Seven days into the year – and with only two of those spent with network talent officially back on air – the Australian Radio Network’s (ARN) brand new Chief Content Officer, Kerri Elstub, found herself fielding questions about the network’s most talked-about asset.
Kyle Sandilands was absent on day two of his 2026 return, prompting KIIS Sydney to air a Best Of Breakfast show. It was a collar-tug moment, opening a New Year already defined by big bets, difficult decisions and intense scrutiny, but Elstub is clear-eyed about where ARN stands and where it’s heading.
“Kyle was crook today,” she told Mediaweek matter-of-factly.
“But you will have more of that dynamic duo later this week.”
It’s a pragmatic note to strike, and one that reflects how ARN is reading Survey 8: steady improvement in Sydney, unfinished business in Melbourne, and a significant reset in Brisbane.
Sydney shows signs of stability
In Sydney, ARN’s numbers suggest a gradual settling after a period of softness.
KIIS edged up overall from 9.3 to 9.5, while Sandiland’s Breakfast show, which he co-hosts with Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, lifted from 12.5 to 12.7 – marking their 56th consecutive Survey win in the FM spot. GOLD also strengthened, with overall share rising from 8.7 to 9.1 and breakfast jumping from 8.9 to 9.7.
For Elstub, the figures align with what she’s seeing inside the business.
“The feeling in the Sydney office is incredible,” she said. “There is so much energy since all our hosts returned.”
She’s comfortable acknowledging what’s come before – including a year marked by job cuts, scrutiny over that $200 million deal, and grassroots campaigns targeting the station’s advertisers – but her focus is firmly on the future.
“I’m happy to look at what has been achieved in the last year,” she said. “I am firmly focused on 2026 and what we are going to bring to audiences around Australia.”
Melbourne remains a work in progress
Melbourne remains ARN’s most challenging market.
Survey 8 showed KIIS 101.1 lifting slightly overall, from 5.2 to 5.4, but Breakfast slipped again, falling from 5.5 to 5.0.
The figures underline the challenge facing Kyle and Jackie O’s long-running attempt to crack the Melbourne market, with traction proving harder to lock in than hoped.
“I think they can absolutely turn it around,” she said. “Results have been fairly flat over the last two years, but I think we’ve got the team back and energised.”
A renewed Melbourne focus is central to that thinking, alongside new leadership and a more visible on-ground presence.
“With a renewed focus on Melbourne – and let’s include Dave Cameron in this conversation, who’s going to come in as our Head Of Content across Metro – he’s got some great ideas, and some great focus,” Elstub said.
That plan starts immediately.
“Kicking off already next week with the $100,000 ball drop where K&J will be broadcasting from Melbourne,” she said. “You will see them more in Melbourne, and I think you will notice a really big difference over the next 12 months.”
Elstub’s forward-looking pitch marks a clear shift from Sandilands’ early stance on Melbourne, when he openly rejected the idea of adapting the show to local tastes. At the time, he dismissed the usual on-the-ground rituals – from riding trams to pledging loyalty to an AFL club – as unnecessary window dressing.
“I said, ‘No effin’ way,’” Sandilands said at the time. “Why would I be on a tram? I don’t do public transport. That’s not my thing … we’re not gonna march into town and try all this hokey local rubbish.”
Despite the dirty laundry, Elstub is clear about why ARN remains committed to the duo making it work in Melbourne.
“We make no mistake that this is the K&J show,” Elstub said. “There’s a reason they have been so successful. I think Melbourne will embrace them, and I’m looking forward to seeing that shift.”
Dave Cameron
Brisbane’s reset becomes a defining moment
In Brisbane, Survey 8 reflects both growth and the aftershocks of a major programming decision.
KIIS 97.3 lifted overall from 10.0 to 10.4, continuing momentum from the previous survey, while breakfast eased back from 11.2 to 10.2 – numbers that arrived shortly after ARN reinstated Robin, Kip and Corey Oates to the Breakfast slot, after axing the show just over a month prior.
For Elstub, that reversal is less about retreat and more about listening.
“I think one of the best things in life you can do is acknowledge your mistakes and learn from them,” she said.
That honesty, she says, was mutual.
“Robin said how upset she was,” Elstub said, but she also acknowledged how rare it is for management to admit a major mistake and move quickly to correct it. “It’s very rare for management to acknowledge a massive mistake and do a 180 to fix that.”
For ARN, Elstub said, the response was straightforward. “We heard from Brisbane, heard from the audiences, and we reacted,” she said. “We didn’t just stand there and say no. We said we were wrong – and there’s no better evidence than that.”
Familiar voices, new audiences
Even as ARN continues to adjust its strategy, Elstub is clear that the network is still anchored by its most recognisable voices. For her, the value is not just in the numbers but in the commitment that keeps audiences coming back.
On Christian O’Connell, she points to dedication over metrics.
“He is dedicated. He is loyal,” Elstub said, recalling how O’Connell was still calling back listeners he had spoken to on air earlier in the week. It is the kind of off-mic effort that rarely shows up in a survey, but matters deeply to listeners.
That same mix of legacy and momentum sits at the heart of Jonesy and Amanda.
Elstub describes them as “two of the most beloved radio broadcasters and entertainers in the country”, adding that a planned 15-minute catch-up recently stretched to an hour. Why? “They’re excited to bring their beloved Breakfast show to an entirely new audience on Drive,” she said.