The latest radio ratings of 2026 reveal listeners have fled KIIS FM’s breakfast slot following the demise of the Kyle & Jackie O show.
The third survey of the year, which covers the period from March 1 to May 23, saw the breakfast show plummet a massive 3.5 per cent audience share in Sydney, representing a cumulative loss of 132,000 listeners each week.
More than 100k listeners have abandoned KIIS’ breakfast show. A Current Affair
The show, hosted by Mike ‘E’ Etheridge and Brooklyn Ross, now has an 8.2 per cent share of the Sydney market, making it the number four show in the region and the number three FM station.
KIIS FM in Sydney was previously the number one FM breakfast station, but now falls to number three behind Smooth FM (11.4) and Nova (9.5).
Smooth FM’s Bogart Torelli is the city’s new queen of breakfast as host of the top-rating FM show.
Ben Fordham’s show, on AM’s dial 2GB, reigns supreme overall, though it fell 1.2 percentage points.
The radio ratings cover the survey period from March 1 to May 23, after Kyle and Jackie O vanished from the airwaves in February.
It’s not completely surprising, with KIIS FM rolling through a myriad of co-hosts since the radio’s most popular duo had their contracts torn up and were removed from airwaves earlier this year.
The show is currently hosted by Mike E and a series of guests.
This is the first complete ratings period since their exit, with the last encompassing their fiery on-air clash on February 20 and Sandilands’ last weeks on air.
Henderson and Sandilands are both suing their former employer ARN for wrongful termination in two blockbuster legal claims worth a combined $167 million.
ARN is countersuing both Sandilands and Henderson for loss of advertising revenue in addition to defending against both claims.
The matter is due back in court in October.
The on-air clash that derailed Kyle and Jackie’s $200 million deal
The on-air fight began after Jackie O read from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s astrology birth chart and Sandilands complained about her interest in astrology charts.
“Your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable,” Sandilands told her.
“You are off with the fairies with this s—, it’s mental.”
The duo had been in a partnership for 27 years. KIIS FM
He claimed her fixation on astrology charts made her sound like a “drug addict”.
Henderson has previously opened up on air about addiction issues that led to her going to rehabilitation in the US in 2022.
Henderson said Sandilands’ accusations were “so unfair” and that he was attacking her on air.
“I would never say things like that about you,” she said.
“It’s a total attack, it really is. Kyle, to say ‘you don’t know what the F is going on, you’re not doing your job,’ that’s an attack and I wouldn’t do that.”
Sandilands and Henderson have been in an on-air partnership for 27 years.
They moved to breakfast in 2005 and then to KIIS in 2014.