Grubby and Dee Dee axed from Melbourne’s Gold104.3 FM
Australian Radio Network has axed Melbourne’s longest running breakfast show, Gold 104.3fm’s Grubby and Dee Dee for Breakfast.
Peter “Grubby” Stubbs and Diane “Dee Dee” Dunleavy were given the news after coming off air this morning, after 12 years on the station. This morning’s show will be their last.
Duncan Campbell, ARN’s national content director told Mumbrella the duo were given the chance to do a farewell week next week, but they chose not to.
The duo’s departure comes as an attempt to refresh the station’s brand.
Campbell said: “Their contract had come up for renewal, and we came to the decision that this would be their last year at ARN. Brands evolve and for a business to be competitive you need to make those decisions.”
Campbell would not disclose who would take their place.
“We want today to be about Grubby and Dee Dee’s achievements over the last 25 years and especially the last 12 with ARN,” he said.
Until that announcement, Craig Huggins will broadcast a music-based breakfast show. A new Gold104.3 breakfast presenter is expected to be announced in the next week.
This has been the final week in the Australian radio industry’s 2012 ratings period, with the final ratings results out Tuesday.
In the last ratings book for Melbourne, Grubby and Dee Dee had a 5.3% share of Melbourne’s breakfast listenership, ahead of Melbourne’s other classic rock station, Melbourne’s 91.3 which held 2.3%, and Mix101.1, which held 4.7% but well behind FoxFM (10.1%), Nova100 (8.2%) and 3MMM (7.8%).
The news comes less than a month after the cancellation of the sydnicated drivetime slot Jono and Dano Show. At the time, Campbell said ARN was “looking at a number of possibilities for drive on Classic Hits in 2012 – including the possibility of pursuing a local content strategy.”
Speaking with Mumbrella today, Campbell said ARN had no intentions of networking a breakfast show.
I will never listen to your station again. If this is how you treat your loyal employees who have a fantastic LOYAL listening audience you have under estimated how we love their show. It is WAS great to head to work with a happy heart. I am sorry for Huggie as he will feel the back lash. I hope another station picks them up so we do not miss the complete package they offer. I hope these messages are passed on to them so they know how much they are loved. I would welcome a rely.
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How dare you cancel Grubby and Dee Dee.I listen to them every morning,the give me a good laugh in the mornings, with some of the things they gotten up to at various times.The mornings will not be the same without them.I might have to find another station to listen to from now on.
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I rarely vent public anger but my work days always started off with an injection of Grubby & Dee Dee wit and banter. My god there are some wankers running the media. I hope some other station picks them up so I can continue my fix of this classic duo.
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I have just spent the last 10min chainging all my radio stations, even th one I play in the backyard. How can you do this to such a great duo, They brighten up our mornings, Sorry to see you go Grubby & Dee Dee, though I know It won’t belong before your snaped up by a loyal station.
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what were you thinking…there is no morning show without grubby and dee dee, morning radio will never be the same i have listened to them right from the begining i dont think i will be able to find a station to comere good-bye morning radio
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This is a very sad day…….Grubby and Dee Dee will be sadly missed, so will Jono and Dano. The drive to and from work was always a laugh, and this has left so many listeners switching stations or turning off. Maybe you could start you own radio station……..Merry Christmas guys and all the best for the New Year…….
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Once again Sack the Sydney management of104.3 and leave Melbourne alone.
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Of the many morning drive time shows that I have encountered around the country Grubby and Dee Dee must be considered the best. What right do the management who aren’t based in Melbourne understand if they have to cancell such a great team. They just don’t have a clue and so short sighted, I hope it bites them where it with a mass fall in ratings.
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Thank you Gold 104.3, you have just made my decision easy. No Grubby and Dee Dee then I will not be listening to your station any more. They were both such a brilliant team maybe you needed to check the music as you seem to be playing the same sh-t every day. welcome back triple M.
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I have lost 2 friends with the cancellation of Grubby and Dee Dee and Gold 104 has lost a long time listener – for good!
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So sorry to see Grubby and Dee Dee go. Don’t know what management was thinking. It was so nice to wake up with Grubby & Dee Dee each morning and listen to them on my way to work which I have done for the whole 12 years. Won’t be turning on to Gold 104 anymore for sure.
