It isn’t easy building a hit breakfast show… just ask Southern Cross Austereo and the content chiefs at the Hit Network.
MORE: Em Rusciano with Harley Breen on 2Day FM coming to an end
The Sydney radio brand 2Day FM lost the Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show at the end of 2013. In the four years since then SCA launched a new breakfast show each year… and in 2018 listeners will hear the sixth combination in six years – Em Rusciano and Ed Kavalee.
Em Rusciano and Ed Kavalee
Em Rusciano has managed what her predecessors couldn’t, co-hosting the program for a second year, albeit with a different co-host.
After Kyle and Jackie O were lured away by ARN to a rebranded KIIS FM, the Hit Network (itself rebranding from the Today Network) offered listeners a big breakfast show for 2014 boasting Merrick Watts, Jules Lund and Sophie Monk with Mel B joining in from her home in LA. The full lineup didn’t last the year with Mel B dropping out part-way through.
Dan and Maz were then given the keys to the 2Day FM breakfast studio in 2015 but they lasted less than 12 months, moving to weekend breakfast.
Rove McManus and Sam Frost were moved into breakfast late in 2015 and then hosted during 2016, but the ratings failed to improve yet again for 2Day.
In 2017 the broadcaster experimented with two radio newcomers to the Sydney market, Em Rusciano and Harley Breen, and with a show hosted out of Melbourne. Ratings were again poor across the first six surveys and Breen announced his departure on Cup Day 2017. Joining Rusciano for 2018 will be Ed Kavalee.
While the show will continue out of Melbourne, Kavalee has a higher profile in Sydney via his regular spot on TEN’s Have You Been Paying Attention?. His regular radio work though has been restricted to Melbourne (Hughesy and Kate at Nova) and Brisbane (Triple M breakfast with Marto).
Breakfast ratings 2Day FM (Survey 8 each year)
2013: 10.4%
2014: 3.0%
2015: 3.0%
2016: 3.8%
2017: 3.3% (survey 6)