Updated ,first published
The breakfast show on KIIS FM enjoyed a minor ratings bump in Melbourne after The Kyle & Jackie O Show’s disintegrated, while dropping share in Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson’s home market of Sydney.
The second ratings survey of the year, released on Thursday morning, captured a period spanning February 8 to April 4, meaning the majority of it fell after the pair’s final show in mid-February and Sandilands’ suspension on March 3.
Sandilands and Henderson received $100 million, 10-year contracts each in 2023 on the hopes that their show would become a national success, beginning in Melbourne. But it struggled in the city, where the pair’s coarse, sexualised content turned off listeners.
KIIS’ owner ARN Media terminated Henderson’s contract in mid-May, alleging she had effectively rescinded the agreement by telling the station via her lawyers she could not work with Sandilands after he berated her live on air. The company sacked him a fortnight later on the basis of alleged serious misconduct. Both stars are challenging the moves, with Sandilands alleging he was playing the controversial character expected of him and Henderson alleging ARN retaliated against her for complaining about Sandilands’ behaviour.
Since hosted by fill-in presenter Mike E, whose real surname is Etheridge, the KIIS breakfast timeslot has dropped share in Sydney, falling from a 12.7 per cent share to 11.7 per cent, but rose in Melbourne from 5.1 per cent to 5.4 per cent.
The show did gain cumulative listeners – which reflects the total number of listeners who tuned in for at least eight minutes during the period – in both markets as the media circus around the duo has intensified, with both since sacked by ARN, launching dual unfair dismissal lawsuits.
Late on Wednesday evening, this masthead revealed that ARN has filed counter claims against both presenters and their private companies, citing loss of advertising revenue and profits.
The ABC again delivered its worst share for its local stations in Melbourne and Sydney since modern records began. In Melbourne, it dropped to a 3.9 per cent total share in the second survey, down from 5.4 per cent. There were declines across all shows across the day. The station’s drive show hosted by Ali Moore had a share of just 2.5 per cent, down 2.3 percentage points.
In Sydney, the station fell to a 4.3 per cent share, down from 5.1 per cent, also with declines across all shows. Its drive show also fell to just 3.3 per cent, down from 3.9 per cent.
It was another tough survey for ARN’s other station, Gold FM, having launched its Melbourne breakfast program, The Christian O’Connell Show, into Sydney this year, replacing long-time offering Jonesy & Amanda. The Gold breakfast show got a 5.5 per cent share, down from 6.1 per cent. In the final survey of 2025, the station had a 9.7 per cent share in the slot.
But in Melbourne, O’Connell’s show was again to top rating commercial breakfast show with a 10.5 per cent share, only bested by 3AW’s perennially top rating talkback show hosted by Russel Howcroft and Ross Stevenson (18.9 per cent).
Nine, which owns this masthead, also owns 3AW and its Sydney sister station 2GB. It has agreed to sell those stations to the wealthy publican Laundy family. The $56 million transaction is scheduled to be completed in one week.
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Calum Jaspan is a media writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Melbourne. Reach him securely on Signal @calumjaspan.10Connect via X or email.
