A day after announcing his move from KIIS FM to GOLD, Intern Pete, also known as Pete Deppeler, has spoken publicly about the fallout following the end of The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
Appearing on The Quarter Hour podcast with Wade Kingsley, Deppeler reflected on the emotional impact of ARN’s decision to terminate the contracts of both Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, bringing the long-running breakfast program to an end.
“It was full on,” Deppeler said, adding that he experienced “sadness” before moving into a period of “reflection”.
“That part has been absolutely taking its toll.”
‘Will I have a job?’
Deppeler also discussed the uncertainty surrounding the show’s collapse during an appearance on McKnight Tonight with Rob McKnight.
“I was definitely worried,” he said.
“The first thing I thought was, where do I sit? Will I have a job?”
The longtime producer and on-air contributor, who spent almost 13 years with the program, credited ARN management for supporting staff during the transition period.
“Yes, the two main hosts aren’t there, but there is this beautiful family that’s still happening,” he said, referring to the current KIIS FM breakfast team, which includes former Kyle and Jackie O staffers such as newsreader Brooklyn Ross and executive producer Nat Penfold.
“We’re all sticking together.”
Moving to GOLD and The Christian O’Connell Show
The interviews coincided with Deppeler announcing he was “graduating” from KIIS to join GOLD’s networked Breakfast program, The Christian O’Connell Show.
Deppeler will take on an on-air role as roving reporter and senior producer across the national breakfast show, which airs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
The move comes as Christian O’Connell continues building an audience in Sydney on GOLD101.7 following a soft start in the market. GOLD101.7 breakfast recorded a 6.1% share in GfK Survey 1 before slipping to 5.5% in Survey 2.
Speaking to Kingsley, Deppeler said he was not concerned about the ratings and believed Sydney audiences would warm to O’Connell’s style over time.
“Sydney is going to realise it’s a very solid radio show.”
Deppeler’s final day on KIIS Breakfast will be Friday, 22 May, before making his on-air debut with The Christian O’Connell Show on Monday, 25 May.
The program airs from 6am–9am weekdays on GOLD101.7 in Sydney, GOLD104.3 in Melbourne, GOLD DAB+ in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, and via the iHeart app.