Kyle Sandilands breaks silence after $100m contract terminated as ARN faces radio ratings crisis
Kyle Sandilands’ bombshell interview reveals he's not going down without a fight.
Radio star Kyle Sandilands has spoken exclusively to 7NEWS as he plots a path to return to his audience, breaking his silence for the first time since having his $100 million contract ripped up.
But there’s now double trouble at ARN, with the inferno engulfing KIIS FM spreading to its other station, Gold.
“A lot of people obviously keen to know what your future is,” 7NEWS reporter Tom Sacre asked Sandilands.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Yeah, we’re all keen. I’m keen to know as well,” he responded. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re challenging the termination or the breaking of the contract and we’ll go from there.”
Sandilands clearly wants to say so much, but can’t.
When asked if it’s been a stressful time, he said: “It’s not emotional, it’s just annoying. It’s annoying that you have a contract and then it gets sort of taken from under you.”
But Kyle and Jackie O go out as winners. The year’s first radio ratings show the pair still blitzed FM breakfast, only beaten overall by Ben Fordham on 2GB.
All eyes are on the next survey to see how KIIS FM copes without its blockbuster breakfast and whether its audience wanders.
“Everything is up for grabs in Sydney breakfast now because there’s no obvious place for that Kyle and Jackie O show audience to go,” Mumbrella’s Tim Burrowes said.
ARN’s move to network The Kyle and Jackie O Show was the beginning of the end for the pair. They landed in Melbourne like a lead balloon.
Now it’s taking the same gamble with Gold, beaming Christian O’Connell into Sydney from a studio a stone’s throw from the MCG. That’s not working either.
Breakfast darlings Jonesy and Amanda were booted to drive to make way for O’Connell in January. Since then, more than a third of the audience has walked.
“I think that would be a real disappointment for ARN,” Burrowes said.
Smooth FM is still Sydney’s most listened to station across the day, just ahead of 2GB, followed by KIIS, Nova, then Gold, as Sydney prepares to reset the dial.
Originally published on 7NEWS
