Date: September 29, 2014
Author: Golf Australia

AO Radio launched at The Australian

d by for AO Radio, an innovative production to be used at the Emirates Australian Open in Sydney next month.

For one of the first times ever in this country, there will be a free live radio broadcast available to both spectators on site and fans online at work or home.

Golf Australia has set up the program after seeing similar operations at the majors of golf around the world.

The broadcast will feature 20 hours of coverage hosted by Mark Allen and Mike Clayton and earpieces for spectators will be distributed at the course for free.

The broadcast will be simulcast on the official tournament website and apps (available for iPhone and Android).

Other on-air contributors will include roving reporters Martin Blake, John Huggan, Cam Luke, Brad James and Matt Cutler, with on-course interviews by Andrew Maher. There will be roving updates, the latest scores, player interviews and expert analysis from the team.

Hours of broadcast are from 11am-4pm Thursday/Friday and noon-5pm Saturday/Sunday.

Golf Australia’s digital director, John Sutherland, said the fit was right.

“Golf is the perfect sport for radio,’’ he said. “With so much action occurring over a large geographical space, radio gives fans on course instant knowledge of what is happening around them and which hole they should head for next.

“To give golf-lovers who can’t make it to The Australian GC the ability to listen online helps improve our broader Emirates Australian Open fan experience and grows engagement in game for us”

Longtime promoter Tony Roosenburg welcomed the initiative. “We tried it in the past at the Heineken Classic, and maybe once at the Open, and the reason it’s handy is that in golf you can be on the sixth hole but you don’t know what’s happening on, say, the 13th,’’ he said. “It could be that Rory McIlroy has gone birdie-eagle-birdie and you want to race over and watch him, or Adam Scott’s gone 10-under-par and he’s looking to break the course record.

“It’s just a good way to keep people up to date and I think it’ll be a popular thing.’’

The Emirates Australian Open, featuring Scott and McIlroy, begins on 27 November at The Australian. McIlroy is defending the title he won at Royal Sydney last year.