Hamish & Andy drop Today Network’s Monday drivetime and shift slots for daily show
Broadcasting duo Hamish & Andy – Hamish Blake and Andy Lee – are to reduce their output for the Today Network further, dropping their weekly live Monday drivetime show.
The duo’s hour-long, mainly pre-recorded daily show Business Brunch, which launched at the beginning of the year, will move from its 10-11am slot to 3pm.
The national drivetime duo of Fifi Box and Jules Lund will now broadcast five days a week rather than four for the Southern Cross Austereo-owned radio network.
Hamish & Andy are one of the Today Network’s most valuable properties. Their daily drivetime show was number one in its timeslot until they gave it up at the end of 2010.
The new show will be called Happy Hour.
The changes – which come ahead of Hamish & Andy beginning a new TV series in Asia for the Nine Network – begin on July 8. They said in a statement: “It’s a daily show which we’ve had so much fun doing, but one that still gives us enough time to do our TV stuff, so it’s the best of both worlds.”
While the switch means slightly less presence for the popular duo on the network, it does result in a simpler schedule, with Hamish and Andy on at 3pm ever day and Fifi & Jule from 4-6pm every day.
The move will also mean the end of the introduction to Hamish & Andy’s show each day from the late Peter Harvey. The Nine journalist recorded the voiceover to start each show shortly before he passed away, and his family gave the pair their blessing to continue to use it.