{"id":236517,"date":"2025-10-24T02:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T02:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/236517\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T02:35:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T02:35:14","slug":"who-replaces-robin-kip-corey-all-signs-point-to-smallzy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/236517\/","title":{"rendered":"Who replaces Robin, Kip & Corey? All signs point to Smallzy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Yesterday, one of Australian radio\u2019s worst-kept secrets finally became official: The Australian Radio Network (ARN) pulled the pin on Robin, Kip & Corey at Brisbane\u2019s KIIS 97.3.<\/p>\n

The trio\u2019s final show will air on Friday, 12 December, bringing an end to a long-running chapter in the Brisbane Breakfast market, and fuelling months of speculation about what comes next.<\/p>\n

For weeks, the industry had been buzzing with talk that the axing was part of ARN\u2019s plan to make room for its multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal with Kyle Sandilands and Jackie \u2018O\u2019. The assumption was that Brisbane would be the next stop in the duo\u2019s KIIS expansion.<\/p>\n

But yesterday, in an internal email to staff, sighted by Mediaweek, Chief Content Officer Lauren Joyce officially shut that rumour down.<\/p>\n

While confirming the axing of Robin, Kip & Corey, Joyce also hinted at the show\u2019s replacement writing that \u201cwhile we can\u2019t reveal all the details just yet, the new show will be bold, entertaining, and fast-moving, with a renewed focus on energy and music,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Crucially, Joyce also confirmed the show will be \u201clive and local.\u201d<\/p>\n

That phrase \u2013 live and local \u2013 may sound innocuous, but it\u2019s telling. In radio speak, it\u2019s code for programming produced and broadcast from the city it serves, not piped in from another market. And that means one thing: the new KIIS 97.3 show won\u2019t be hosted by Kyle and Jackie O.<\/p>\n

The Sydney duo\u2019s schedule and production demands make a live Brisbane broadcast logistically near impossible, and any simulcast would contradict the network\u2019s stated direction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Robin, Kip & Corey<\/p>\n

Why a \u2018live and local\u2019 strategy matters<\/p>\n

ARN\u2019s decision to go local instead of syndicating Kyle and Jackie north is a pivot back to heritage market strategy. For all its talk of national reach, ARN is signalling that Brisbane\u2019s unique radio culture \u2013 more community-focused, less celebrity-obsessed \u2013 still matters.<\/p>\n

The data supports that.<\/p>\n

According to the latest GfK radio survey, KIIS 97.3\u2019s Breakfast share rose to 10%, up from 9.3%. That might not sound seismic, but it\u2019s growth in a market where other ARN stations slipped.<\/p>\n

KIIS 1065 Sydney fell from 15.3% to 13.6%, KIIS Melbourne held steady at 6%, and Mix 102.3 Adelaide dropped from 11.4% to 10.4%. Even Perth\u2019s 96FM edged down. The numbers show that Robin, Kip & Corey weren\u2019t technically tanking.<\/p>\n

The decision to axe the show, then, seems less about performance and more about positioning. ARN has made it clear that 2026 is about transformation, and Brisbane, one of its most competitive and fast-evolving markets, is where it\u2019s starting.<\/p>\n

A slow build<\/p>\n

Radio consultant and co-host of the Game Changers<\/a> podcast Craig Bruce believes the shift is part of a longer-term play. \u201cI think the plan from about six months ago (when Kyle and Jackie O were part of the picture) has shifted, but there was always going to be a change in Brisbane for 2026,\u201d Bruce told Mediaweek.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real headline now is that whatever replaces Robin, Kip & Corey, it\u2019s not going to be Kyle and Jackie. Any national rollout seems to be on hold for now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said ARN\u2019s focus is now on stabilising the network commercially before any major syndication moves. \u201cThey need to get a few things in line first, particularly showing stronger revenue results, and they\u2019re understandably concerned about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As they should be.<\/p>\n

Figures published by The Sydney Morning Herald<\/a> show ARN\u2019s audience losses are now spilling into its commercial performance \u2013 with ad revenue, the lifeblood of the radio business, taking a notable hit just six months into Kyle and Jackie O\u2019s10-year, $200 million deal.<\/p>\n

According to unpublished Guideline SMI data cited by the paper, ARN\u2019s metro ad revenue fell by $6 million\u00a0 (or 13%) in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, as competitors gained ground.<\/p>\n

The broadcaster, which owns the KIIS and Gold networks, has seen its metro ad revenue share slide from 28% to 24%, indicating a shift in agency and brand investment away from its stations.<\/p>\n

Over the same stretch last year, ARN was virtually neck-and-neck with both Southern Cross Austereo<\/a> (SCA) and Nova Entertainment. That balance appears to have tipped.<\/p>\n

