Game Changers: Radio

James Brayshaw is a game changer. James has been involved in four #1 shows in Melbourne and Sydney with MMM's The Cage, and was at centre of The Rub on MMM - a show with a cult following for football fans around the country - since the early 2000s. In 2016 James was involved in MMM's game changing live cricket coverage, and in 2017 he is on MMM's Melbourne Rush Hour.

1:55 Working with ratings when not ratings-driven 

2:55 Starting out in Adelaide by moving out of the family home

3:49 Remembering the influence of his dad as a cricketer, footballer and journalist

4:40 Starting out calling SAFL games on his own, with no crowd or co-hosts

5:35 Talking about needing 'flying hours', or in other words, get experience

6:55 Getting a break on radio doing one minute of sport in the breakfast shift

7:46 Talking about the Steve Bedwell breakfast show

9:20 Deciding between cricket and breakfast radio 

10:57 Starting with with Paul Gale and Amanda Blair

12:25 Coming from a family of story tellers, growing up competing around the dinner table for the most interesting yarn of the day

13:38 Learning your mundane story is actually interesting and should be on radio

14:16 Building rapport and chemistry and steering conversation to get good results from your co-hosts

15:05 Talking about Jeff Allis, who asked James to move to Triple M Melbourne as a host for footy

15:15 Learning to host footy rather than anchoring

18:25 Changing direction as host and guiding the team

19:50 Talking about Content Directors, including Grant Tothill, Fitzy, Phil Dowse, and understanding what they do 

20:40 Loving feedback

21:00 Remembering ordering wine to cope with getting sacked at lunch

21:58 Managing people and generational change 

24:30 Talking about his role on The Cage when it moved to Breakfast, and the long rambling breaks that seemed to work on Drive

26:29 Managing five voices in a program requires generosity 

26:55 Talking about Brigitte Duclos

27:20 Spreading breakfast across two markets 

28:30 Getting sick of breakfast radio 

29:25 Understanding when a show is going to die

30:30 Talking about The Cage culture and hierarchy 

31:38 Talking about Brigitte Duclos

32:26 Describing The Rub as Australian blokes being brutal to each other

34:37 Noting that Gary Lyon is able to see where a story is heading and Luke Darcy can take it places

35:12 Defining roles for the program 

35:47 Talking about Sam Newman as an outrageous broadcaster

37:58 Preparing a program for the year ahead requires relationships more than structure and planning

39:11 Recalling when Brian Taylor wanting a story not to air, but Sam Newman calling it out

41:38 Identifying a great story is, understanding humour is the key

44:13 Hosting is your job, and getting the best out of those around you means you have to listen