The Australian Radio Network (ARN) is gearing up to hire what insiders are already calling “Kyle’s babysitter,” with radio veteran Craig Bruce saying his sources have confirmed ARN is actively searching for a senior content advisor to sit above the censor team.
The move comes as the network reshapes its top ranks and works out how to keep its most volatile breakfast show on the rails.
The news also comes just days after Mediaweek broke the news that the company decided to axe its Chief Audience and Content Officer, Lauren Joyce, making her role redundant.
Censoring the censors
Speaking on The Game Changers podcast, Bruce told listeners the hire is not theoretical – it’s underway.
“They’re overseeing the censors,” he said. “They’re going to be signing off on interviews. My understanding, and I’ve got some pretty good intel, is that whatever that reads, lead and mentor a team responsible for monitoring live recorded audio to ensure all content needs broadcast.”
The framing sounds procedural, but Bruce argues the intent is far more specific.
“It is completely unnecessary,” he told Mediaweek. Kyle and Jackie O, he says, already know exactly where the lines are – and cross them when they choose to.
“They could just make better content decisions. No amount of censor support will change the nature of the show – it starts and ends with the hosts.”
Bruce assumes the content director would sit atop the reporting line, but he’s careful not to attach names. What’s clearer is the role’s purpose: a buffer between Kyle’s instincts and ARN’s brand-safety headaches.
Craig Bruce
A role created for one person only
Bruce’s view is direct: the position exists because of Sandilands.
“Kyle wants to be able to say whatever he wants on the air, and to some extent, this is one of the reasons he’s been so successful,” he said. While most presenters self-edit, even subconsciously, “for Kyle it’s pure ID.”
That rawness is both the show’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and its commercial risk. Bruce notes the program can be “unlistenable to new audiences and brands that want to advertise in a safe environment.”
“This is a role that exists purely for Kyle,” he said. “It exists because he doesn’t want to be held back when the mics are on.”
Will it work?
Bruce doesn’t hedge. “No. The role won’t make any difference,” he said. “The difference has to come from the people who have their names on the billboards.”
And if ARN pushes ahead regardless? Bruce puts it simply: expect “more hand-wringing.”