Triple M PD Grant Tothill speaks to radioinfo

As the Triple M stations in Sydney and Melbourne this week move into a new phase in their evolution, the man behind the changes, Grant Tothill speaks to radioinfo.

radioinfo: Dave Gibson is going, Fi Fi Box and Mikey Robbins will move to drive, The Cage has begun… Can you explain all the changes that are happening at Triple M and the philosophy behind them?

Tothill: Dave Gibson has elected not to continue with Triple M at the end of his
contract in December and is pursuing other creative opportunities that
allows him to use his comedic talents and voicework. Amanda Keller has
decided not to renew her contract after this year and is pursuing a
television opportunity with the ABC. Both are amicable departures.

What we have done is to create two new shows for Sydney and Melbourne by
using the talent we have between the two stations, and used new digital
technology that allows us to run the studios simultaneously. As far as
we know this is a world first.

Now there is a new style show called the Cage with Peter Berner, Tim
Smith, Matt Parkinson, Brigitte Duclos, Mike Fitzpatrick plus special
guests 6 – 9 weekday mornings and the Whole Shebang with Mikey Robbins,
Fifi Box, Marty Sheargold, Jo Stanely, Jodie Hill, Byron Cooke, regulars
Scott cam, Jamie Dury, Russell Gilbert, Matthew Hardy, plus special
guests.

The idea is to deliver the best possible product we can, to both the
Sydney and Melbourne audience, to get a laugh when they wake up and a
laugh on the way home.

This style of show also allows us to grow new talent by letting them
work with more experienced performers.

radioinfo: What is/will be your target audience?

Tothill: We are aiming to cater to people who like rock and comedy – really 18 Plus.

radioinfo: When Nova came into the market Triple M was used a bit as a ‘spoiler,’ mimicking the music style of Nova and throwing out the older rock music it used to play. In retrospect, was this a mistake and is this why major changes are needed now?

Tothill: I think the term spoiler is an interesting one – really Triple M used
Nova’s launch as an opportunity to move forward and work on appealing
to a different audience it had in the past. Triple M had been aging and
become known more as a classic rocker than an active rock station.

Like
all changes you make you learn from them. We went too narrow with our
appeal – we didn’t need to throw out the old to be an accessible
alternative rock station. However, to make a statement I think it was
important. On reflection, the process of working it through over time
has been great – we wouldn’t know what we know today if we hadn’t tried it.

radioinfo: You now have the PD role for both Melbourne (where you were before) and Sydney Triple Ms. How is that going to work?

Tothill: The role of over-seeing both Melbourne and Sydney is a challenging role,
but the way we have set it up is very different in structure than how
most radio stations operate.

The key is allowing people to be empowered to operate in their
area. They operate as specialists and are in control of the outcomes in that area. They have a “buddy” in the other market, which makes getting
things done in both markets pretty easy as they help each other through
the process.

My job is to support them, coach them and grow their skill
base while still maintaining the vision. My belief is this will allow us
to grow the next breed of programmers.

radioinfo: Will the changes you are making come with a new music sound. If so what is it ? What songs would you put on the playlist this week that you think will work for the audience?

Tothill: The music will have a few minor adjustments, but essentially we will
proudly be a rock station. We support new unsigned rock acts, new rock
music, but haven’t forgotten about the music that made rock what it is
today.

We are really more concerned with super serving the person who
enjoys all the different styles of rock that is available to play, than
being a big broad music station.

radioinfo: We have heard that these changes now are just the beginning, and that ‘something big’ is planned for the new year? Is this just hype, or do you still have some things in reserve for the next round of changes.

Tothill: The thing about where the Triple M network is heading is about constant
innovation. In our world – product and creativity is king. We will
consistently improve on what we do, and in doing so challenge the
paradigms that currently exist in Australian radio.

Triple M will try new things, we may make mistakes, but we will be
confident with our decision making. These current changes are Phase One,
and as we consolidate each phase we will bring in the next phase, then
consolidate, and then the next phase until we have achieved our vision.

