AUCKLAND, Wednesday: NZME’s Radio Hauraki has snared popular radio hosts Jono Pryor & Ben Boyce from MediaWorks’ The Edge, in a move widely seen as a strategy to broaden Hauraki’s demographic footprint and boost ratings to a level commensurate with the iconic status of the station.
NZME chief content officer Mike McClung was reluctant to call this a strategic change. “There’s no change to the focus on Radio Hauraki’s key audience,” he said. “Jono and Ben are a perfect for that audience.”
But with The Edge certainly ‘having-it’, Hauraki could do with ‘getting-it’ in the ratings department.
When asked about the fate of Hauraki’s current drivetime package, McClung said: “Leigh Hart told us some time ago that he was keen to move away from the fulltime commitment to his radio show and to focus on his TV show.
“We’ve been working closely with Leigh on options across Radio Hauraki, Alternative Commentary Collective and other NZME brands and we’ll be able to make announcements on those in the near future.”
“Hauraki’s more about an attitude than anything else. And Jono and Ben have attitude in spades.”
Matt Ward and Manaia Stewart will continue to host the Radio Hauraki Drive show though until March next year.”
NZME ceo Michael Boggs said: “Jono and Ben are undeniably two of New Zealand’s most talented and funniest broadcasters. They are a perfect fit for Radio Hauraki and its audience.”
Jono and Ben won the Best Music (Non-Breakfast) Show award at this year’s New Zealand Radio Awards where they also collected the Blackie, an accolade awarded to radio shows that produce the funniest moment in radio this year.
NZME entertainment director Dean Buchanan said: “Radio Hauraki’s more about an attitude than anything else.
“And Jono and Ben have attitude in spades,” said NZME Group Director of Entertainment Dean Buchanan.
Jono and Ben join a powerful Hauraki line-up spearheaded by Jeremy Wells and Matt Heath on Breakfast. As well as their role on Radio Hauraki Drive, Jono and Ben will be contributing to shows across other NZME brands and platforms, including Newstalk ZB.
Jono and Ben will start on Radio Hauraki in April next year.
Share this Post
