Dicko and Sarah Morice exit 2UE as part of schedule shakeup
Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson and Sarah Morice have been let go by struggling Sydney talk station 2UE as part of a programming shakeup.
Their exit comes less than a year after they were moved from 2UE’s breakfast slot to afternoons.
Stuart Bocking is to be given the morning slot while Angela Catterns will move from mornings to the afternoon slot vacated by Dicko and Morice.
In a statement, general manager Chris Parker said the moves were what the audience wanted.
In the latest set of radio ratings, 2UE’s Monday to Friday share of the Sydney listening audience was second lowest of the commercial stations, on just 3.4 per cent.
The announcement:
Following extensive audience research and feedback, Fairfax Radio Network’s Sydney NewsTalk station 2UE 954 today announced changes to its Morning and Afternoon programs.
Popular 2UE Weekend Breakfast and Your Business Day presenter Stuart Bocking will move to the Monday to Friday Morning show. Morning presenter Angela Catterns will now move to Afternoons. This will mean that Afternoon presenters Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson and Sarah Morice will leave the station.
“We are committed to putting our audience at the heart of everything we do and 2UE is a station that reflects what our audience wants, which is informative, engaging and entertaining radio. And we believe our listeners will respond positively to these changes,” 2UE 954 General Manager Chris Parker said.
“I would like to recognise the hard work and professionalism of Dicko and Sarah. Since their on-air partnership was created in January 2013, both have developed a remarkable chemistry and have become good friends with their listeners, colleagues and advertisers. Of course, everyone at 2UE wishes Dicko and Sarah the very best for the future.”
“I’m very grateful to 2UE for giving me the opportunity to try my hand at the craft of talk radio. I’ve learned an awful lot over the past two years and I’m very fortunate to have felt the support and friendship from everyone involved with the station. I’m sad to no longer be working with the super talented Sarah Morice, and thanks to everyone who’s lent a hand in getting our hungry beast of a show to air every day. My best wishes to everyone at 2UE in their endeavour to get this heritage brand back where it belongs,” Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson said.
Well-known and much loved radio broadcaster Angela Catterns joined the 2UE Morning show in January this year and has focused on delivering a daily mix of talkback and audience interaction.
Stuart Bocking joined 2UE in 1996 as a newsroom journalist before becoming the executive producer of the John Laws morning show. Since then Bocking has achieved ratings success across a number of programs, most recently as the host of 2UE weekend breakfast.“Stuart’s strong news and analytical focus, with hard hitting stories that focus on the issues of the day will resonate with our Morning audience. Angela’s wonderful warmth will enable her to build an even closer connection with our audience in Afternoons,” Parker said.
The rest of 2UE’s presenter line-up remains unchanged with John Stanley and Garry Linnell on Breakfast, Justin Smith on Drive, Sports Today hosted by John Gibbs and Greg Alexander, Nights with Clive Robertson and Luke Bona on Overnights. On weekends, the presenter line-up continues to feature Sydney’s favorite weekend team of George and Paul and Tim Webster.
“I am greatly encouraged by our new Monday to Friday breakfast show with John and Garry, which is breaking stories and developing an engaging irreverent style, giving 2UE listeners a real point of difference. Our audience is responding very positively and the show will continue to grow,” Parker said.
The presenter changes are effective from July 14, 2014.
More follows later
I might be swimming against the tide here but I like 2UE’s objective, middle of the road style rather than 2UE’s hard-line right wing propaganda. I listen to 2UE’s mid-dawn show on a regional station and they replay interviews and features from the daytime presenters and they are usually informative and engaging. With the renewed swing away from hard-line conservative politics perhaps 2UE might stage a revival.
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Too many changes at 2ue. Any wonder the advertising is falling off. We no longer do any agency with 2ue. Not on our spend and we are not alone.
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Sorry, I meant “2GB’s hard-line right wing propaganda”
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Too many changes, people like to get use to someone in a slot, they will struggle again
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2UE is history, Sorry to say. We spent $8k in march and did not get a single lead. if they are listening they are not buying!!! never again
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Aussie Austridge, clearly you’ve never listened to 2GB. By ‘hard-line rightwing propaganda’ I guess you mean not sycophantic leftsts like 99% of the media. And aren’t they cleaning up because of it!
If you bothered to listen you’d know that both sides get hammered and they have a very diverse and loyal audience.