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I can’t believe you have sacked Grubby & DeeDee,I have chosen another radio station
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I used to turn the radio off and put a CD on when Grubby and Dee Dee were on holidays. This is what I will now be doing. I won’t listen to Gold 104 any more and after trawling through the other radio stations this morning listening to ‘blokey’ radio presenters it will be hard to find a radio station that I will constantly tune into. Let’s hope another radio station picks them up and I will become the loyal listener that I was. My mornings will not be the same without the laughs and gossip. All the best to two people I looked forward to listening to every work day.
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So sad to see Grubby and Dee Dee go! I feel VERY sorry for the rest of the Gold DFM staff, as I feel that a lot of us loyal listeners are disgusted with the decision to dump them, and will no longer listen to this station. I’m sure we all wish Grubby and Dee De all the best in whatever they decide to do in the future.
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I think there 2 ways to look at this.
1st is hardcore numbers. If Grubby and DeeDee’s market share is is 5.3% then what is wrong for the management to try and improve and grow the channel. I guess station is taking some drastic steps in face of some adverse competition.
2nd is the emotional connect the show has with its users. From all the comments above It provides a other channels to sign up Grubby and Dee Dee for their station which will also bring the loyal listeners to that channel.
The news is very fresh I guess with time we’ll see Grubby and Dee Dee on some other station on some other show.
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Sydney making decisions for Melbourne again. Melbourne run outlets must be lovin’ it. MTR the prime example.
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Ha! It looks like you’ve made a mess of things again ARN…
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I wish Grubby and Dee Dee all the best and i know that they will be picked up by another station soon. i will never listen to gold again, not a nice way to do business
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ARN – what a joke that management team are
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Sad little people who run the station made a desperate decision instead of looking at what else could be done, like change the music for example. Turned of the radio. Listening to CDs instead. Waiting for Grubby and Dee Dee to pop up on another station. I’ll turn the radio back on then. No more Gold.
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Why do all Australian radio duos have to be given these moronic nicknames?
Why can’t they just use their real names instead of ‘Blocko and Chalky’ or some similar sort of nonsense….
They were struggling in ratings and had been for a while- not rocket science
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@PomStar
Cause everyone else does it so it must be done, therefor everyone does it. Simple.
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I don’t usually bother making comments but I was shocked when I heard the news.
I loved listening to Grubby and Dee Dee on the way to work and like most 104.3 listeners I have changed stations. The only trouble is no-one else is worth lisning to.
What a bad decision!
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When I did listen to the radio in the mornings it was to Gold FM – well never again – you’ve totally shot yourself in the foot you fools. You can’t please all the people all the time but hey, management wake up, they were good and entertaining. I’ve struck Gold FM off my listening list FOREVER. Good luck Grubbs and DD, you were the best and will be again – somewhere else better.
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I have listened to Grubby & Dee Dee ever since they started on gold
now i have changed stations never to return you know what you can do with your station
GOOD LUCK Grubby & Dee Dee
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I was very upset when I heard that you idiots had sacked Grubby and Dee Dee. For years I have woken up to thier morning show which always entertaining and gave me a laugh. Straight away I changed all my radios to a different station, will never listen to Gold 104.3 again. I hope it backfires on you.
I wish Grubby and Dee Dee all the very best, hope you pop up on another station together again very soon.Radio will never be the same without you both.
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I thoroughly enjoyed Grubby & Dee Dee for many years at two stations, more so for the repartee than the music and Jono and Dano on the drive home. This double whammy means I have to find a new station or my own iPod. The station will transition to a new demographic after we folks move elsewhere.
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I’ve listened to Gold 104 for years here in the USA. Tuning in was the first thing I did when I got to work every day and Grubby and Dee Dee made my afternoons such fun…they beat any station I could find in my country! I’m hoping that they will land somewhere else and I will be sure to listen to that station. Gold 104 is off my list!
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deleting gold 104.3 from settings in car very disappointed to see grubby and dee dee go.
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I will never listen to your station again. If this is how you treat your loyal employees who have a fantastic LOYAL listening audience you have under estimated how we love their show. It is WAS great to head to work with a happy heart. I am sorry for Huggie as he will feel the back lash. I hope another station picks them up so we do not miss the complete package they offer. I hope these messages are passed on to them so they know how much they are loved. I would welcome a reply.
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What a mess!
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What is wrong with you guys in management – Now have to find a new radio station – and Tracey Bartram – you’ve got to be kidding? Hopefully Grubby & Dee Dee get picked up at another station so I won’t have to search long to find one.
