Triple M’s The Cage with Ian Skippen, Marto, Sully and Emily-Jade have announced the end of their radio partnership, one that has spanned nearly six years and touched many, making way for a new breakfast show format as Brisbane moves into 2012 as a dynamic, growing city.
The Cage’s Ian Skippen, who has spent 23 years with Southern Cross Austereo Brisbane as the anchor of ratings wins at both B105 and Triple M, made the announcement 15 minutes ago live on air. The final show for The Cage will be this Friday; a farewell event, celebration and tribute show with some special Friends of The Cage expected to take part.
Southern Cross Austereo Brisbane General Manager Richard Barker said making the decision to end The Cage was an incredibly tough decision, one that now marks the end of an era for the breakfast program which has touched so many lives in Brisbane and beyond.
“This is a decision which has been one of the hardest to make. It involves a team of people who are highly talented, supremely professional and genuinely likeable. It has been a privilege to have them in our team for so long.”
“Brisbane as a city is growing incredibly fast; it’s changing constantly and our listeners are reflecting the change. Enabling us to reach our targeted audience is critical to the success of Triple M, and we have made a decision to change our breakfast show. As a result, the cycle for The Cage format has come to an end.”
“The Brisbane radio landscape probably hasn’t seen this much change across the board since the introduction of the last new FM license in 2005, and after listening to those that listen to us, we are keen to introduce the new show and new format as soon as possible.
“There has never been a time where three commercial FM radio stations in Brisbane have made line-up changes to their breakfast shows pretty much simultaneously. Beyond being entertaining and relevant, listeners will expect these shows to be on brand. Those that deliver on all of those expectations will flourish.
“Bidding farewell to Ian Skippen, as an institution on the radio landscape of Brisbane and as true radio royalty, is tempered with sadness, but we celebrate his career and his contribution to the industry with total joy and admiration – the man has made an indelible mark on Brisbane and we thank him unconditionally for working with Triple M, and prior to that, sister station B105,” he said.
“Southern Cross Austereo has been Ian’s home for 23 years. He joined us in 1988 as the anchor of the 4BK breakfast show in the leadup to the successful transition to FM, and B105 – recognized as the most successful changeover in Australia. B105, anchored by Skip, went straight to number one.
“At B105 he anchored the breakfast show that was part of the team that achieved a Brisbane ratings record of 86 number one positions – a record that still remains intact and until this time last year, was a national record.
“Skip’s addition to The Cage on Triple M in January 2006, saw the show dominate breakfast ratings for over 18 months, and win just about every ratings in the 25 to 54 demographic that the show contested. There’s no-one else who can lay claim to such a staggering amount of survey victories across two different formats in B105 and Triple M.
“He is, above all, a gentleman. His sense of pride in not only his breakfast radio shift, but his craft as a radio career-man remains incredibly significant to the city of Brisbane and the industry we work in. Skip was the walking talking embodiment of corporate values, long before it was fashionable to have them hanging on the wall. Highly respected by his team-mates, loved by his listeners and in-demand by corporates; it was because of Ian Skippen’s talent that many of the rest of us got to have successful radio careers.
“He was the co-anchor of the B105 Children’s Hospital Appeal, now an embedded annual event that since its beginning in 1994 has raised millions and saved the lives of thousands of kids. He was instrumental in giving Youngcare a voice; and of course a driver of The Cage Crusades which change lives every week. Above all his radio success, the bottom line is that Ian Skippen is an incredibly decent human being and we have all been privileged to work alongside him.”
“We are saying goodbye to Emily-Jade O’Keefe, a wonderful radio voice, fantastic talent and a girl who people instantly warm to. Her time in The Cage with Skip, Marto and Sully has been truly great and we look forward to watching her career. Similarly, we also say farewell to one of the funniest guys in Brisbane – Greg Sullivan. His wit and presence ensures his media career is just beginning.”
Barker said that fans of The Cage need not despair as resident former footy great, sometime cabbie, deft builder, regular sport TV sport commentator and all round ordinary bloke, Marto would remain at the helm of the new show, joined by a few of his mates.
Just two memories from The Cage with Ian Skippen, Marto, Sully and Emily-Jade….
- In 2007 The Cage met with a bunch of blokes who were trying to get something called Youngcare off the ground in Brisbane. The result was an appeal that netted over $700,000 in cash, services and materials in just three hours, to help build and complete the first Youngcare facility of its type in the country. This feat was with an Australian Commercial Radio Award for Best Community Service Project.
- More recently Classic Rugby for Christchurch saw an International Rugby event featuring Classic Wallabies and Classic All Blacks pulled together in just nine working days. History will record that the event sold out Ballymore for the first time since the early 2000′s and raised over $600k.
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