For Amanda Keller, revenge on Triple M is a dish best served at breakfast time
Radio is a funny old game.
And the publication of Amanda Keller’s memoir, Natural Born Keller, today gives the management of Southern Cross Austereo an excellent opportunity to reflect on this.
The top two Sydney FM breakfast shows are currently Kyle & Jackie O on Kiis FM and Jonesy & Amanda on WSFM, both of which are of course ARN stations.
The defection of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson from SCA’s 2Day FM to Kiis has been a tale well told. But also worth remembering is that Austereo’s Triple M also let Keller slip through its fingers – and in a less-than-classy way.
For several years, Keller had co-hosted the successful Triple M Sydney breakfast show with Andrew Denton, and later Mikey Robbins and Peter Berner.
But after Keller had a baby, the axe fell. She writes: “While I was on maternity leave, there was a change of regime and our brekkie show was effectively dissolved. The new management decided a Melbourne breakfast show, ‘The Grill Team’, would be broadcast nationally instead.
“Twice a week, as some kind of contractual obligation I assume, I joined The Grill Team for a segment. They were all very nice, funny people, but none of us really knew why I was there. On my last day at Triple M I was farewelled with something like : ‘Well some of you may know Amanda’s been on radio here for six years. Thanks and goodbye.'”
She adds in the book: “Six years of being connected to the city and our audience in such a personal and unique way ended with a Melbourne-based show politely waving me off. I don’t want to sound like a wanker, but by not acknowledging the part I’d played in the station’s recent history I felt Triple M had somehow let itself down.”
It wasn’t the only unhappy moment with Triple M. Earlier in her time with the network, Keller had been going through (at the time) unsuccessful and upsetting rounds of IVF. She’d just had an ultrasound scan, which left her “broken hearted” with the news that she was not pregnant after an anxious six weeks of waiting to find out.
While she was on holiday, Triple M aired a call from a member of the public on the “Rumour Mill” segment, reporting that she’d been seen leaving an ultrasound facility.
She writes: “If I had been pregnant, in what world would I have wanted it announced this way? As it was, it had been a devastating day.
“What made it even worse was that the very people who’d let the rumour go to air were the ones you’d think would be looking out for me.
“I felt bruised and betrayed for a while.”
For the record, in the last set of radio ratings Jonesy & Amanda were the number one FM show. Triple M’s Grill Team was fourth.
Amanda is a star!
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Amanda is ethical, genuine and respectful. So many insensitive people out there!!!!
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Amanda is a star. And classy. Can’t wait to read this
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The benchmark of delightful and a pleasure to have worked with.
Amanda deserves all the success she achieves.
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Mumbo – you realise they are two completely different Grill Team’s, right? Amanda was never a part of the modern day Grill Team that she is currently beating in the ratings.
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Ummm.. Actually the Melbourne Grill Team had well and truly finished by that time.
The show Amanda is talking about joining was The Whole Shebang and it was drive as they put The Cage into breakfast.
She was part of a huge rotating lineup that included Mikey, Jo Stanley, Fifi Box, Marty Sheargold and Jodie J Hill.
When they finally dropped the “whole” and became The Shebang, it was just Marty & Fifi.
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It never ceases to amaze me the appalling treatment people get in radio.Amanda Keller is one of many talented people who have suffered . Big stars one day a doormat the next. There seems to be little foresight or hindsight in radio in general. . Its a small industry – driven by huge management egos.- and cowboys.
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Im a little confused, did she host a show which included a rumours section every day, and is now complaining about a radio station telling a rumour about her?
Pot, id like to introduce you to Kettle.
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I’m proud to say I worked with Amanda via the newsroom when were at Bondi Junction and she has always kept in contact with support or kind words when they were needed.
A caring classy lady with loads of talent.
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Amanda,
Thank you for being you and true to yourself.
I
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