The seismic shake-up in Melbourne radio continues as KIIS FM finally erases the last vestiges of its catastrophic Kyle Sandilands experiment with the launch of its long-awaited new breakfast show.
Whereas Sydneysider Sandilands was crass and corrosive, the team of fashionista Elliot Garnaut, former footy player Isaac Smith and radio identity Ash London shapes as being light, fun and locally focused.
Changes have sure come thick and fast in the Melbourne radio market in recent days.
Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little revealed last Wednesday that they were exiting the Hit Network after a decade and Sharnelle Vella announced on Thursday she had quit ABC 774 breakfast.
The latest change sees the Ash, Issie & Elliot show launch on Monday and KIIS is at pains to let listeners know it is a different offering – we will venture the polar opposite – to what was served up for breakfast in the chaotic 21 months that Sandilands was blasted into Melbourne.
“Melbourne KIIS is different” and “Melbourne kisses different” are the key messages so far.
We get the hint: this is not Kyle & Jackie O!
While London is a known quantity in radio-land, Garnaut is best known as a fashion stylist, trend commentator and socialite, while Smith comes from an elite football background, having been part of four AFL premiership victories – three with Hawthorn and one with Geelong.
He and Garnaut, whose friendship circle includes his now radio rival, Nova FM breakfast host Lauren Phillips, co-host the No Utes in the Valet podcast.
KIIS Melbourne breakfast held a 5 per cent audience share in the most recent GfK radio ratings survey.
A revolving door of fill-in hosts have been holding down the shift since the Kyle & Jackie O Show imploded in February after Jackie Henderson walked off the program saying she could no longer work with Sandilands.
The show was officially axed in March after dominating breakfast radio in Sydney for 21 years, while flopping in Melbourne for 21 months of that time.
ARN, owner of KIIS FM, tore up Henderson’s and Sandilands’ contracts, and the pair, who were on astronomical 10-year deals, then both launched separate legal action against the company.
Sandilands settled his wrongful termination barney for $12.09 million in June. Henderson’s Federal Court action, in which she is seeking at least $82 million and alleges her sacking amounted to adverse action by ARN, is still active. ARN denies wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the new era for KIIS Melbourne begins at 6am.
‘BS’ on the Ben Carroll election bus
Premier Ben Carroll hit the road in a big red bus on Sunday to spruik his latest sweeteners to disgruntled voters as the November state election looms.
Covered in slogans and promises for Victorians, the mobile billboard – sorry, bus – was the vehicular embodiment of his election campaign moving up a gear.
But perhaps someone should have had a look at the number plate on the bus. Underneath the promise of “new premier, new direction” was a plate starting with the letters BS.
Now, BS stands for bus service in this instance, but we know what it also stands for, particularly in a political context …. oops.
By any measure, it has been a rocky few days for Carroll, who had a bungle at the bowser last week and drove off without paying for petrol before returning a day later to settle the bill. On Saturday he was the subject of claims by anonymous disgruntled staffers that he had catnapped in his parliamentary office. Speaking of rocky, we’re hoping Ben’s bus avoids Victoria’s omnipresent potholes on its journey to November 28’s election.
Agassi’s tennis drama
International sporting great Andre Agassi has emerged as an executive producer on a drama series that will be filmed Down Under, with Melbourne the likely location.
CBD late last week came across a casting call for Rally, a series green-lit by Prime Video, looking for “tennis players and elite athletes” and set within a fictional tennis academy.
But it was the fine print that caught our eye.
“The series shoots from February to May 2027 in Melbourne, Australia,” it read.
“This is a global search. You can live anywhere to be considered and use your natural accent.”
By Sunday, however, the casting note had been updated with Melbourne removed – how very curious.
February would put the shoot starting hard on the heels of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
If you were looking to create a set for an elite tennis academy, Melbourne Park might be worth a look … just saying.
No one was talking in funding and location circles when CBD hit the phones on Friday, but industry site Deadline reported recently that the series had been given the thumbs-up, with Julie Plec, who developed the successful US shows The Vampire Diaries and We Were Liars, as writer and executive producer and Agassi as an executive producer. The series will be Agassi’s first producing gig.
“I am eager for Justin (Gimelstob, his business partner) and I to lend our experiences to help the incredible Rally team,” Agassi told Deadline.
“We are all aligned in creating an entertaining and most importantly, authentic look at a beautifully complicated sport.”
Agassi has long professed his fondness for Australia, with Melbourne particularly being a happy hunting ground. He collected four men’s singles titles at the Australian Open during his career and has been a regular at the grand slam tournament, as a coach, special guest or brand ambassador, since retiring as a player two decades ago.
Come January, he might have more reasons than just the Open to be back in Melbourne. Watch this space.