview.

Carmen and I wanted to kick off the year with one of the best. If you have been listening to the podcast for a while or if this is your first time, we love speaking to producers of radio programs. When you get a chance to speak to the Executive Producer of Australia’s leading talkback station you know it is going to be special. There is even going to be a movement that will drive from this asking the question “Why isn’t Ross Stevenson in the ACRA Radio Hall of Fame?” We are going to start the movement #Ross4HallofFame.

Mark Davidson is the Executive Producer of 3AW Breakfast with Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft, and he has the pedigree of a media elite. “Scorcher” is his nickname and while Mark wished he had a better story around the origin of the nickname he has been with the station in some form more than others. What is very humbling during this chat with this producer while he sits at the top of the radio game he is continuing to seek and search for greater success. It would be easy to sit on the top and look down but the team that Mark works with are continuing to find new opportunities.

A photographer, a producer, a storyteller, and one of the great gatekeepers to an incredibly special program there is so much to learn. There is no denying that we did spend more time discussing Ross Stevenson, but we certainly get an understanding of the program that they are a team. Do not talk politics, do not talk religion, and try to make it a happy place is the model that have made this program a success. The “Rumour File” at 7.05am is still the most listened to 15 minutes of radio in this country and it is not just what Victorians are listening to but so many more across the country.

Curiosity is the key behind the success Ross Stevenson and his longevity according to Mark. What is new in the world of the young people that put this program together? They are his inspiration. There is no doubt the on-air chemistry between Ross and Russel has worked for this duo. Mark has been at the station with three different owners, and it is Nine that just lets them get on with the show. A very smart move from Nine as you certainly do not try fix something that is certainly not broke.