2GB is a success story in a sea of media catastrophes.
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2UE is irrelevant for me now. It has sounded terrible for a while
Time for a format change. Something to rival Smooth
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What a monumental mistake guys! The 12-3 slot was great. The Sarah & Dicko team were superb. Entertaining, engaging, balanced and hard-hitting when they needed to be. They were just fun and relaxing to listen to. I came back to 2UE because of them. Suppose I’ll turn away. How gracious are Ian’s comments. He is the only person on radio I hear say how appreciative and wonderful this country is. He never has a bad word to say about this country. So respectful for the opportunity to live here. He reminds me every day which makes me put a smile on my face. Chin up Sarah & Dicko. Be sure to let your fans know where to next.
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Yep. I agree with Nando. I like the ‘company’ these two bring. Shame to hear the news. Stuart Bocking is a nice informative bloke, but he needs to cut back the yap yap. And the winger after Dicko/Sara is too much a moaner. If only George and Paul went full-time.
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AGain. When is management going to take responsibility?
Hywood should have purchased 2GB
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I’ll be happy to listen to Angela in afternoons. Mornings were way too serious for her wonderful demeanour. i switched off about a month ago as I couldn’t bear to listen to breakfast anymore but will return just to hear Angela and her terrific laugh.
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2ue why??? I turn the radio on at 12 to listen to Dicko and Sarah…I stopped listening to breakfast as I don’t like the John and Gary show much at all….you should have cut Justin Smith after Dicko and Sarah he is PAINFUL to listen to..you got rid of a good bloke and replaced him with Justin.Smith…when will you realise when you’ve got a good thing going??????
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I am very sorry to hear Dicko and Sarah are going as find them very entertaining, better than listening to Garry and John waffle on in the mornings, will have to find a new station to listen to.
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To my surprise, I actually don’t mind Linnell and Stanley on the breakfast program. They have developed a somewhat irreverent style – or at least Linnell has and Stanley keeps him in line – but they also give an unbiased analysis of the day’s news and break some interesting stuff. Then again, anything is better than that rabid right winger Alan Jones telling you what to think about anything and everything. He reminds me of a grade three teacher lecturing the kids – only his listeners are all rusted on geriatrics.
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What a shame – neither took themselves too seriously and provided lots of laughs and good humour!
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The George & Paul show is the best that 2UE has!!!. Second to that is Dicko & Sara !!
Do not know where, your people get “show popularity feed back from”. This is a Dumb decision and will definitely not do 2UE any favours. Another radio station will have the sense to take Dicko & Sara on and hopefully in the same time slot of their replacment, check out your ratings then! I think who ever made this crazy decison must be nuts!!!
Watch, as I am certain this decision will come back to bite your backsides.
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Shock horror!!! as soon as get comfortable with the 2ue line up they change it, like the two Murray’s what do they expect this is why people aren’t listening.
Dicko and Sarah is the best radio in Sydney, don’t the management at 2ue listen to the wireless, rather than cut people maybe they should promote the show, it sounds like someone at 2ue is sitting on their hands.
Come on 2ue give yourself an uppercut you need to promote these talented people, it’s obvious by the ratings shafting people is not the answer
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This is a terrible day, so sorry to hear Dicko and Sarah leaving, they are so entertaining and we always get a laugh. Too much swapping and changing at 2ue now it is time for me to swap and change radio stations
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Seriously Stu Bocking is an underrated talent, informative and assertive. As for the bloke in the drive home send him back to Melbourne just has no idea about Sydney it shows and he’s uninformed on anything in nsw. Angela is Angela just lovely and a 2UE asset. Dicko & Sarah tried twice but no chemistry or any different opinions. They need a guy called Shane A. Bassett from the Central Coast radio he talks interesting topics knows everything and asks unique questions. Check him out 2UE.
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Louisa are you serious: “both sides get hammered”.
There is not a bigger right wing cheer squad than 2GB. Analysis by several media bodies has found that they are consistently biased towards towards the Liberal Party, allocating them far more favourable airtime than the other side.
They can have that position as far as I’m concerned, but it’s only those rusted on listeners who have their radio permanently tuned to 2GB (my 73 year old mother for one) who would think that it is fair and balanced.
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2ue What are you doing??? No wonder listeners are leaving you sound like the of shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic!! Why do you sack good intelligent,funny presenters and keep on hiring boring ABC or idiot right wingers from Melbourne.
