Mark
13-01-05, 05:53 PM
IAN Skippen is excited.
The veteran radio broadcaster joins Brisbane's revamped Triple M breakfast show today after 16 years with rival network B105.
The start of the ratings season will see Skippen and fellow The Other Breakfast Show members Greg Martin, Jade Jones and Greg Sullivan go head-to-head with the B105 Morning Crew comprising Jamie Dunn, Penny Cooper and new addition Dean Kesby.
The Austereo networks also face another strong competitor later this year when DMG-backed Nova FM – whose star-studded breakfast line-ups have made huge inroads in Melbourne and Sydney – officially launches in Brisbane.
For Skippen, who helped B105 dominate Brisbane's breakfast slot for more than a decade before leaving the network last month, joining Triple M was a chance to explore new challenges.
"My mind is just racing," he said from his home at Bunya, in Brisbane's north, yesterday.
"I've been having trouble sleeping and I've got some nervous apprehension, but with change comes excitement . . . I've been anticipating tomorrow for a while now."
Skippen said he'd had "enormous fun" at B105, but admitted to becoming stale after so many years with the station.
"We had the most amazing run, and I'm very proud of what we achieved and I will miss it a lot," he said.
"But it really was time for me to go – 16 years is a long time doing the same thing and I needed something fresh."
Skippen's move to Triple M comes after the network won Brisbane's last radio ratings of 2004, forcing B105 into the bridesmaid's position for the first time in 10 years.
However, while Triple M claimed top spot overall, it couldn't beat B105 in the breakfast slot – a trend Skippen is determined to change.
"I've always worked on the theory that no matter who you're up against, everyone is a competitor.
"There is some friendly rivalry there, so let's bring it on."
Aged 54 and with more than 30 years' broadcast experience behind him, Skippen is confident he has what it takes to propel Triple M to the top of the breakfast ratings.
"I'm always very hard on myself, and I never walk out of the studio thinking it's the best I've done, because it never is," he said.
SOURCE (http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11894590%255E3102,00.html)
The veteran radio broadcaster joins Brisbane's revamped Triple M breakfast show today after 16 years with rival network B105.
The start of the ratings season will see Skippen and fellow The Other Breakfast Show members Greg Martin, Jade Jones and Greg Sullivan go head-to-head with the B105 Morning Crew comprising Jamie Dunn, Penny Cooper and new addition Dean Kesby.
The Austereo networks also face another strong competitor later this year when DMG-backed Nova FM – whose star-studded breakfast line-ups have made huge inroads in Melbourne and Sydney – officially launches in Brisbane.
For Skippen, who helped B105 dominate Brisbane's breakfast slot for more than a decade before leaving the network last month, joining Triple M was a chance to explore new challenges.
"My mind is just racing," he said from his home at Bunya, in Brisbane's north, yesterday.
"I've been having trouble sleeping and I've got some nervous apprehension, but with change comes excitement . . . I've been anticipating tomorrow for a while now."
Skippen said he'd had "enormous fun" at B105, but admitted to becoming stale after so many years with the station.
"We had the most amazing run, and I'm very proud of what we achieved and I will miss it a lot," he said.
"But it really was time for me to go – 16 years is a long time doing the same thing and I needed something fresh."
Skippen's move to Triple M comes after the network won Brisbane's last radio ratings of 2004, forcing B105 into the bridesmaid's position for the first time in 10 years.
However, while Triple M claimed top spot overall, it couldn't beat B105 in the breakfast slot – a trend Skippen is determined to change.
"I've always worked on the theory that no matter who you're up against, everyone is a competitor.
"There is some friendly rivalry there, so let's bring it on."
Aged 54 and with more than 30 years' broadcast experience behind him, Skippen is confident he has what it takes to propel Triple M to the top of the breakfast ratings.
"I'm always very hard on myself, and I never walk out of the studio thinking it's the best I've done, because it never is," he said.
SOURCE (http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11894590%255E3102,00.html)