ARN is on the hunt to replace both Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson – but the A-list talent the broadcaster is desperate to attract fear the gig is more trouble than it’s worth.

In theory, it should be the most sought-after gig – a prime breakfast radio spot – but an insider told news.com.au that replacing Kyle and Jackie O is actually a hard sell.

“There is not a line-up of celebrities outside ARN begging for the job, and the people that are reaching out to ARN are nobodies,” the insider explained.

“In the industry, people are saying, ‘Don’t go near it, you’d be an idiot thinking you could save the show’.”

MORE:Kyle Sandilands’ $8m ask amid on-air fallout

It’s certainly a complicated time for ARN. Radio ratings from March 1 to May 23 came out this week, and the results are eye-opening.

The show has taken a hit in both Sydney and Melbourne and it wasn’t even doing that well in Melbourne before it got scrapped.

The ratings in the KIIS FM breakfast slot in Sydney dropped 3.5 per cent, leaving the station with a measly 8.2 per cent – trailing both Smooth FM breakfast (11.4) and Nova (9.5).

The results might sound worrying, but news.com.au also understands that KIIS breakfast has managed to retain 80 per cent of its audience.

Internally, some staff even see this as a win and believe that nabbing 8.2 per cent is a sign the broadcaster can rebound without Kyle and Jackie.

ARN’s chief content officer and former Nine boss, Kerri Elstub, has even said that these ratings results were expected.

“KIIS Breakfast across Sydney and Melbourne is tracking in line with expectations as we build our plans for a new era of growth in both markets for 2027, underpinned by the strength of the KIIS brand,” she said.

MORE:Jackie O project surges amid $82m showdown

But even if the ratings haven’t been as brutal as they could have been, ARN still has the problem of finding A-list talent.

News.com.au understands that Aussie star Sophie Monk, comedian and radio veteran Dave ‘Hughesy’ Hughes and former radio talent-turned podcast duo Toni and Ryan are just some of the top-tier talent that at this point aren’t interested.

When news.com.au approached Hughesy, he said he has a “never say never” mindset, but right now it’s not happening.

The keenest at the moment seems to be Bianca Dye, who filled in for a few weeks, but she’s not a household name.

She is also working the room, so to speak, by replying to Facebook comments advocating for her to get the job in radio fan groups.

There’s also a growing theory that Karl Stefanovic’s Friday afternoon show is a soft launch for the broadcaster.

Then, once his contract is done and dusted at Nine in December, he’ll make the play for breakfast.

But the growing success of his podcast makes that a hard rumour to rely on. Why bother with gruelling breakfast hours if he’s already created the perfect job for himself?

Another insider pointed out that the ratings blow isn’t something the broadcaster can brush off as growing pains.

“The ratings are terrible, and this is all just the beginning, and this is not going to get better,” the insider claimed.

They added that such a low share is a “brand new” reality for the broadcaster, which has ridden the Kyle and Jackie O high for over a decade.

There’s also the added problem that ARN has been slow to replace The Kyle and Jackie O Show, and the audience is dropping.

Mike E is hosting the breakfast show, but is seen more as a “temporary permanent” replacement.

To co-host with him, the broadcaster has been rotating talent from Bianca Dye to Abbie Chatfield, but clearly that strategy isn’t resonating.

The insider pointed out that the longer ARN takes to put together a new show, the harder it will be to win back audiences, and the bigger job it’ll be for whoever takes the microphone to turn it all around.

“Logically, you’d want to move quickly while there is still an audience, but the longer they go without … the steeper the hill is going to be to climb,” the insider claimed.

“Breakfast in general is difficult. The hours are tough, and the scrutiny is through the roof. It’s tough.”

The insider theorised that another reason ARN will find it hard to attract A-list talent is how things ended with Kyle and Jackie.

Their 10-year, $10 million contracts were both torn up after an on-air spat on February 20. Kyle was famously terminated for “serious misconduct” and Jackie was let go after she allegedly claimed she could no longer work with him.

“ARN have shown they don’t stand by their shows. You don’t have much job safety,” the insider claimed.

It certainly has not been a clean break. Both Kyle and Jackie have launched separate legal proceedings disputing their terminations.

In a worst-case scenario, the company could be up for over $160 million if it loses both cases. ARN is currently worth less than $100 million.