After spending his entire career at one network, Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small says the decision to leave – and relaunch nationally on the KIIS Network – came down to timing, ambition and the chance to build something bigger.
Smallzy will debut The Smallzy Show on Monday, 19 January, taking the program national across KIIS with live weekday broadcasts from 3-4 pm and 7-9 pm.
And no, that’s not a repeat played from 7 pm – that’s two live shows every single day.
The move marks his first network change and the most significant reset of his career.
“Making a move like this happened after a long conversation over many, many, many, many months. Because I’ve only ever really worked for one company my entire career,” he told Mediaweek.
Smallzy
Why he finally jumped
For Smallzy, the decision wasn’t reactive. It was deliberate, and a little uncomfortable.
“The idea of stepping into the unknown was scary, but I had always wanted more, and ARN wanted to give me more,” he said. “Then it was about me finding my metaphoric balls and going, you know what, I can actually step into this.”
He describes KIIS as an organisation aligned with where he wants to take his career next.
“This is an entertainment company, and this is the sort of company that I see a future with,” he said. “I have never been more inspired by the conversations that I have been having at ARN about the future, about what the show looks like, about what they see for me as a personality, and what my contribution is to the company overall.”
Leaving familiarity behind
The decision to walk away wasn’t without advice or caution.
“I sought counsel before making the decision,” Smallzy said. “I couldn’t tell them [NOVA] where I was going, so I said I was going nowhere, and that I just needed a break.”
He likens the move to escaping a long-held label.
“There’s an old analogy, where it’s like, if you started a company as the receptionist, people always treat you as in the role that you first held within that company, no matter how much you grow.”
That thinking, and the example set by Kyle and Jackie O when they jumped ship from 2Day FM over to KIIS back in 2014, helped push him forward.
“When they blew up everything at 2Day to come here. That was a big ballsy move,” he said. “It reinvigorated their brand.”
Smallzy with Miley Cyrus.
Same DNA, different shape
Smallzy is clear that the KIIS version isn’t a carbon copy of what came before.
“This show is a sibling,” he joked. “It doesn’t share the same parents… actually, maybe it shares one parent.”
What remains consistent is his music-first positioning and celebrity access.
“I’m not going to walk away from what the audience knows me for, which is obviously music credibility, celebrity engagement, and celebrity connection,” he said. “All of those things are going to be there.”
The biggest structural shift is the format: two live shows daily.
“I’m doing two live shows a day,” Smallzy said. “The show is live at three and live at seven.”
He describes the split as a practical evolution rather than an expansion of workload.
“So in essence, it’s really just what a three-hour show is pulling, anyway,” he said, explaining the break allows for international pre-recording while maintaining live presence across both time slots.
A guest strategy built for scale
The national rollout is backed by an experienced production team making the move with him, including Zach La Cava, Georgie Nichols, Gabe Coggan, and promotions manager Blake Stanbridge, who joins later in January.
On the content front, Smallzy is leaning heavily into exclusivity and global reach.
“First week of guests, we secured an Australian exclusive with the biggest artist in Australia on Spotify for last year, Alex Warren,” he said.
The show will also feature the first and only Australian interview with the cast of K-pop Demon Hunters, alongside a takeover from 5 Seconds of Summer, tied to a new album, tour and iHeartLive performance.
Additional bookings include Louis Tomlinson, described by Smallzy as “a bit of a throwback,” and Chris Pratt.
As The Smallzy Show prepares to launch nationally, the move signals more than a network change – it’s a recalibration of how one of radio’s most recognisable voices plans to grow, stretch and stay relevant in a live, on-demand world.