{"id":584116,"date":"2026-04-04T02:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T02:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/584116\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T02:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T02:40:08","slug":"arn-buyout-kyle-sandilands-needs-90m-backer-for-radio-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/584116\/","title":{"rendered":"ARN buyout: Kyle Sandilands needs $90m backer for radio bid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kyle Sandilands is determined to return to the airwaves with ARN, even if it means buying the company that terminated him – but he will need the support of a serious and well-funded investor to pull it off. <\/p>\n

News.com.au understands Kyle is willing to invest $10 million of his own money, but would need an additional $90 million from investors to buy the network. <\/p>\n

The radio star has launched legal action against his former employer, who showed him the door over \u201cserious misconduct\u201d. But his worst nightmare is for the case to become a longwinded legal battle that ends with him off the air – and buying the network could solve all his legal woes. <\/p>\n

The shock jock\u2019s ultimate dream would be to buy ARN, clean house and \u201coverhaul\u201d the radio station\u2019s leadership team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he would want to leave things the way they are,\u201d a close source told news.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would want his hands on all the levers; otherwise, there is no real point in being an owner. He has done every job in radio and he knows what not to do.\u201d <\/p>\n

The source claimed Kyle would even consider earning less than $10 million a year – as he was earning in his record-breaking 10-year contract brokered in 2023 – and negotiating a lesser agreement if the terms were right.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would be open to it,\u201d they said. <\/p>\n

It is unclear where Kyle could find another $90 million, but the source claimed there are people and groups \u201cpretty interested\u201d in buying ARN with him. <\/p>\n

MORE:Kyle Sandilands\u2019 $8m ask amid on-air fallout<\/a><\/p>\n

Finding someone with $90 million lying around certainly isn\u2019t easy work. <\/p>\n

During Kyle\u2019s suspension from ARN, he was spotted hanging out with Stu Laundy, the son of pub baron and newly minted radio station owner Arthur Laundy. <\/p>\n

Soon after the pair were snapped together Kyle was terminated, and rumours started circulating that the billionaire family might consider acquiring ARN to help the polarising public figure return to air. <\/p>\n

Kyle is mates with Stu, and they\u2019d had a business relationship before via Kyle\u2019s alcohol brand, Nueva Sangria. <\/p>\n

Plus Stu – who briefly ended up with Sophie Monk on The Bachelorette – is known for taking a public gamble, but news.com.au understands the Laundy family have no interest in buying ARN. <\/p>\n

MORE: Kyle, Jackie next moves exposed as show axed<\/a><\/p>\n

In January 2026, the Laundy family purchased the Sydney radio station 2GB for $56 million from Nine. This deal also included Melbourne station 3AW, Brisbane\u2019s 4BC and Perth\u2019s 6PR. <\/p>\n

The idea of taking on another radio station makes little sense, because they\u2019ve barely got the keys to 2GB. <\/p>\n

The Laundy family does not even take possession of 2GB until May, and are currently focusing on rebuilding the station\u2019s back-office operations. The new owners will need to prioritise how sorting out how the stations will run after they cut ties with Nine.<\/p>\n

Technically, the family could own the two radio networks under current media laws, but news.com.au understands they don\u2019t want to. <\/p>\n

News.com.au can also put to bed the idea that the Laundys ditching 2GB would prompt radio host Ben Fordham\u2019s cashed-up brother, Nick Fordham, to buy the radio station.<\/p>\n

An industry rumour has been circulating that The Fordham Company chief executive Nick wanted to make a play for 2GB back in January but lost out.<\/p>\n

News.com.au can confirm that neither Fordham brother registered to bid for 2GB in January.<\/p>\n

It also makes less sense for Nick to want to invest in 2GB when his brother Ben has made noises that radio isn\u2019t something he sees himself doing for the rest of his life. <\/p>\n

The popular 2GB breakfast host told The Daily Telegraph last year that he \u201cwon\u2019t die behind the mic\u201d and wants to spend more time with his family. <\/p>\n

So if the brothers aren\u2019t interested in 2GB and neither is the Laundy dynasty, that means Kyle\u2019s still needs to find a $90 million backer to make his dream a reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kyle Sandilands is determined to return to the airwaves with ARN, even if it means buying the company…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":584117,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[286015,64,63,286012,10823,286014,207081,447,17343,134,53493,30213,67313,264547,286010,286013,37228,286011,286009,234036,36919,254957,46382,270636,286008,269762,273425],"class_list":{"0":"post-584116","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-alcohol-business","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-back-office-operations","12":"tag-ben-fordham","13":"tag-billionaire-family","14":"tag-business-relationship","15":"tag-celebrities","16":"tag-daily-telegraph","17":"tag-entertainment","18":"tag-kyle-sandilands","19":"tag-leadership-team","20":"tag-legal-battle","21":"tag-mary-madigan","22":"tag-media-laws","23":"tag-nick-fordham","24":"tag-people-talking","25":"tag-plans-revealednews-com-au","26":"tag-pub-baron","27":"tag-radio-host","28":"tag-radio-station","29":"tag-real-point","30":"tag-richard-dobson","31":"tag-secret-battle","32":"tag-shares-resources","33":"tag-shock-jock","34":"tag-sophie-monk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}