Article about Suki's Hot Tomato SCANDAL
Paul
June 2, 2004 Wednesday
LENGTH: 682 words
HEADLINE: Tomato radio waves;
Star Suki may not return
BYLINE: by Peter Gleeson chief reporter
BODY:
RADIO queen Suki Mead is off air again as part of a restructure of the
management of Gold Coast broadcast newcomer Hot Tomato.
Mead's shock departure came after a Hot Tomato board meeting yesterday
at which major changes were made to the way the company operates.
Sydney radio identities Jaan and Hans Torv, and their sister Anna
Murdoch Mann, paid $26 million for the Hot Tomato licence two years
ago and spent another $10 million to get the station up and running 10
months ago.
Hot Tomato general manager Graham Miles yesterday said that it had
been decided to make 'executive board changes'.
He said the positions of CEO and managing director, held by Jaan and
Hans respectively, had been abolished and they had been made executive
directors.
Mr Miles will assume day-to-day control of the radio station.
He confirmed that Mead, who is the partner of Jaan Torv, was 'not on
air at the moment' but management was 'working
through that'.
"The major reason we did this is to take away the confusion with CEO,
MD and general manager," he said.
"Nobody knew who was running what and this is designed to streamline
the day-to-day reporting responsibilities.
"Certainly this would be the only radio station in Australia where the
station owners are domiciled in the building."
Hot Tomato has been dogged by lower than expected ratings and
struggling sales since it entered the market in competition to the
well-established RG Capital-owned stations, Gold FM and Sea FM.
Earlier this year, Hot Tomato commissioned a radio ratings survey, in
which they said they were running third in the ratings behind Gold and
Sea FM.
Changes were made to Hot Tomato's on-air talent early in the year,
including the addition of Mead to the breakfast timeslot.
Mr Miles last night said that the station was satisfied with its
performance.
"We'd always like more sales, that goes without saying.
"But we've been operational 10 months and we're very pleased with the
response, both from listeners and advertisers."
Hot Tomato's sales pitch to advertisers has been 'only ever two ads in
a a row - guaranteed'.
But the advertising strategy is currently under review, as the station
struggles to claim market share in what is one of the country's most
lively media markets.
When the station was first launched, Mr Miles said the company's
research showed people did not like too many ads in a row, nor did
they tolerate smut.
"We're saying there will be no more than two ads in a row and we're
guaranteeing that to our listeners," he said.
"No smut, fewer ads and great music."
Listeners have been told that Mead has been on sick leave for the past
two days.
However, she said she did not expect to be returning to the airwaves.
"I am very upset," she said.
Mead has had a turbulent history on the Gold Coast airwaves since her
first gig more than a decade ago.
The zany mother was a regular on Sea FM's breakfast shift for most of
the late 1990s, before marrying lawyer Michael Small and having four
children.
She and Mr Small have since separated.
Mead returned to Sea FM in 2001 but she had a falling-out with the
station after being spotted having lunch with Hot Tomato owner Jaan
Torv.
Mr Torv and Mead professed their love to The Bulletin last year but,
despite widespread speculation, she was not part of the
original on-air talent line-up when the station was launched.
In a controversial move earlier this year, Mead was announced as the
new co-host of the breakfast shift with Rob McCasker. They replaced
Luke Bradnam, 31, and Emily Jade O'Keefe, 28.
Mead's appointment signified a major shift in Hot Tomato's targeted
listening audience.
It is now going after the Gold FM demographic rather than Sea FM
listeners.
It is understood Hot Tomato station management are trying to target
the 25-44 age group, regarded as the most-prized advertising market.
Jaan Torv last night described Mead's problems with the station as
'enormously sad'.
"We had a great audience response to the (breakfast) changes," said Mr
Torv. "I love listening to Suki on air."