2Day FM cancels Sydney breakfast show
Southern Cross Austereo’s Sydney breakfast show on 2Day FM is no more, with the station announcing the Ed, Grant and Ash Show will finish up this week.
Instead, the embattled station will simply play music in the key breakfast slot.
The 2DayFM brand has struggled in recent years
Trouble started for the once all-powerful station back in 2013 when long-term FM-leading hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson announced they were leaving SCA.
With the Kyle & Jackie O Show moving to what is now Kiis FM on the Australian Radio Network (ARN), 2Day FM moved to a new line-up of Merrick Watts, Jules Lund, Sophie Monk and former Spice Girl Mel B.
The ratings, however, did not favour the decision. The Kyle & Jackie O Show had gone out on a 10.4% audience share in 2013 on 2Day FM. Its new 2014 line-up debuted with just 3.8% of the breakfast market.
The 2014 2Day FM breakfast show
The network pivoted again, employing Dan Debuf and Maz Compton to take the reins in 2015.
Dan and Maz also gave it a go
This also didn’t last, however, with television’s Rove McManus the next host to give the gig a shot.
McManus was joined by The Bachelor and Bachelorette’s Sam Frost, with the pair getting behind the mics on 9 November, 2015.
Rove and Sam
By 2017, SCA was trying again, announcing Em Rusciano would take the helm with Harley Breen. Just ahead of the announcement, the Rove & Sam show had clocked up a 3.8% share, still well behind that of former hosts Kyle & Jackie O over on Kiis, who at the time commanded 10.5%.
After increasing tabloid speculation of a rift between Rusciano and Breen, however, Breen announced he would be leaving the show at the end of the year to focus on his stand-up career and his family. The final radio ratings for the duo had them on just a 2.8% share.
Next up: Em and Harley
The next iteration of the 2Day FM breakfast program held onto Rusciano, teaming her up with Ed Kavalee – who had just departed Triple M Breakfast in Brisbane – and Network Ten stalwart Grant Denyer.
That combination of personalities delivered the station an initial 0.6 point boost, debuting to a 3.8% audience share.
Throughout the year, the show made some inroads, helping 2Day FM to its highest overall station result (5.6%) since the defection of Sandilands and Henderson, however the troubles were not over.
The short-lived 2Day FM Breakfast team
By September, Rusciano was on the move, insisting that despite the ongoing rumour mill around her, the decision was hers.
“Before anyone gets in a flap, let me make it crystal clear that this is entirely my decision and not one I make lightly,” she said at the time. “I appreciate how lucky I am to be in a position to leave on my own terms. Usually in radio, you are not afforded such a luxury.”
Ash London stepped in to replace Rusciano, and the trio was then confirmed as the 2019 hosts.
London was the 13th host of the 2Day FM breakfast show since the Kyle & Jackie O Show wrapped up.
Denyer, Kavalee and London have been on air together since September last year
The show kicked off this year with a 4.4% audience share, but slipped back to 3.1% in the most recent survey.
And now, in a move long speculated by the radio industry as the only option for the show moving forward, head of the Hit Network Gemma Fordham has confirmed the station will simply focus on music between 6am and 9am.
“Our promise to Sydney is an exciting and upbeat breakfast alternative for Sydneysiders on their morning commute where they can expect us to play just music for breakfast,” she said in a statement this afternoon.
Fordham also paid tribute to hosts 11, 12 and 13, and revealed their future associations with the network.
“A huge thank you must go to our breakfast show team, Grant, Ed & Ash, for the past 18 months – they are absolute professionals, have been a true delight to work with and have contributed to a culture of fun, community and inclusiveness we are proud of at 2Day.
“Ash London will continue to host Ash London Live nationally from 6.30pm weeknights. Ed Kavalee will continue to fill in for Kate Langbroek, who is enjoying the European summer with her young family, with Hughesy from 4:30pm. Grant Denyer will continue making appearances around the Network.”
The decision takes effect from Monday – meaning tomorrow, Friday, 16 August, will be Kavalee, Denyer and London’s final outing.
From Monday, Jamie Angel will anchor the music-based program.
I can’t wait to see how this is brought up with Ed on HYBPA on Monday night!
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Is this one of those situations where they are being smart for once and taking 3 months off to come out with an actual strategy… Or are they just running around like chooks with their heads cut off looking for their next “big name breakfast”?
Is there anyone in, on or available to the market that can realistically compete with Kyle and Jackie-O?
Love or loathe them you have to respect Kyle and Jackie-O’s long time dominance in one of the most fickle markets in the country. I bet that extra million that the pair wanted back in 2014 doesn’t sound as bad to SCA now…
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Do the the board of Southern Cross need to go? Have they now been responsible for 2 monumental mistakes in sydney with regards talent. First when Jones left Southern Cross to go to 2GB and then Kyle and Jackie from SCA. Shareholders must be livid.
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Can there be a bigger punch to the gut than knowing that management would rather play muzak than have you on air?
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It sounds harsh, but surely SCA have to show Gemma the door as well – how many chances does one get? Sydney is the biggest radio market and 2DAY breakfast remains a basket case…
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Wot! No more “wacky and zany” people left to fill those shoes? Quelle horror!
