Listeners to Tony Martin’s Sizzletown podcast will know he occasionally pops in references to Brisbane.
Martin — who hit it big with the D Generation, The Late Show and Martin-Molloy, and had a cameo in The Castle — has mentioned, among other things, going to the movies at the Village Twin in New Farm.
In Episode 104 of Sizzletown, he goes even further, explaining how he was headhunted by FM104, the station now known as Triple M, and made the trip to Brisbane from his native New Zealand in the mid-1980s.
He speaks about his work as a comedy writer and performer and gave shout-outs to several Brisbane radio identities, including Bill Healy and “Barbecue” Bob Gallagher, and says he really owes his career to the start that FM104 gave him.
The episode also features an old ID for FM104, which was the number one station in Brisbane in the 1980s — until B105 came along — and among the most successful radio businesses in Australia.
Back then they were bitter rivals under separate ownership. Now the two are sister stations and Triple M is currently on the ascendant again, thanks to its popular Breakfast show which features Greg “Marto” Martin (presumably no relation to Tony).
Santa booted
“It’s their loss. It’s like sacking Santa Claus.” So says Ash Bradnam on social media in response to Nova 1069’s axing of Mitch Lewis.
Lewis, who started at Nova about 18 years ago in a work experience placement and rose through the ranks to panel the hit Ash, Luttsy and Nikki Osborne show last year, was initially kept on when Osborne left the building and Bradnam was show the door.
The show, now Nick, Luttsy and Susie O’Neill, has since slumped in the ratings.
Lewis was caught up in a new round of redundancies across the Nova network. From what I’ve heard, he was well liked by everyone he encountered, and popular with the audience, so I’m not sure why he was the one who got the boot.
Best of Bretz
In my predictions for 2026, I reckoned I’d be writing more about Henry Bretz, who is one of the rising stars of Australian radio. And today I am.
His latest Insta clips about Karl Stefanovic are well-observed and hilarious.
Bretz is currently hosting the Drive show on 92.7 Mix FM on the Sunshine Coast with Archie Arenson, and somebody with some sway in metro radio should be knocking on their door.
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P.S.
Brisbane’s 4BC might be lagging in the ratings, but there’s at least one way in which it tops its Sydney cousin, 2GB — by providing some gender balance on air. According to an X post by Mornings host Mark Levy, the daily 2GB line-up is: Ben Fordham, Mark Levy, Michael McLaren, Clinton Maynard, Adam Hawse, James Willis, John Stanley and Phil O’Neil. Not a single female voice. What year is this again?