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Management have no concept of what they have let go of in Grubby & Dee Dee. Attempting to explain that, they are the gold in gold 104, would go over their heads, I wish Grubby & DeeDee all the very best, there will be stations already keen to have them.
Short sighted and out of touch, and unfortunately the all too common robotic business approach. Maybe a learning curve for management, I hope so.
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Will never listen to Gold 104.3 again. What a dispicable act to axe Grubby and Dee Dee. They were a breath of fresh air in the morning. Let`s hope that Management get the sack as well!
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You’ve lost another morning listener, Gold. Grubby and Didi were the only ones worth listening to on the morning run to work. Can’t imagine anyone even coming close. Sydney strikes again. And don’t get me started on the subject of reciprocal loyalty!
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Who am I going to listen to now?!
Big mistake GOLD.
I have been listening to Grubby and Didi for a very long time, no-one comes close to them. I will follow them to what every station they go to (even if its a pop cast!)
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What on earth is going on with Gold! How can they give Melbournes most successful partnership – Grubby and Dee Dee a minutes notice?? I listen from England, near Sheffield and am gutted to hear that they have gone. I have been always had a great laugh with them, even recorded their programes when at work. I thought they were on holiday until, I looked up the website and discovered those idiots in management sacked them!!! Gold could do with cutting the adds and changing the music more often, maybe that would make a huge difference, but without Grubby and Dee not a hope in Hell! I won’t be listening to Gold anymore, without Grub and Dee Dee, there is no point!
Russell, Dronfied, Derbyshire
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What a hideous mistake you have made, Did you ask the people who have listened to them for so many years? No. Their friendly banter and their professionalism is irreplaceable. You stupid, stupid people in SYD. You have lost another listener. Bring on 91.5……….hopefully they will give Grubby & DeeDee the morning slot next year. You money grabbing idiots.
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It doesn’t matter who they get on Gold FM to replace Grubby and Dee Dee. They have lost me and all my friends and family. What a dumb decision! I hope Grubby and Dee Dee are snapped up fast so that all their loyal listeners(myself included) can enjoy quality radio again instead of the junk on offer at the moment..
I will never listen to GOLD FM again..
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What a short sighted decision! About time the powers to be listen to the listeners!
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Well that is it for my listening to gold 104! Grubby and Dee Dee go and so do I! I loved waking up to their banter and I now feel I have lost a friend!! All I can hope is that they are taken up by another staion that can see quality and all their loyal supporters follow as well!!
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The only time I listen to Gold 104.3 is mornings with Grubby & Dee Dee.. rest of time I listen to 1278.. so, needless to say, 1278 will now have my ears at all times. Oh, and Grubby & Dee Dee, well done you for not agreeing to do an extra week. How dare they treat you the way they have – you will always be Gold to me. Good luck, and hope to hear you on our airways again pretty soon.
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Life moves on guys…what would be the reaction if Grubby and Dee Dee decided to leve on their own…
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Just back of holidays tuned into the morning crew and heard huggie instead of grubby and dee dee, first though that the team were on hoildays BUT to find out the they have been given the SACK. Again the fools in Sydney have done it again so it will be back to the cds and if that fails may go to 1278AM.
Its been a pleasure listening to Grubby and Dee Dee for the last 21 years over the radio as they have become part of my morning family.
Ken
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Grubby & Dee Dee will be back soon I have no doubt. Sydney does not know what Melbourne needs. All the best Grubby and Dee Dee.
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I had already given away listening after 4pm – because Jono & Dano are a pain, so had missed that you had got rid of them.
As far as Grubby and Dee Dee is concerned – i have listened to them for years, and then left station on Gold until 4pm.
NOW you have sacked Grubby and Dee Dee — i have re programmed all my radios – inside and in the car
I NO LONGER LISTEN TO GOLD 104 – Goodbye suckers i hope you go broke! typical Sydney sticking their stupid nose into Melb.
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I thought Grubby and Dee Dee were on holidays. Just looked at Gold 104.3 website to discover they had been sacked. I couldn’t believe it. The old saying goes if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Doesn’t management realise that this is a CLASSIC rock station and getting rid of this CLASSIC duo is just wrong. I hope that Grubby and Dee Dee’s many fans do as I will and not listen to THAT radio station again.
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I still can’t believe it. Grubby and DeeDee – you will be missed. I had my alarm clock set to wake up hearing your voices. That wake up alarm has now been changed to a different station. I hope you are offered another gig together on radio. If not, thank you for entertaining us for so long. I felt so sad hearing this news – you guys must have been devastated. You were the only guys I listened to on Gold – so now that you are gone – there’s no reason to listen to that station anymore. I wish you both the very best of luck with your future endeavours.
