ABC Sydney breakfast duo Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck, to step down
Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck, ABC Sydney’s breakfast duo announced on air this morning that this year would be their last, after being paired in 2017.
The pair said that they will “go out on a high”, the decision being entirely theirs as the time “felt right”. Their last show will air on Friday 10 December.
Together they have put together a strong run of results in the Sydney radio ratings surveys in recent times, with a strong 14% market share in their breakfast slot in August’s reporting, just shy of 2GB’s Ben Fordham as lockdowns have proven to continue to be strong for talkback.
Harmer and Buck
Harmer said: “I was thrilled to be invited to join the station in 2015 and have loved my time on the Morning and Breakfast shifts for the past six years.”
ABC Radio is yet to announce its presenter line up for 2022. Buck is set to take a year out from the ABC, however said that he will be returning in 2023.
He added: “I’ve been with the ABC for 25 years and in the Breakfast chair for the past 8 years and the time just feels right for me to take a break. I’ve enjoyed every minute of this job and sharing the gig with Wendy over the past three years has been an absolute joy.
“We’ve been through a lot together. We always enjoyed each other’s company and I think that’s what’s made the partnership so good. I now plan to take a year away from the mic and see the world. It’s not goodbye to the ABC. You’ll see me back in some capacity in 2023.”
Harmer continued: “I hadn’t worked with Robbie, but the decision to put us together on brekkie turned out to be inspired. For the past four years we’ve got to know each other at the same time as the audience and it has blossomed into a fabulous on-air partnership and a wonderful friendship too. Lots of laughs, great music and, hopefully, keeping our Sydney audience informed.”
Station manager in Sydney, Melanie Withnall, said: “ We knew this day would come but I respect their decision to call it when it feels right for both of them.
“Obviously their decision is a huge loss for the station. We’ve just achieved record audience numbers and Wendy and Robbie are in a strong second spot in the Sydney market. They’ll be an incredibly hard act to follow, but we are well progressed on who will replace them next year. An announcement on the 2022 line up will be made in the next fortnight.
“In the meantime, Robbie and Wendy still have more than two months on air together. We plan to farewell them in style leading up to their last broadcast on 10 December.”
ABC Radio in Sydney has a consistent following, delivering consistent double digits figures. The ABC was contacted regarding the replacement, and said an announcement would be made in the next fortnight.
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Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.
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