2GB’s middawn presenter (and summer Drive presenter) Jim Ball has announced that he is switching from 2GB to 2UE, to take over the middawn slot vacated by Clive Robertson. As I write this, Jim is presenting his fourth-last show on 2GB (a show which he opened with innuendo about “heading north to the competition”). He will present his final 2GB show on Wednesday March 12 and will take over 2UE’s middawn program on Monday March 17. Jim will be presenting the Monday to Friday edition of the show, with John Kerr continuing his current weekend program.
Jim Ball’s success (29.4% of the Sydney audience) in the Sydney ratings in 2005 [1] is widely believed to be one of the reasons 2UE moved John Kerr to the weekend and gave Stuart Bocking the middawn shift in 2006. Stuart gained ground on Jim Ball in 2006 [2] (2GB 16.9% – 2UE 12.5%). I didn’t actually notice the middawn ratings last year and it doesn’t look like radioinfo published them so I don’t know what happened, but it will be interesting to see how Jim Ball goes…I’m sure 2UE will be hoping that he brings his existing audience with him, much like former 2UE weekend middawn announcer George Gibson did when his contract wasn’t renewed in late 2005 and he jumped to 2GB, filling in for weekend middawn presenter Frank Crook (he even managed to get the interstate listeners tuned in to the webstream and calling in…I was one of them [3]).
Actually 2UE and 2GB have an interesting middawn presenter trading history. Warren Moore was 2UE’s middawn fill-in presenter before switching to 2GB where he is now their summer evening presenter. Glenn Wheeler was quite popular on 2GB (from memory he hosted the middawn shift, but I could be wrong) before switching to 2UE where his first shift was filling in on the middawn shift. He is now 2UE’s weekend afternoon presenter. With this history, one does have to wonder if Jim Ball is hoping to also get a non-middawn shift on 2UE in the near future.
Anyway, I’m getting off-topic, Jim Ball has a website at http://www.jimball.com.au/ [4] where he lists articles referred to in recent programs. Somehow, I think the “highlights of recent shows” page [5] and his biography [6] will be of more use if you’re interested in finding out about him.
Jim has been hosting 2GB’s middawn program since 1999, and interestingly has a similar philosophy to the one Stuart Bocking enforced on the middawn program; Stuarts was “If it matters to you, it matters to us” and Jim’s is “We talk to anybody about anything”. Jim, like Stuart, is also a golf enthusiast.
It will be interesting to see what happens, I welcome Jim to the syndicated middawn program and I hope it works well for him…and I have just a bit of advice for 2UE. There is no point in having good ratings in the middle of the night if everyone switches off at 5:30. You’ll never beat Alan Jones, but if you want to provide some competition, get rid of Mike Carlton and put Clive Robertson on breakfast…he was popular overnight, he was popular on ABC Classic FM’s breakfast show, and he would be good at breakfast on 2UE (he might find the hours a bit more agreeable too). I can’t comment on the performance of Sandy Aloisi but the last ratings did show that breakfast is not improving…if you want ratings during the day, then you need ratings at breakfast, and I firmly believe that with the talent of Clive Robertson available to you, he is your best option.
Now, who’s going to take over middawn on 2GB?
Samuel
Comments Disabled To "Jim Ball switches midnight station"
#1 Comment By davky On March 7, 2008 @ 10:32 am
This will be an interesting change, for Ball or for 2UE. Ball tends to focus a lot more on controversial current affairs issues. There is a lot of heavy ‘intellectual’ discussion. Whereas 2UE’s midnight-dawn has normally been ‘call me with your memories of the 1950s’ or ‘call me with a song that has a colour in its title.’ One of them will have to change!
Either way, interesting times ahead.
On another topic, Sambo, have you considered running an online talkback show (is this possible using skype or something?)
#2 Comment By dan11 On March 7, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
You are right. Glenn did do Midnight to Dawn on 2GB as well as the late afternoon early evening show on the weekends during the Summer when the CCT Team wasn’t on and was very entertaining.
I actually managed to catch (because of other reasons) most of Jim Ball’s show last night on 2GB and he was quite good for the first time I’ve been listening. It will be interesting however to see if he fits into 2UE’s style.
David Oldfield is the tip to replace Jim Ball on 2GB at the moment as he filled in for him over Summer.
#3 Comment By dan11 On March 7, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
P.S Glenn did the weekend Mid-Dawn show…not the weekday one.
#4 Comment By Tony On March 14, 2008 @ 1:27 am
Let’s just hope Jim doesn’t drop the ball, sorry I couldn’t resist.
#5 Comment By bunnyfiona On March 18, 2008 @ 8:12 am
Will follow Jim anywhere.His first night on 2uUE felt he was understandably nervous, but last night was terrific, as usual.
#6 Comment By Samuel On March 18, 2008 @ 8:25 am
It’s amazing how many people have followed him across from 2GB. Even people from outside Sydney who used to pick him up during the night (or morning, to be accurate) on 873AM.
I have never managed to get a good signal from 2GB in Canberra. 2UE is often good between about 8pm and 11pm, the station I can always pick up well at night is 2AY Albury on 1494AM.
I think Jim is settling in well and bringing in the callers. He is still accidentally mentioning the callsign and phone number of 2GB, but I suppose when you’ve done it for that long, it becomes part of the daily punctuation.
Incidentally, New Day Australia now has its own page on the 2UE website at [7]