Less than two weeks ago one of Australia’s most powerful radio bosses, Graham Mott was farewelled from the helm of the Fairfax Radio Network.

After 43 years in the industry, Mott admits to radioinfo’s Steve Ahern that the last few were some of his toughest.

After battling cancer and at times an indifferent Fairfax board, Mott announced his retirement and has vowed to take it easy for at least a while.

How was your final day?

 I had a very enjoyable final day with lots of well wishers.  Some very nice things were said about me by people I very much admire and respect.  After 43 years in radio and having made many, many speeches I must say I was very nervous about addressing everyone for the last time. 

Who to thank?

Lots of people to thank and the one person I owe my career to was the late Barry Augustus.  I used to hang around various radio stations during school holidays and one day Barry noticed me and talked to me about what I was doing and what my interest was in radio.  Barry took me into one of the control booths at 2GB and asked me to show him what I could do.  Much to his surprise – and mine – I was able to play the cartridges and records from the turntables and he was impressed. 

He asked me to wait in reception and I thought he was going to give me a T-shirt or a cap or station sticker, so I was surprised when he returned with a clipboard asking for my details.  I remember saying to him that 2GB was very thorough in wanting so much detail and he laughed and said: when do you want to start?  And, that’s how it all began.

How much consulting work will you be doing?

Right now, none.  I was going to consult for Fairfax Radio, but I thought it was best to have a break and try improve my fitness.  Continuing to work while I was having treatment for cancer was a good thing for my mind, but it was very tough on my body and eventually hard to deal with both physically and mentally. 

My Oncologist, Dr Rowan Doig, often reminded me that I needed to take things easier and slow down as I was fighting a life threatening disease, so taking a break will be good for me.  To be blunt, I really struggled over the last 2 and a half years and it was hard for me to admit that I wasn’t at my best at work or at home.

Your thoughts on your time at the helm of Fairfax Radio – the best and worst moments.

I have mixed thoughts about my time as the boss of Fairfax Radio because of the many different things that happened.  As you may recall Southern Cross Broadcasting’s radio division was acquired by Fairfax Media in November 2007 and it was done so at a share price way, way above the normal, $17.43. 

That put immediate pressure on the company and I learnt very quickly that radio wasn’t one of Fairfax’s favourite assets.  I reckon it’s fair to say the only champion for radio was Ron Walker – former Fairfax chairman – and his interest was in 3AW.  I worked under David Kirk for a year until he moved on and then came Brian McCarthy, the man I dubbed “Mr Happy”. 

Brian made it clear to me that Fairfax should never have acquired radio; however the asset performed well and Brian was able to smile – a little smile. 

In December 2010 Brian left the company and was replaced by Greg Hywood who came to the CEO role with a mountain to climb as a result of the changing environment in media.  During these years I was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy, radiation and a stem cell harvest.  A month after being diagnosed my mother died, so I guess you could say that life was tough….very tough.

In May 2011 Fairfax announced that it was considering selling its radio assets following expressions of interest from several parties.  The sale caused considerable concern across the network and was particularly difficult for our staff at 2UE.  It was a very busy and challenging time and I hope everyone was able to learn something about their strengths and weaknesses.  

For me, the sale was the catalyst that made me think more about the future – professionally and personally – then at any other time in my life.  That old saying: you only live once, was top of mind.  Through it all we were able to produce some good results in amongst some disappointments. 

What does the future hold for the Radio Division within Fairfax?

The future looks promising.  Fairfax has committed to retaining the asset; Michael Anderson has carried out a thorough review of the operation; Adam Lang has commenced as the CEO and some additional resources are being provided across the network.

What do you think of Fairfax Media overall as a company?

Fairfax Media is no different from any other media company in that it faces big challenges because of the changing environment.  Media is under the microscope in part because of the very nature of its business, but also because it’s not that long ago that media stocks were the darling of the stock market.

Beyond Fairfax, to some general comments on radio: What do you think should be the highest priority for anyone managing a radio company these days?

The question depends on the overall structure of the company.  If you work as a manager in a network/centrally driven operation your role is different to a manager who makes local decisions.  I believe a key part of any mangers job – radio or otherwise – is to create an environment that allows everyone to get on with their job.  You must remove the obstacles that get in the way and frustrate your people.

As a person who has had great success as programmer, what are the most important programming trends at the moment?

I wouldn’t say that there are programming trends; rather there is a constantly changing environment for radio.  When things happen you must seize the moment – doesn’t matter if you’re Talk or Music. 

Listeners live in a world where everything is in their control.  If they want weather they can get on the handheld device; if they want sports results it’s the handheld and if they want to play their favourite songs it’s up to them. 

I think you have to determine if your station/format is background or foreground and make your decisions based on that.  It costs a lot more to have highly talented foreground performers and some of them fail anyway, so deciding how you want to play is critical to your business success.

Where are the new programming ideas coming from? 

They come from listening to other radio stations, the net, social media and listening and taking to each other.  There is no one-stop place that’ll tell what to do and how to do it.