Ciaran Davis: ARN chief executive behind Kyle and Jackie O’s Melbourne move steps down

The radio executive responsible for bringing Sydney’s Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show to the Melbourne airwaves has resigned amid ongoing financial challenges and lacklustre ratings. Ciaran Davis, chief executive of ARN Media, will leave his role on January 15, with operations boss Michael Stephenson named as his replacement.

The decision to syndicate Kyle and Jackie O in Melbourne was made by Mr Davis alongside former chief content officer Duncan Campbell, who now works as a consultant for ARN and its KIIS and GOLD network. The high-profile move included staff redundancies to accommodate a reported 10-year, $200 million contract for hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson.

Despite the significant investment, ratings growth in Melbourne has been slow, though in the most recent survey, the show’s audience share rose by 0.5 percentage points to reach 6.1 per cent. Conversely, in Sydney, the show continues to dominate with a 15.3 per cent market share, an increase of 1.4 per cent.

“It has been a privilege to lead ARN Media over the past 16 years, working alongside a talented and passionate team,” Mr Davis said.“With a clear transformation strategy in place and an excellent successor in Michael, I believe now is the right time to step aside.“I want to sincerely thank the incredible people at ARN Media I’ve had the pleasure of working with, as well as the Board, our shareholders, and clients for their ongoing support.”

The leadership change follows a separate announcement that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found Kyle and Jackie O’s KIIS program breached Commercial Radio Code of Practice decency rules seven times last year, bringing the total to 12 findings against the duo.

The media regulator has warned the network to act to prevent “vulgar, sexually explicit and deeply offensive” content from airing, referencing inappropriate games and discussions broadcast on air.

Mr Stephenson, who joined ARN earlier this year, will take over as CEO on January 16.

Chair Hamish McLennan said, “We are also confident that our strong succession planning ensures continuity for the business. Michael brings deep experience and understanding of our strategy and operations, as well as the broader media industry, making him the ideal candidate to drive the company forward through its next phase.”