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‘Ugly’ Phil O’Neil confirmed for new morning show on WSFM Sydney

Phil O’Neil aka Ugly Phil has secured a new gig down under with Australian Radio Network (ARN) at WSFM in Sydney.

The veteran broadcaster was last in Australia in a full-time radio capacity with Southern Cross Austereo where he hosted Triple M Afternoons and My Generation until early 2019. He then relocated to the UK to work on a new breakfast show at the tradie-targeted digital station Fix Radio.

‘Ugly’ Phil O’Neil heads to WSFM

After a few fill-in stints at WSFM already this year, ARN has announced he’ll take up the mornings slot at the Sydney station full time.

O’Neil will start his new 9am-1pm weekday show on November 23, and has also been confirmed as part of the 2021 lineup alongside Jonesy (Brendon Jones) and Amanda (Keller), Jason Staveley, and Steve Fitton.

He replaces Mike Hammond, who departed the station in October after hosting the mornings show for two years.

WSFM content director Mike Byrne said listener feedback from the O’Neil’s fill-in shifts this year had been hard to ignore.

“When Phil ‘Philled in’ on WSFM recently, the feedback from listeners was incredibly positive. I knew he would make an excellent addition to WSFM’s stellar line up and I am so pleased that he decided to join us,” he said.

‘Ugly’ Phil first broke through on Australian radio working at Sea FM on the Gold Coast in the early 1990s, before he moved to Triple M Adelaide and rose to prominence hosting ‘Phil O’Neil’s Hot 30’ with Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, to whom he was married briefly.

The pair were so popular that Austereo first moved the show to Fox FM in Melbourne, before deciding to broadcast the show nationally with O’Neil and Henderson moving to Sydney to do the show at 2Day FM.

Since then, O’Neil has moved back and forth between Australia and the UK on multiple occasions. Locally he has hosted shows on 2UE Sydney, Nova 96.9, Triple M Nights, Triple M Sydney Breakfast, 96FM and Star 104.5.

In England, he’s worked at LBC London, Kerrang Radio in Birmingham, Kiss 100, XFM, and Planet Rock.

Of his latest appointment, O’Neil said this could be the second greatest comeback ever after Joe Biden.

“After Joe Biden’s recent success, this could be the second greatest comeback I’ve ever witnessed. I can’t believe how lucky I am and now I can stop hassling Duncan and Mike for a gig!”

Following the results of GfK survey seven, ARN national content director told Mumbrella that WSFM is in “a really good place” despite the strength of closest competitor Smoothfm.

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