Bruce continued: \u201cI think next year will be about aligning with Kyle and Jackie on the type of content they\u2019ll deliver nationally, and having a real discussion about maximising revenue before rolling it out elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

That delay, Bruce said, gives ARN breathing room to experiment locally. \u201cI don\u2019t think the new Brisbane show is a stopgap, it could be developed locally with a national focus in mind over the next 12 months. I\u2019d imagine they\u2019ll give Kent 12 months to refine the act on Breakfast, then shift the show into another day part nationally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kyle<\/p>\n

Enter Smallzy?<\/p>\n

That \u201cKent\u201d is Kent \u201cSmallzy\u201d Small<\/a>, the long-running Smallzy\u2019s Surgery host whose name has repeatedly surfaced in connection with the KIIS 97.3 slot.<\/p>\n

In August, Smallzy signed off from Nova after more than two decades with the network. Since then, speculation has been rife that he\u2019s signed with ARN on an as yet undisclosed show.<\/p>\n

Bruce believes that show will be the one to replace Robin, Kip & Corey.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment, it seems Kent is the only option, rather than the two or three they may have had earlier this year, like Mitch Churi and others who\u2019ve since left the network,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also depends a bit on how the station wants to position itself. Historically, 97.3 has skewed older, it\u2019s traditionally targeted women aged 35 to 54, and it\u2019s done really well with that approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

The risk, Bruce noted, is that Smallzy\u2019s style could skew too young. \u201cKent\u2019s a younger announcer, certainly young at heart, and if the show aims for a Top 40, under-45 audience, that\u2019s already B105 and Nova\u2019s territory. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s room for three shows chasing the same demo. The question is how they cut through in a market where Abby Coleman\u2019s (who is part of B105\u2019s Breakfast team of Stav, Abby, & Matt)\u00a0 been targeting younger women for 15 years, and Nikki and the Nova crew (comprising of Ash and Luttsy) already perform strongly with that audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Bruce sees a potential payoff if ARN leans into what makes Smallzy work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plan for Brisbane\u2019s 97.3 Breakfast will sound quite different. Kent\u2019s a great operator, it\u2019ll probably have a BBC Radio 1 or Radio 2 Scott Mills-style feel, with a rotating cast, lots of interviews, star power, and a strong music focus. In a market with strong competition from Triple M, B105 and Nova, taking a unique sonic direction is a smart move.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smallzy is also no stranger to the Brisbane market. In 2007 he co-hosted the local night show on Nova 106.9 alongside Michelle Anderson. The pair recorded solid ratings and even scored a nomination for Best On-Air Team at the 2008 Australian Commercial Radio Awards.<\/p>\n

The long game<\/p>\n

For ARN, that direction appears to be about balance, protecting the \u201clive and local\u201d strength of stations like KIIS 97.3 while setting up a scalable network model for the future.<\/p>\n

Kyle and Jackie O may still expand north eventually, but not until the economics, timing, and listener appetite align.<\/p>\n

Bruce believes this hybrid approach could define the next few years of ARN\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Kyle and Jackie go into Breakfast in 2027, Kent will likely stay with ARN in a national role,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gives them flexibility they didn\u2019t have before. They can test the format, build the brand locally, and decide whether to go national later.\u201d<\/p>\n

With ARN\u2019s Upfronts taking place next week at Sydney\u2019s Star, the stage is set for more announcements, and likely more speculation.<\/p>\n

The network has poured big money into the event, and while a flashy Kyle & Jackie O expansion might not be in the cards this year, insiders expect the company to double down on its \u201clive, local and bold\u201d narrative.<\/p>\n

For now, all signs point to KIIS 97.3 becoming ARN\u2019s experimental lab \u2013 a place to test fresh formats, new talent, and a more modern blend of content and music.<\/p>\n

Mediaweek has reached out to ARN for comment.<\/p>\n

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the\u00a0Mediaweek\u00a0Morning Report\u00a0\u2013 delivered for free every morning to your inbox.<\/a><\/p>\n

96FM<\/a>, ARN<\/a>, B105<\/a>, Corey Oates<\/a>, Craig Bruce<\/a>, GfK<\/a>, Jackie O<\/a>, Kent Small<\/a>, KIIS 1065<\/a>, KIIS 97.3<\/a>, Kip Wightman<\/a>, Kyle Sandilands<\/a>, Lauren joyce<\/a>, Mix 102.3<\/a>, Nova<\/a>, Radio Today<\/a>, Robin Bailey<\/a>, Smallzy<\/a>, Triple M<\/a> \"MW <\/a>