Oates for breakfast? I just got it...
As Brisbane radio returns to normal transmission, here’s what’s on the Breakfast menu.
The holidays are almost over, and things on the airwaves will return to normal — or the new normal — soon. So, this is as good a time as any to look at the year ahead on the radio.
I know people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, but I was bemused to read in this email from the usually excellent Radioinfo website that KIIS 97.3 is in Perth. It is, of course, in Brisbane.
So, congratulations to Madeline. I also note with interest that her title is Senior Producer, not Executive Producer. It was the fact that the previous EP was made redundant late last year that caused me and others to wrongly assume it meant that Breakfast hosts Robin Bailey and Kip Wightman were being axed and that Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson would be networked into Brisbane despite their lacklustre performance in Melbourne. Instead, the show is remaining local — which is a good thing — and former rugby league player Corey Oates has been added to the line-up. (And it’s only just occurred to me that “Oates for Breakfast” is a great slogan.)
The billing is also consistent with a pattern also followed by Nova of using the full name of a person who has fame from outside radio to the line-up alongside the first names or nicknames of the established stars. Nova 106.9 had Ash, Luttsy and Susie O’Neill; now they have Ash, Luttsy and Nikki Osborne — although at the time of writing, the web page hasn’t caught up with the change. Seems like Triple M’s online team has also been on holiday, with it still promoting the Rush Hour with Liesel Jones (who gets the full-name treatment), Liam and Dobbo, which was axed in late 2024 in favour of a networked show this year.
Like Oates, Osborne, a comedian, singer, actor and social media star, has the task of breathing some new life into an existing show, as both KIIS 973 and Nova 1069 — along with Triple M’s Marto, Margaux and Dan — are trying to close the gap that has broken out at the top of the Breakfast ratings tree. What used to be a neck-and-neck-and-neck-and-neck race between the FMers has been a case of B105, with Stav, Abby and Matt, well ahead of the pack, with a share of available audience hovering around 15%. They are the ones to beat in 2025 and a fabulous example of why local radio can be so good when the creators really know their audience.
Meanwhile, despite the adage that music doesn’t work on AM*, 4BH is making a major impact in the Breakfast stakes thanks to its golden oldies hits format (yes, it is an ageing population) and host “Barbecue” Bob Gallagher, who is a well-known name in Brisbane and a safe pair of tonsils in front of any microphone.
(People in the biz keep telling me that BH’s on-paper success doesn’t add up to dollars in the bank because big-buck advertisers aren’t keen on the station’s older demographic. I say the salespeople should try harder and get out on the streets to met local advertisers who want a slice of the Gen X and Boomer market rather than rely on agency sales.)
Despite talk radio doing well elsewhere — especially in Melbourne where 3AW’s Ross and Russel command one-fifth of the audience, and the ABC outrating Kyle and Jackie O (as departed Breakfast host Sammy J has made abundantly clear on the socials) — things are different in Brisbane.
ABC Brisbane has begun lifting itself out of the doldrums — it hit record lows not so long ago — but the ratings at 4BC are going south. It had a shocker of a 2024, losing one Breakfast show due to low ratings and replacing it with one that rated even worse. Peter Fegan goes into 2025 with just 3.3% of available audience, which is dire. A Herculean effort will be needed to lift those number and, bearing in mind that 4BC has had three Breakfast shows in four years, all options need to be on the table. And that begins with recognising Brisbane for its unique qualities, not producing a show that would work well in Sydney.
On top of all the excitement in Brisbane, radio fans need to keep their eyes and ears out for potential corporate changes, the increasing influence of podcasts and online/DAB-only streamers, scandals (new and historical) — and more!
It’s going to be a big year in radio, and I’ll be tuning in every now and then with some news and (quite probably unwelcome) views.
*Yes, I know DAB+ and online streaming have changed things, but I’d wager that a lot of BH’s listening is on AM, where the reduced quality is a trade-off for older listeners wanting to hear the songs they like. The quality may also not be much of an issue to audiences whose ears ain’t what they use to be.
Disclaimer: Brett Debritz used to work as a producer at 4BC and has been heard on most Brisbane stations and quite a few interstate ones over the years. He is passionate about the medium and has ideas — big ideas — about making radio great again.