Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has denied speculation that long-time Australian Radio Network (ARN) breakfast duo Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones and Amanda Keller are heading to Triple M Sydney.
The rumour, which resurfaced following recent survey results and commentary on industry podcasts, has been firmly rejected by SCA’s Chief Content Officer, Dave Cameron.
SCA’s Dave Cameron
Content boss rules out switch
In a statement to Mediaweek, Cameron described the claims as “categorically incorrect”, reiterating SCA’s focus on developing new on-air talent rather than recycling established names.
“We are focused on bringing new faces and new voices through to re-energise the industry,” he said. “We’ve had multiple competitor shows reaching out to us but we have our own strong plans in place.”
The possibility of the pair heading to Triple M was first reported by this publication back in March during an interview with SCA boss John Kelly.
Kelly was quizzed on comments made by former 2DAY content director Craig Bruce on his Game Changers Radio podcast, where he suggested that bringing the pair over to the network could “could fix a 10 year problem they’ve had at 2DayFM breakfast”
In response, Kelly was quick to make the hard sell to the seasoned broadcasters saying: “They should be on our network”.
But instead of 2DayFM, Kelly believes the pair “should be at Triple M”.
“We’d love to have them,” he added.
While Kelly didn’t specify what time slot, if the pair did complete a like-for-like swap, they would end up replacing the station’s current Breakfast show.
Triple M Sydney breakfast faces early challenges
The renewed talk coincided with a dip in audience share for Triple M Breakfast with Beau, Cat & Woodsy, which dropped to a 4.4% share from 5.9% in the latest GfK survey. The show, relaunched just six weeks ago following the departure of former co-host Natarsha Belling, is still in its early days.
During an interview with Mediaweek following the most recent survey results, Cameron acknowledged the slight decline but downplayed its significance. “We’re realistic about what that actually means at this stage,” he said.
ARN’s Jonesy & Amanda
Competitive pressure at ARN
Across the dial, Jones and Keller’s current home at ARN’s GOLD 104.3 also recorded a softer result. Christian O’Connell’s Melbourne breakfast show slipped from a 10.8% share to 9.7%, while the station’s overall share declined from 12.5% to 11.8%. Cume fell by 68,000.
ARN’s outgoing Chief Content Officer Duncan Campbell said he was not overly concerned, pointing to the natural variability of surveys. “I really can’t explain it,” he said. “But I do suspect it will correct itself.”
When asked whether O’Connell’s show could one day be networked nationally, Campbell kept the door open: “Christian has that sort of show that I think would work from a network perspective. But when that happens… I don’t know at this stage.”