This is about building for the future, not a short term turn around.

radioinfo: Triple M had its budget slashed a while ago while money went into strengthening the Today stations. This strategy seems to have worked for Today stations, but certainly left a bad taste in the mouths of your Triple M staff. Is there a morale problem in the network which you are also having to address?

Tothill: Morale is an interesting question. The fact that the Today Network has
had plenty of marketing support and remains as a ten plus station very
successful should not impact on the people within Triple M. However, I
believe some people thought they were on the same playing field as the
Today Network.

This is not so, but I can understand some people were
disenfranchised with in Triple M.

Now we have a brand we want to
rebuild, it will take time and we have set the expectations with in the
station. There is now a focus and enthusiasm to create and innovate,
which changes the morale pretty quickly. Triple M Melbourne has over the
past 18 months created a great energy and desire to achieve the best
results we can by focusing on the product and using what they have –
this has come through the people that are there – it is a credit to
them. I am confident the same will happen with in Triple M Sydney now
they have a clear vision on what we are trying to achieve regardless of
any other radio station or marketing.

radioinfo: Will Wazza the Rock Dog ever return?

Tothill: Wazza the rock was a great character. We have moved on though.

radioinfo: Brad March has now left the building. Will that make it easier or harder for you to make the changes you want to make?

Tothill: Brad leaving hasn’t really impacted the future of Triple M. Brad was
involved in the process and agreed with what we needed to do. I believe
the appointment of Micahel Anderson as CEO heralds the start of a great
new era for Austereo.

Brad was succesful over his term with Austereo.
Now Michael gets an opportunity to bring Austereo through a new period
in what will be a highly competitive environment. It will mean a change
in how we do things and a different thinking in values and people. It
will be an exciting time.

radioinfo: Are you part of the new generation of leaders of Austereo. People who can achieve their ratings and revenue goals in a core competitive market environment?

Tothill: There is a new generation of leaders within Austereo, which I feel very
privileged to be a part of.

The future will only be more competitive,
and the challenge for revenue will always be there. What will change is
how we approach the challenges.

We have all been in radio long enough to
believe that as a team we can challenge ourselves to do things differently
and support each other and our teams through the tougher times. We are
confident that we can create an environment within the network that
will deliver the business outcomes we need.

radioinfo: Tell me about you – where did you start in radio and what jobs have you had along the way to this position you now hold?

Tothill: I started out as a promotions director at Australia’s first duopoly
stations on the Gold Coast – SEA FM and GOLD FM in the early 90’s.

From there I became Promotions Manager at 2 DAY in Sydney to become
Promotions and Marketing Director working along side Brad March and
Brian Ford after a few months.

I then became Assistant Program Director/Promotions and Marketing Director when Rob Logan become the PD of 2 DAY and Brad moved to Group Program Director Austereo.

Then in 1996 moved to team up with Jeff Allis as assistant program
director/promotions and marketing director until Jeff got appointed
Group Program Director late 97 and I moved to Program Director.

After a couple of years I moved to Program B105 and learnt Top 40. I
then took on Perth’s 92.9 as a special project while still being Program Director of B105 – the travel was full on! I then moved to Perth full
time as Program Director.

In December 2001 I took 4 months off and returned to Austereo as Program
Director of Triple M Melbourne, April 2002. In June this year I become
Network Program Director of Triple M and PD for Sydney and Melbourne.

radioinfo: What makes you passionate about the radio industry?

Tothill: My passion for the industry comes from a genuine opportunity to create a product that impacts people’s life. You can create such powerful
emotions with radio – that, combined with the opportunity to rebuild and
challenge people to achieve all they can.

Radio is a people’s business and we entertain people. That makes for
ensuring everyday is exciting – you just never know what will happen.

No
other industry can challenge an individual to constantly improve as much
as radio, because it is just so fast and instant. Stand still and you
will be left behind.
I find it extremely rewarding.

radioinfo: Is it hard working in the new ‘public company’ environment of radio rather than when Austereo was completely privately owned? Do you feel the pressure from shareholders?

Tothill: The new public company is really no different than being privately
owned. The Village executives are very supportive. They are passionate
about innovation and by nature very entrepreneurial. I admire their
ability to put it all on the line and go for what they want.