Merrick Watts to take on national Drive show on TripleM network with co-host to be announced
Southern Cross Austereo’s (SCA) TripleM network has picked up 2DayFm breakfast host Merrick Watts to fill its Drive slot, signalling the end of the One Percenters show.
On Channel Ten’s Studio Ten this morning One Percenters co-host Joe Hildebrand confirmed Watts would be taking over the slot, which he currently co-hosts with Matt Tilley, who Hildebrand said is “going to a rival network in Melbourne”.
Watts was one of the sister SCA station 2DayFM breakfast team including Sophie Monk and Jules Lund which has seen its ratings dive this year, and is being replaced by Dan and Maz from next year with a rebrand expected.
In a statement this morning TripleM’s network head Mike Fitzpatrick said an “announcement of a co-host will be made in due course”, with speculation rife Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross could be set to reunite with Watts in the slot.
Watts hosted the drive show on the network called The Highway Patrol during 2012 and 2013, before moving to the Sydney breakfast show after long-time hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson moved to rival KiisFM, but saw ratings nosedive.
Fitzpatrick said: “Triple M listeners have been asking us to bring Mez back, ever since he left at the end of last year. Now they’ll wake up on January 19 and it’ll feel like the whole thing was a dream, like he never left. Merrick is a great radio performer and we’re so glad to have him back home.
“The announcement of a co-host will be made in due course, but rest assured it will be a unique offering, custom built for Triple M. Dudes will dig it.”
Watts said: “Returning to Triple M is exactly like coming home, only I’m rewarded when I act like an idiot.”
Speculation has been rife Watts will reunite with former co-host Ross, with the pair the launch DJs for Nova Sydney’s breakfast show. Earlier this week it was reported Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek were moving to Australian Radio Network’s national drive show, currently hosted by Ross, across Kiis in Sydney and MixFM in other markets.
It is set to fuel intense competition in the Drive slot, with SCA’s Today Network confirming last week Hamish Blake and Andy Lee were returning to spearhead its show in July next year.
Alex Hayes
So Merrick and the Highway Patrol all over again… with Rosso?
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as annoying as Merrick can be, he’s a mile better than Tilley and Hildebrand…find myself depressed every time i tune in…Ferrier brings a bit of goodness, but his weekly appearance not nearly enough to save these two
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Wont work they will need a bigger share in Breakfast to carry through the day to hold audience in Drive.
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What of Tilley? People think they are the star when in fact it is the show that makes them. and the timeslot. proof is in people failing in other timeslots. The same merry go round every year. So is Blake and Lee going back to drive? Proves my point. Tried everything else now coming back to square one. Might not work second time around. People have moved on.
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I hear they are talking to Mal Lees ex Club Veg. Currently no 1 up on the Gold Coast.
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Merrick Watts is nowhere near entertaining enough on his own and even coupled with Sophie Monk and Jules Lund, he relied heavily on both of his co-hosts with barely a comment or joke here and there. And all one-liners. I think his Aussie charm has worn a bit thin and he will need to be paired well to continue being an entertaining radio personality.
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As a Triple M listener…this should happened 12mths ago…I don’t know why they thought Tilley and “unfunny” Hildebrand would work…
Concern will be will it be a Sydney broadcast – this happened when Watts had the Highway Patrol and the Melbourne Listeners felt slighted as it was always Sydney talk and references…if you are going to network in other markets you need to be across all markets and not just feel like Sydney is being covered.
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