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Sacking Grubby and Dee Dee is not the solution to increase ratings. Expanding the playlist from the 20 songs you keep playing over and over again to thousands of songs would be a start. How about a no repeat month (24 hours a day). Stop playing the “your business angels” commercials, they are bringing every one down. I used to listen to Grubby and Dee Dee then switch away fro the rest of the day because I got sick of setting my watch by the music. I wish Grubby and Dee Dee all the best for the future and I know they will be back to brighten my and everyone else day, something that can’t eb said for Gold (or should that be Brass!!).
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Goodbye Gold! Am reprogramming m car radio away from you forever – ck what an insane management decision. Good luck & THANK YOU Grubby & Dee Dee
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I do wonder how what age group the people who make these decisions belong – clearly MY demographic (a young 50 (ish) is once again forgotten – I am not ready to listen to “talk” radio and cannot stand the rubbish sprouted from likes of Fox or Nova or the Sporty MMM. Grubby and Dee Dee were friendly without being annoying and had such a wonderful rapport you felt you were getting ready for work with a couple of old friends – after over 20 years I guess they were. For heavens sake Gold – remember your audience – Your audience is who your audience is – Hopefully some savvy AM station will pick up Grubby and Dee Dee — and their audience will move with them – Gold will just flounder. I too will be changing my Radio Station…. Good Luck Grubby & Dee Dee….
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So Sydney has decided once again that Melbourne should be like them. Well when Danno and Davo would talk to listeners from Melbourne you could hear that they had absolutley no idea of what living in Melbourne is all about. I am so disappointed in the axing of Grubby and Dee Dee they are from Melbourne know Melbourne breath Melbourne, and they understand the real football. Goodbye Grubby and Dee Dee I will miss your show very much I hope that another Melbourne radio station will offer you a new show.
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Sham Shame Shame Gold 104 management.
Taking off what works for a fresh approach smells like older presenters are past their prime.
Managers get old too and will be super seeded as well.
I suggest you keep looking over your shoulders because your time will also come once ratings of new show falter.
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I’ll miss Grubby and Dee Dee in the mornings. It was a joy to listen to them. I’ve switched off Gold 104 now….
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I honestly can;t believe Gold let Grubby & Dee Dee go , I am in SHOCK ! I have listen to them for many years and listening to them driving to work each morning enjoyable . They were the BEST thing to start my working day , I am going to miss them so much . I am so so disappointed in GOLD **** .
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I’ve only just found out that Grubby & Dee Deehave been axed – thought they were on holidays & I missed their last show – I’m gobsmakked! What a completely idiotic & innane piece of programming. They were & still are the best morning team on the radio.My sympathies go out to them – what a Xmas present to get!
Gold FM, you’re off my listening list – just hope they re-appear somewhere soon.
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Gold have just signed their death warrant. Bye bye you stupid people!
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You idiots!!! Corporate greed sydney based, making managment decisions for Melbourne listeners. Grubby & DD are icons of Melbourne Breakfast radio. Better to have a share of morning radio than losing all your loyal customers. I have loved hearing these two and have been a loyal customer of Gold 104 for as long as Grubby & DD have been broadcasting. Loyalty seems to be a word that our world no longer recognises…..well just wait until your rating plummet and your LOYAL customers go elsewhere. I have tuned all radio stations elsewhere….YOU HAVE LOST ME FOR GOOD. Can’t you see that Grubby & DD had a niche market and were very good for your station. Hope you are offered another job elsewhere Grubby & DD….thanks for the memories….I will follow you wherever you decide to work….my loyalty is with you.
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Could not care less
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WTF !!
How dare you axe the 2 best morning DJ’s in the business.
12yrs of solid ratings & hard work mean nothing to the ARN.
Shame on you.
It was bad enough that you put on the d***heads from Syd in the afternoon, yes I do mean Jonno & Danno,.
If anybody should go its them.
As a loyal listener for a long time I am saying goodbye to Gold 104.3 but without Grubby & DD Gold is not long for Melb.
If you want to increase your market share bring back Grubby & DD & expand your playlist. Play more from the 60’s,70’s & 80’s as these are the “Classic” years not the crud from the late 80’s & 90’s which is were I see gold heading.
GOODBYE GOLD FOR EVER. sigh.
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Toast.
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