What happened to Justin, Mike Smith & Jeffreys,the 2 Murrays, and finally Dicko & Sarah ? Get rid of Fairfax and get back to entertaining us not boring us to death
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Nice people, but Dicko and Sarah were terribly boring on 2UE. A real dog’s breakfast of content. The punters didn’t like what they were hearing from the get go, and voted with their ears – it’s that simple. So it was inevitable they were going to be boned.
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If they were as good as what some of these comments have said, then why didn’t they grow audience in breakfast or afternoons and more importantly if advertisers deserted that shift then it makes sense to axe them
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Sad to see Sarah and Dicko show go, I enjoyed the show, both were humble, honest and entertaining. It was easy listening without the over the top, shock jock attitude that seems to win ratings for reasons unknown to me.
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Your kidding…Fairfax need to wake up and dispense with Parker. Clearly Parker’s approach is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic. In my opinion, Morice & Dicko are capable announcers, and importantly, they’re entertaining!!!
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What are you doing 2ue putting Angela Catterns to afternoons she should be gone all together what a joke
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Really feel for the management of 2UE. When an iconic station like this loses its direction with it’s focus on it’s town, you’ve got to make a tough decision or two… I remember Gary O’Callaghan when he had Sydney by the balls… And from memory he wasn’t what I’d call personality radio but he knew everything about what was going on in the town… From across the Tasman he was admired for the way he held that station at number 1 and occasionally at number 2. What amazes me is how 2UE can come in behind the ABC in the ratings. IMHO if you’re going to make a change in your line up it’s going to take around 18 months to bed in… seen it time and time again… Mind you, that’s New Zealand thinking for you.
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Good decision, did not like Dicko & Sarah at all, she comes across as a “bird brain” & he is not my cup of tea, a few remarks he has made has put me right off him.
Stuart Bocking. I like a lot, think he will do a good job. Angela Catterns ditto….think Justin & George &Paul are the best tlalents you have on 2ue, how you could call Justin a “winger” has got me, I thought Dicko was the “winger”…..as for Advertisers, well, their Ads are ghastly & annoying, nobody listens, & that would be the same right across the media……….
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Well 2UE should have offloaded all their weekday presenters in my opinion. I just do not listen to any of them anymore. It is boring radio with boring people. New management required ASAP and new week day presenters who know their stuff and do not waffle on.
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I don’t know why 2ue ever got rid of the 2 Murrays. They had the best & funniest afternoon show of all. I’m over the changes & have started to listen more to 2GB in the afternoons
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I am glad to see them go.He has an annoying voice was not very knowledgeable and was still living off his Australian idol days! Sarah on the other hand was quite entertaining and hopefully may turn up again.
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They have never recovered from the Jones/Hadley switch and for a decade are tyring to find their differentiated position in AM market. At a 3 rating revenue must be atrocious and clients are even on the site declaring campaigns have not worked. No matter how well Fairfax radio does in other markets buyers will start at Sydney and buy around the network.
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Seriously 2UE; when you axed Jason Morrison and Paul Murray I thought you had totally lost the plot and you lost me back then and from the ratings you lost a lot more listeners also. I would crawl all the way back to those guys and get them back. My favourite is Stuart Bocking but unfortunately wont get to hear him in his new time slot but good luck Stuart. Good luck also Sara & Dicko; I’m sure we will hear you popping up on some other radio station.
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get rid off gary john & stuart bocking justin isgreat&anglea
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2UE is still in the rebuilding phase.Dicko and Sarah were nice enough to listen to and definately talented but their show did not bring in the listeners unfortunately.It could take some time for the station to hit the heights again but they are on that road.Look at 2GB and MIX 106.5.Both stations had struggled for years before but now rating the socks off Sydney radio.I am sure 2UE will bounce back but will need time and a little dose of loyalty from the listeners.Would anyone stop following their footy team just because they did not maje the semis?
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I am so sorry to hear you have axed Dicko and Sarah, we really enjoyed their show they were very entertaining and talked about down to earth subjects. We will really miss them, and I will be looking for where they work next. Audiences don’t like constant changes!
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As i’ve said if they were so entertaining then why weren’t people listening. And for all this talk about them popping up at another radio station, please enlighten me as to which station…could you imagine them going to another radio station stating hey when we started we had a 4 share and reduced it to 2 plus advertisers deserted us!
