EVENTSCORP general manager Linda Wayman will swap Telstra Rally Australia for radio ratings when she takes up the general manager position at Austereo in July.
After five and a half years at Eventscorp Ms Wayman has moved into the world of radio.
No mean feat for someone who has never worked in the field before.
“It all happened very quickly, the main issue for Austereo was that I didn’t have a radio background,” Ms Wayman said.
“No one [in the radio industry] has ever recruited [a general manager] from outside the radio industry before.
“Because apparently when people go into radio they stay in radio, it was a very big call by Austereo to do this but at the same time they are being very strategic.”
The appointment comes ahead of the launch of Nova’s new commercial station in Perth later this year.
Ms Wayman’s appointment followed the announcement that Gary Roberts would not be renewing his contract with Austereo after June 30 this year.
Ms Wayman said Austereo recognised that her media background and strong network were valuable assets for the group.
“At the same time I was ready for a new challenge,” Ms Wayman said.
“I need to keep stretching myself – so the timing is perfect.”
“I’ve got a strong network and I’ve done a lot of negotiating for contracts that were always in the millions.”
In one sense I’m coming back more to a commercial level, she said.
She said the competitive nature of the events market both nationally and worldwide has prepared me for the dog-eat-dog world of commercial radio.
“Strategically it’s very research driven,” Ms Wayman said.
“The advantage in Perth is that there’s now a history from where Nova started up.
“I’ll be able to draw on that [history in Melbourne and Sydney] and look at what will and won’t work for the local market.”
She said experience working with media in the Perth market on projects such as Telstra Rally would prove invaluable.
The move into the private sector also has a certain appeal for Ms Wayman.
“The political overlay of what we do were [at Eventscorp] certainly creates complexities in the environment in which we operate,” she said.
“In a way the dog-eat-dog world of ratio is more straight forward.”
As yet the WA Tourism Commission has not made any announcement about a replacement for Ms Wayman.