(Thank the gods. Goes to prove all those years ago, 96fm# Perth had it right. Music rules, not half baked “humour” and stunts. Now just get the music mix right and you’ll be back 2Day.
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Radio is nothing like any other form of media information/entertainment.
Radio is like the classics, you can churn out Mozart, Wagner, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Burns, Wordsworth, Tennyson or Thomas Hardy in any way you see fit, it may be just OK, or it may be very poorly served, but it will always retain some dignity, you will never kill it outright.
Radio needs jabbering smartarses like it needs torn speakers, there must be a sense of direction and connection between the listeners
(your lifeblood) and the on-air personality/personalities. You are hoping to be invited into the homes and lives of these people on a daily basis, you must have at least a notion of charm, equality, and gratitude.
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I am actually more inclined to listen with the new format, just music. I sounds like a dream and I hope it works in 2FM’s favour.
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The best thing about this is we’ll be able to see what the music will rate. I would listen to some of those hosts but I would never put up with the 2Day music. Say what you want about Kyle and Jackie O but they are the content equivalent of the music they play. Vacuous, forgettable and pretty annoying.
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Grant Denyer is ratings poison.
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Just play repeats of the old K&J show.
It would be hilarious to have them up against themselves.
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To see Kyle posting see u later another 1 bites the dust is just arrogance of the highest order and totally disrespectful. What he fails to see is that his and Jackie’s time will come and it will, and there will be cheering from all quarters as you can be good, but some humility might be nice.
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So their best idea is an offering that is just terrible Spotify? Good luck to their sales department.
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You do realise the story above says the show including Grant had the best ratings for years?
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Err, it’s Kyle.
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Wow, another team of pretentious, zany Melbourne “comics” fail again in Sydney. Who woulda thunk it?
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Let’s call this for what it is. They’ve seen Smooth smash it with More Music, and are just taking that idea. And 1 salary is better than 3.
Also…how long until Gemma is held to account? Her performance during her tenure has been mediocre at best, and she keeps trotting out the same excuses for her failures. But well done to SCA for sticking by her while kissing of 6 breakfast shows.
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Global podcast market wins my daily commute. I’d rather have the boys from Reply all, Roman Mars, GoopFellas, WestWingWeekly, The New Yorker radio hour etc over some “music directors” curated Spotify Playlist voiced my old house mate (Triple M boss) Jamie Angel. Reinvention time. Fcuk the format.
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I wonder if they can actually do that!!!
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I think the problem is they have tried to sell wacky and zany, but have delivered mediocre vanilla. Plus I don’t think Sydney want wacky and zany, or fake fun. Sydney people are dealing with more frustrations that any other city dwellers… What they should do is take a massive risk, and get 1 person to be an absolute troll to public opinion, and cause widespread chaos. Admit that it is absolute shit sometimes living in Sydney and be a person for the people.
I know the exact person for the job.
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I don’t get it. Playing just music is a terrible idea in this context. Even the most diverse shows on commercial stations in this country have less than 40 tracks on their playlists. It’ll be a vacuous set of tracks for sure. They’ll just dive further down the rankings and lose a tonne of listeners to Spotify too.
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They should just put Frankie Boyle on. F#ck it. Why not.
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Can we start by getting his TV show on Viceland or ABC Comedy?
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> I know the exact person for the job.
I suggest Bag commenting above would be perfect for 2Day breakfast. Jamie Angel is a damned good bloke but surely he’s busy enough running 2MMM?
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Urgghh, good riddance, never liked them anyway!
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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Can’t Hold Us
Merril Bainbridge – Mouth
Justin Timberlake – Summer Love
Miley Cyrus – Party In The U.S.A
Nelly – Ride Wit Me
Five – Keep On Movin’
First song at six am: Pat Benatar – All Fired Up
This is not gonna work…
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The road to success in radio is to connect yourself with the heart and soul of the medium. Running a radio station is not all about numbers and advertising, it is also about a veteran medium which has worked brilliantly for many decades, and which is still viable in the digital age, and also the only medium which allows one to enjoy it whilst doing something else.
In spite of the thousands listening, radio is (inter alia) a disembodied voice or disembodied voices talking to one person only, a voice or voices of support and friendship, of information and thought provocation. The voice (voices) of the radio, should be the friend or confidante that thousands want to tune into every day or as often as time permits.
Celebrity is a by-product, not a given requirement, comedy or tragedy are by-products, occasional visitors, not a standard or primary occupation. There is an occupation known as a comedian, Radio Comedian or TV Comedian or Stand up Comedian, but this should never be confused with the highly individual occupation of Radio Host or Presenter.
Radio is unique, it is special, but it is allied to the Theatre, and must (like theatre) have careful understanding and direction, in order to be successful.
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I think a lot of these music radio content diectors are stuck in the 80s and 90s.
Also Rock has long been overtaken by Edm and Urban as the most popular music genre.
A 24/7 Urban and EDM dance radio station is what would gain a much bigger audience. At least it would be the sound of the new generation and gain new listeners.
2Day FM will continue to fail meanwhile.
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