Yes, they are probably the nicest people in the world but probably aren’t strong radio people based on their results. nothing wrong with that, they had a go it didn’t work so you move on
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glad they have gone-good to see the back of that pommy twit. Angela Caterns in the afternoon- better than traking sleeping pills i suppose for those who enjoy a p.m. nap. Bocking taking on Laws and Hadley in morning time slot-dont think so.
a big plus for your station is the 2 daily doubles-John and Gary breakfast and George and Paul weekends. great shows.
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Thank goodness Dicko and Sarah have gone. Will now return to listening in the morning because of Stuart Bocking. Will not listen in afternoons because I would sooner listen to grass growing than Angela Caterns. As for Clive Robertson never. The only good 2UE is weekends George and Paul and Tim are great. 2UE went down hill when they got rid of the two Murray’s. It is great Murray Olds is back for the holiday fill in.
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Used to be a loyal listener of 2UE of a night time with sports today then Murray Wilton, but listening to Clive palmer is like scratching nails down a chalk board, would much rather him be replaced by dicko and Sarah. Sorry 2ue but as soon as sports today finishes I switch back off.
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2UE’s been in strife since they moved Jason Morrison from breakfast, since then it’s been changes every 6 months and listeners can’t get used to presenters.
Personally I only listen to their midnight to dawn, (Luke through the wheel & John on the weekends) and Grorge & Paul as well as Tim Webster,
I only found out Murry Olds is doing a fill in spot so I’m listening to that while it lasts
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Going the same way as The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Fairfax Media would have trouble running a chook raffle in a pub. In the print and online media Fairfaxy are competing with the free ABC and trying to get the lefties to pay for the same biased slant on the news.
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Not sure why all the changes again, I was enjoying the line up. Murray gone,Morrison gone was a looking good, not sure where the data comes from but as someone else said, a not of consistency will pay off eventually.
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Shame about Dicko and Sarah – maybe they should have shifted them to the 3 – 6 pm weekday timeslot instead of turfing them from the station.
Get rid of Justin Smith – a boring, tired old fart who sends me to sleep. Not very informative at all. I would rather be informed and enjoy some lively program than have someone drone on for 3 hours.
Why not bring back Murray Olds! He’s filling in for Justin at the moment (until Friday 11/7) 🙁 – why not keep him on permanently? And bring back Murray Wilton too! The Two Murrays were the highlight of my day!
It’s a shame that 2UE didn’t utilised Jason Morrison, Paul Murray and also the Two Murrays to their full potential – now add Dicko and Sarah to the list.
Loving Tim Webster on weekends though and John & Gary weekdays at Breakfast!
Can’t stand boring Clive or annoying Angela.
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I really enjoyed Dicko & Sarah so sorry to hear they have been replaced by that irritating & boring Angela Catterrns so that leaves only Luke Bono from midnight to dawn to keep me listening to 2UE for the rest I will have to look to another station. Hopefully Dicko & Sarah take up their very enjoyable format somewhere else
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another 2ue management error, like Steve Price, Murray old ,Jason morrision
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mike, how is it an error – they were losing audiences regardless of shift? 18 months is a long time…
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Dicko and Sarah were light and entertaining. Jason Morrison still missed. The ratings will still decline those 2 boring breakfast men. Angela I don’t listen ever to her. Bring on Suzy Yates. Stuart is OK. Luke overnight good. Clive endearing. Tim is good. I listen to much Saturday…. Bores me tears. Well I use my new hours watching catch up TV programs.
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The only time I switched to them was 12-3. I must be a different audience, never got asked.
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I`m a fan of The Bock, but I do feel sorry for Sarah n Dicko.
They were quite suited to that slot.
I really don`t understand why 2GB is just so high in the ratings.
Sydney Listeners obviously like to hear a bunch of drama queens who
do a thing called ‘retro argue’. Ie crap on about how something could have
been done after the event.
Maybe people tune in to Alan Jones (who ain`t a man, the real AJ is
1980 Formula One World Champ) and then couldn`t be bothered changing
freq during the day!!
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A sad day when Dicko & Sarah left. They were green, but you entertaining. Maybe they committed the crime letting the listeners know about the personal lives whereas Parot Jones never mentions his “off air relaxations!”
Angry Bird
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