Craig is an Aussie Radio Legend! He spent nearly 30 years at Southern Cross Austereo, where he has played vital roles in developing talent. Bruce has been the key factor on finding some of Australia's best radio talent and putting them on air. Take Hamish and Andy or Jules Lund as an example. His passion lies deep in development and mentoring young talent.
Craig now spends his time working as a talent coach and radio consultant.
Craig's Website:
www.craigbrucecoaching.com
Craig's Podcast:
Game Changers: Radio
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“There's this theory that if you're on the air for 3 hours, you need to be doing at least 3 hours of prep to kind of match the output.”
“I think for you guys, it's that the format is, is the daily element... none that have done 500 in a row.”
“I think that there's an idea that it can happen quickly and that, you know, you can have success in a reasonably short amount of time.”
“And that then comes down to, well, who are you surrounding them with and what kind of people have you got around the show as it develops and as it finds its feet? And that's where the, I guess, the art and science come together.”
“I think it's, it's all needles in haystacks at the end of the day, particularly when you're talking about incredibly talented shows that can change the trajectory of a company like Hamish Nandi did for, for Austereo. They come along once in a blue moon and you've got to be ready for them.”
“I mean, it's just, it's like opinions and assholes, everyone's got one. Podcasting and opinions are the same, aren't they?”
“Narrow by design doesn't tend to work when you're trying to get the largest audience you can.”
“And then 48 hours after, the phone stops. That's it. And everyone has moved on as they should.”
How much should I prepare before going on air?
Aim for roughly as much prep time as airtime (e.g., 3 hours of prep for a 3-hour show); very few naturally gifted performers can skip this and still succeed consistently.
What's the biggest misconception about building an audience or career in radio/podcasting?
Don't expect fast success; even presenters who look like overnight successes typically spent many hard years in regional or lower-tier markets before breaking through.
What should we do differently for our first live event?
Make sure to give attendees a genuine personal experience — shake hands, give people time — rather than just performing at them.
How do you start building a new career/platform after leaving a long corporate job?
Write down what you know and just start putting pen to paper — blogging or podcasting to collect your thoughts can organically create relationship and business opportunities, even if that's not the primary goal.
How should you handle promising new talent?
Resist the urge to push talent to the biggest stage too quickly; deliberately hold them back and give them smaller opportunities (like a local drive show) until they are fully primed, since performers often want to move faster than is good for them.
Craig Bruce recounts piping a final off-air trial of Eddie McGuire's new breakfast show into the staff area; afterward Eddie gathered the staff and spoke with total clarity about what the show would and wouldn't be, instantly reassuring a demoralized team.
Craig describes months of trying to book Bean from the US show Kevin and Bean for the 100th episode of Game Changers; moments after mentioning in a meeting that he needed a strong guest to close out the podcast, he got a text from Bean agreeing to come on.
Craig Bruce describes joining Austereo/SCA at 18 and leaving at 48, losing his sense of identity since he'd never had a personal email, felt lonely once he left, and took 6-12 months to 'shed that skin.'
After a farewell dinner, Jules Lund told Craig Bruce to write down what he knew. Bruce started blogging, including a post about the radio format 'The Fugitive,' which led to an email from a Canadian radio executive and a new consulting client.
Craig Bruce recounts meeting Jules Lund during a radio contest, learning about his friends' university radio show, bringing Ryan Shelton, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee into Fox FM for a pilot, immediately recognising Hamish's talent, and pitching to executives to get them on air before a deliberate multi-year development process.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
Craig Bruce says there's a theory that if you're on air for 3 hours, you should do at least 3 hours of prep to match the output, though a rare few naturally gifted performers like Kyle Sandilands can get away with minimal preparation.
From episode 499→Craig Bruce, then assistant content director at Fox FM, met Ryan Shelton, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee after Jules Lund mentioned his friends had a university radio show; Bruce brought them in for a pilot and immediately recognised Hamish's quick wit, eventually championing them to management before developing them slowly over about five years.
From episode 335→Jules Lund advised him to 'write down what you know,' which led Bruce to start blogging about his industry experience, including a post about the radio format The Fugitive that directly led to a consulting opportunity in Canada.
From episode 335→Craig Bruce explains that audiences are given paper 'books' to log quarter-hours of listening over four weeks (often filled in imprecisely from memory), while in the US a PPM 'people meter' device picks up ambient radio signals, which can register stations playing nearby rather than what the wearer is actually choosing to listen to.
From episode 335→Mentioned on 12 episodes Craigwasn’t on.
Radio consultant at ZM who conducts air checks and gives feedback to Tomasel and the hosts.
A radio industry figure Tommy jokingly says Kristie had 'a hard-on for' via Radio Today Google alerts.
A Triple M mentor Kate was connected with to improve her on-air skills early in her radio career.
Former radio personality mentioned as an example of someone pivoting their public brand.
A previous podcast guest discussed after Tommy's mum commented on his voice and his age.
Referenced as a recent guest on the show whose name Tommy allegedly mispronounced, and former Southern Cross Austereo employee.
Announced as next week's guest, described as the host of the Game Changers podcast and a top Australian radio content mind.
Radio industry figure who hosted Josh and Tommy on his podcast Game Changers and helped place major Australian radio talent.
Radio figure Tommy and Josh interviewed on Game Changers; Stacey mentions speaking to him separately.
Named jokingly in a hypothetical about bringing up someone's old radio tapes as a form of unfair feedback.
Tommy and Josh jokingly offer SEO help to Craig Bruce's podcast after searching for it.
Creator of the podcast Game Changers that Josh has been listening to, described as a top Australian radio content figure who discovered Hamish and Andy.
Every episode featuring Craig Bruce on The Daily Talk Show.
Craig Bruce joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 499 (27 October 2019) — "Craig Bruce & Jay Mueller On Understanding Your Audience & Team". Craig Bruce & Jay Mueller join us on the show! We chat about the need to focus on the audience, advice for upcoming producers, independent podcasters and podcasting networks.
Craig Bruce joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 335 (28 April 2019) — "Craig Bruce Changed The Game". we're joined by Craig Bruce. Craig is one of Australia's best radio minds. He spent close to 30 years at Southern Cross Austereo — with a huge amount of experience in leading content teams. He's played pivotal roles in developing Australia's biggest radio talent — Hamish and Andy, Jules Lund and ...
