Kyle Sandilands slates 2Day FM, Merrick Watts and claims new KiisFM show will be number one
Sandilands
Kyle Sandilands has attacked his former employer 2Day FM describing program controller Guy Dobson as a “fuckwit”, claiming there is “no direction at the station and describing the new breakfast lineup as “a mess” in an explosive interview in the Sunday Telegraph.
The radio DJ, who starts his new breakfast show with long-time on air partner Jackie ‘O’ Henderson next Monday, took the opportunity to hit out at the new 2Day FM Breakfast show with the Stars lineup of Merrick Watts, Jules Lund, Sophie Monk and Mel B, labelling Watts as a “fuckhead” and claiming the former Spice Girl would only be on board for three months.
Claiming the pair were “bored” at Southern Cross Austereo Sandilands said the duo’s new KiisFM breakfast show on the Australian Radio Network (ARN) will be number one in the first radio ratings with a nine per cent share, saying: “I’m so sorry, but I totally believe that. I think we will take all of our listeners … that’s what I so arrogantly believe.
“Put it this way, if my favourite show is Revenge on Channel 7 and it shows up on Channel 9 – I’d still watch it.
“I don’t care where it is, I just want to watch it. If they stop selling Kit-Kat’s at the 7/11 and only sold them at the Shell servo … well, that’s where I’d be at.”
After Dobson described the pair as “out of date” in an interview Sandilands said : “Guy Dobson is a f…wit. I’m sorry, but he seriously won’t be employed in the next maybe three months.”
On Watts he said: “Poor old Merrick over there, running around and telling everyone I got fired. Well, now he is going to experience the same old s*** bricks that we had to, day in and day out. And I don’t think that team will get on. Because Merrick is a f…head.”
On the new 2DayFM breakfast show: “Well Mel is only there for three months, one hour a day. That won’t last…They would have done that because they had Merrick, Sophie Jules, and thought f***, this isn’t good enough. Let’s get Mel to do it.
“I know that already for a fact, she’s only there for three months, one hour a day as guest, which to me, feels like interviewing the same person everyday which would be a nightmare.”
On negotiating with new employer ARN: “The program director (Duncan Campbell) and CEO (Ciaran Davis) were saying; ‘What are we going to do and how are we going to win’. And they said you write down something on a piece of paper and I’ll write it down – you know the old thing, and they both wrote down that they needed this show.
“And they told me this story and I said; Well that’s great, and that’s how it all started.
“And they knew they were in for it. It’s not a cheap show to run. But our support staff are good as well and they are all high paid.”
I think Kyle is spot-on with his prediction that his show will be number one again when the ratings come out. Sydney is a city which has great loyalty to big-name radio stars and audiences follow them around the dial when they move stations. In 1988 John Laws left 2GB and went to 2UE and within two surveys he was number one again. When Alan Jones left 2UE for 2GB it took three surveys before he was number one again. Kyle has a high profile similar to Laws and Jones and I confidently predict he and his new station will be leading the FM ratings within a month or so.
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I am not a fan in any sense but I suspect Kyle’s right. Austereo created the monster, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
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Despite the many many complaints people make about Kyle (and I’m sure many more will appear below) it will be a success. There’s a big difference between what people say and what people do.
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I don’t like kyle – but i tuned in to 2DayFm this morning to see what the new line up a was like and it was woeful…zero chemistry, zero point of view, Merrick is trying to ‘behave’. 6 months tops
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Listened to 2dayfm this morning. Agree with onthewaytowork. Boring snoring. Only lasted 15 mins before I tuned out.
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I also tuned in to 2DayFM this morning to see what all the hype was about. Completely agree with the above comment, the new team lacked chemistry and it didn’t feel like the show was going anywhere. I gave them a good half an hour then I tuned out and changed the station to Triple J. I’ve been listening to Kyle & Jackie O for 12yrs now, grew up listening to them since highschool so I’ll definitely be tuning into 1065 on Monday when they’re back. Don’t really care if certain people hate Kyle, he’s entertaining to the majority of people who listen to the radio which is evident in their #1 ratings. You either love them or you hate them.
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Exactly Chris – you have been listening to K&J for 12 years and me thinks that you went into listening to the new 2day show wanting them to be crap because you are a K&J die hard which is fair enough but what did you expect to hear with the new show? I think everyone just needs to cool their jets and see how things develop with the new show.
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Love or loathe them Kyle and Jackie are a force to be reckoned with on FM Radio. No one comes close to them for on air chemistry! They will be number 1 again. I love Jules and Sophie but Sophie’s “dumb act” gets very tedious, she was great as a fill in but long term……..not so sure. I was keen to listen to 2Day fm this morning and I was very disappointed, Jules was the only one holding the show together. Kyle is right!
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Having worked at Austereo for a considerable time under the previous ownership in a senior role, and knowing Kyle and Jackie from my TV days as well, this inflammatory commentary from Kyle is standard behaviour for him, in fact a script he has wheeled out so many times it’s boring. Concentrate on the negatives and everyone else in his view is a drop kick, and of course could not possibly have any talent at all, that is reserved for him exclusively. To say what he did about an executive, who helped contribute with others in making him what he is, and to happily take the seven figure salary, but was so bored, is poor form. All that counts are the people who vote on ratings and give the market 3 surveys minimum for the dust to settle. For the record I don’t work in media, I work with Father Chris Riley of Youth of the Streets as a volunteer mentor/life coach to young people and for those who read this and know me, I have never been happier helping others after 40 years of media and rubbish served up like this is the reason I saw the light.
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Does anyone remember when a music station could have just one host on the breakfast shift? Unlce Doug? Ian McRae?
I listened to 2Day this morning and there were too many voices. It sounded like a radio version of Fraggle Rock.
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Radio-schmadio.
So, who’s #1 you say? Eh?
Bob Rogers? Ward ‘Pally’ Austin? Mike Walshe?
Whaaaa–t? They’ve changed? Got some new ones? Well, I’ll be.
Nobody lasts at the top forever, not even Burt Reynolds or Graham Kennedy.
Who is next? Time will tell.
Meanwhile K&J are doing well in selected demographics, on FM, in one market. Yay!
Eventually they will join Bob Dyer, Jack Davey, Doug Mulray on the list of forgotten stars.
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Fans may follow them to KiisFM but current listeners to MIXFM will leave in droves
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Stay classy Kyle.
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Well if Kyle says so it must be right cause he’s like a radio god man, and a genius man…
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Who is panelling the new 2dayfm show?
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All hail King Kyle – go getum tiger!! rawalllll
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