Matt Tilley and Joe Hildebrand confirmed for Triple M Drive
Tilley and Hildebrand
Southern Cross Austereo’s Triple M network has confirmed Joe Hildebrand and Matt Tilley will host the national drive show next year.
The pair will start on January 20 with Tilley hosting from the Triple M studio in Melbourne and Hildebrand working from Sydney.
Tilley moves over from Southern Cross Austereo’s Fox FM where he hosted the breakfast show with Jo Stanley for the last 10 years and Hildebrand will add the radio show to his work as an opinion editor for The Daily Telegraph and panelist on Channel Ten’s new mid-morning show Studio 10.
The new Triple M Drive show will replace Merrick and The Highway Patrol with Merrick Watts, Julian Schiller and Rachel Corbett, axed by Triple M after two years.
Mumbrella reported Tilley and Hildebrand were being tested for the slot along with media strategist Adam Ferrier last month.
Hildebrand told Mumbrella he and Tilley had great chemistry and the fact they would be working out of different studios should not be a problem.
“It doesn’t necessarily matter that we are in different cities, and it’s going to be a national show so better that we straddle that Sydney/Melbourne divide so we won’t have Sydney preaching to the rest of the country as it so often likes to do, and also don’t have Melbourne thinking the rest of the country is populated by hipsters like them,” he said.
“He’s a top bloke and I’m a top bloke, and the network executives are very excited.”
Mike Fitzpatrick, head of content for SCA, said in a statement: “I can’t wait to get this show on air. Matt is one of the funniest and smartest guys on radio. Joe is outspoken, fiery and won’t leave you wondering. The demos the guys did reminded me of Jon Stewart’s ‘The Daily Show’. A very different offering to the current crop of FM drive shows. Smarter and funnier. In Melbourne and Adelaide it will follow and perfectly complement our two successful Rush Hour shows.”
Tilley added: “I’ve just completed nearly 23 years of breakfast radio, at the end of which they demanded I hand in all puns, prank phone calls and smutty remarks conceived along the way. Fair to say Old Mother Hubbard’s kitchen looks like a bloody Costco compared to the stocks I plan to bring to the show. On the plus side, there’s Joe Hildebrand – sharp and incisive with ragged good looks. Before joining me he worked ‘for’ Rupert Murdoch and ‘with’ Ita Buttrose. We are at a distinct advantage when it comes to cornering the elusive 70+ demographic so disdainfully ignored by FM radio until this epic announcement.”
Hildebrand said in the statement: “People have often told me I have a great face for radio and so I am thrilled to prove them all right. It is massively exciting to be part of the new show at Triple M and what I think will be a whole new kind of FM radio. If it works it’ll be the funniest, sharpest, rockingest two hours of radio in the country. And if it doesn’t I’m blaming Ita Buttrose. It’s also sensational to be working among great mates and tag-teaming with Matt, who is a bit of a legend. My prediction is this show will make every listener 10 per cent smarter while laughing 90 per cent of their arses off.”
How is the chemistry going to be with Tilley based in Melbourne and Hilderbrand based in Sydney? Is anyone moving? Guessing it won;t be Joe with his 10 and Tele commitments in Sydney.
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Wow I guess SCA can keep using The Matt & Jo(e) name. Creative.
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“The demos the guys did reminded me of Jon Stewart’s ‘The Daily Show’. ” – If Jon Stewart was right wing and enjoyed wearing ‘funny’ turbans and doing ‘comedy’ Indian accents.
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I’m sure he’s a lovely bloke, but surely I’m not the only one who doesn’t find Hildebrand the least bit funny, entertaining or informing.
Perhaps it’s just me though….
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@ Steve. I’m 100% with you on that one. I’ll be one less MMM listener.
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Brian: So you are saying you were a Highway Patrol listener?
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I found it unsettling enough with Joe Hildebrand appearing in one form of media. But now three? Yikes.
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Well, I’m going to be listening to Triple M – two smart, intelligent blokes. Not what I’d expect the Ms to feed to their listeners since they sacked Get This – but there might a whole new level of brain power that makes to the FM airwaves!
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@steve, it’s just you.
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Lets hope Jo is better than Deb Cameron was on the ABC. He had better be given tne bath he gave her. Seems like a bit of a clever dick to me. Maybe not likable on this medium.
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This would be an interesting combo – can’t wait!
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