AudioNET Newsletter June 2011

Webinars on MP3 Ban, Introducing Rema Bourke, Media Agency Champions Radio

Webinar Briefings on MP3 Audio Ban

In a little less than four weeks, commercial radio stations in Australia will refuse to broadcast radio commercials sent to them in MP3 audio format.This follows CRA's announcement banning MP3 commercials from July 1st. For many advertisers, this simply reflects current practice because some of the larger networks such as Austereo and DMG and more recently Southern Cross,   have   already switched to the higher quality .wav files.
The MP3 ban is a minor change that heralds a new era for radio advertising - the era of visual radio advertising.
Any radio station that is broadcasting on DAB+ or streaming via its own website or mobile phone application, can offer advertisers multi-media radio commercials.
These ads are not the same as plain banner ads: they are radio commercials where the advertisers'  text, logo and audio are simulcast at the same time from different  playback systems.
AudioNET is preparing a series of tailored webinars, to explain to radio stations, production studios and agencies what multi-media commercials are, how they work, and what the benefits are for advertisers.
The webinars will be presented by AudioNET's Dave Cox and Sandy Campbell and will be free for AudioNET clients.
Webinars for media agencies, production studios and creative agencies will follow at the end of June, after the radio station briefings.

New Smart Piñata Tools for Production Studios

AudioNET is updating its Piñata production tools to facilitate multi-media commercials for website streaming and mobile phone applications.The new Smart Piñata Tool uses custom tags specially designed by AudioNET to accommodate the images and text for websites and mobile phone applications . "The basic Piñata Tools were designed for digital radio specifications- that is, for digital radio screens and car radio screens that have a landscape orientation," said AudioNET MD Dave Cox.
"Album art on websites and mobile phone applications is square, so radio stations need square images from advertisers, if they're going to replace album art with advertising.
"Not even CRA could envisage all the possible uses for the Piñata software while we were inventing the concept, so the Piñata development specifications wisely allow for customisation to accommodate new features that radio stations and dispatch companies might come up with," said Cox.   
The new Smart Piñata Production Tool will be provided free to AudioNET clients over the next month or so.  There will be an accompanying Smart Carting Tool for radio networks.   

Digital radio sales and listening increasing

Radioinfo reports figures from CRA CEO Joan Warner that more than 800,000 people are now listening to digital radio.Warner  has told the Radcomms Conference in Sydney that 824,000 people are now listening to digital radio, more than are listening to internet streaming. Warner suggested that digital radio sales are probably higher than the official figure of 457,000, because  iPod docks and other devices are not included .
Full story in radioinfo

Introducing A New Voice For Media Agencies

Our AirCheck champion Damien McLaughlin is leaving us to pursue a new career outside advertising (cue: gasps of horror.)  We'd like to take this opportunity to publicly say a huge thanks to Damien for his unflappable and cheerful contribution to the AudioNET team while he's been with us.Fortunately for us and our AirCheck clients we've found a fantastic candidate straight out of radio station airtime management. Rema Bourke is already settling in under Damien's guidance, to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for clients.  Rema is extremely experienced in airtime  management, having worked in both radio and TV scheduling for nearly 10 years.  She joins AudioNET direct from DMG in Melbourne.
We're delighted Rema is joining us, and are confident her experience and  insights will be extremely valuable for our AirCheck clients.

Media Agency Champions Radio

Universal McCann has appointed senior staff members in Sydney and Melbourne to newly-created positions of Radio Champions.Their role is to be the first point of contact for radio stations and rep agencies both for business information such as rate changes and research, but also to help organise presentations and social functions. Equally importantly, the radio champions will be expected to keep their UM colleagues updated on the radio industry at the agency's weekly investment meetings. The radio champion in Melbourne is Meriel Armitage and in Sydney it's Hester Cutrone.

New Soundsite for Best FX

Adelaide-based Best FX has launched a new website as part of a complete rebranding for the sound production facility, aiming to position the image and site to reflect the award winning style of work produced.Best FX's Managing Director Pete Best said the site has been created not only on a visual medium, but also to encompass sound so the team would be able to have fun with the site and  pass that on to their clients. "It's what we do, so we had to ensure that our website reflected our passion and showcased our talents," he said.
If you have a few minutes have a listen  it's strangely magnetic and weirdly funny.

Bang Bang Wins Awards by Horsing Around   

Dwelling on veteran race caller Jim Jacques's misfortune (he lost his voice mid race-call)  coughed up success for Bang Bang Studios on the world awards stage recently.'Hoarse Whisperer,' a radio commercial written by JWT Melbourne's Harsh Kapadia and directed/engineered by Stephen Renfree has gone into the 2011 D&AD Awards book, and scored a bronze at the 2011 One Show. If you want to hear the ad, go to www.bangbangstudios.com.au and when everything stops whizzing around click on the appropriate link.

New Chimps on the Block  

Melbourne studio Monkeesee has two new primates: Producer Emma Trevillian and Sound Engineer Paul McCosh.

Quote for the Moment: 

"Innovation! One cannot be forever innovating. I want to create classics." - Fashion designer Coco Chanel