96FM Perth welcomes Paul & Lise for Breakfast; Carmen & Fitzi out

Staff Writer

ARN has confirmed a new breakfast show for 96FM Perth for 2018, leaving Carmen & Fitzi out of a gig, effective immediately.

Paul Hogan and Lisa Fernandez, or Lise to her friends, will instead create Paul & Lise for Breakfast.

ARN’s National Content Director Duncan Campbell welcomed the new show: “We’re excited to bring Paul & Lise back to Perth radio.

“They have a wonderful chemistry and their irreverent, fun, and nothing’s off limits style will bring a new energy to Perth Breakfast radio.”

Paul & Lise first met in 2011 when Paul was asked to join Lise for Breakfast on Perth radio. The chemistry was instant and the pair became great mates on-air and off. Their unique style and sense of fun saw them and their co-host take their station to its highest ever Breakfast audience within just six months.

Born and bred in Perth, and after many successful years as a radio broadcaster, in 2014 Lise Fernandez joined Channel 9 Perth as a presenter. Lise will be continuing work with Channel 9 as she begins back on-air for Breakfast radio with 96FM in 2018.

Meanwhile, Paul Hogan began his media career as a comedian and writer and soon moved to a national on-air role on Triple M before working with Lise in Perth.

For the past four years, he’s been in Hobart co-hosting Breakfast and his show currently holds the #1FM position. Paul is looking forward to bringing his young family back home to Perth next year.

Current 96FM breakfast radio duo Carmen Braidwood and Brad ‘Fitzi’ Fitzgerald will not return to the station in 2018 with today being their final day.

Duncan Campbell thanked the departing team for their hard work, acknowledging Carmen & Fitzi for their outstanding contribution to 96FM and the moments they’ve shared and laughs they have provided all of Perth over the past six years.

“Carmen & Fitzi are talented personalities and have been a great team and we wish them well for the future,” he said.

Of the station’s ongoing strategy, he added, “The focus is now firmly on our broader strategy to deliver the very best entertainment for Perth and continue to drive ratings growth.

“We plan to build on 96FM’s recent success in transforming its music position to focus on pop rock/modern rock, which has seen the station return to its music roots to deliver “better music and more of it” and this new Breakfast show along with our announcement last week of Will & Woody in Drive marks the next phase of that strategy to reignite the heritage and strength of the 96FM brand in Perth.”

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All Of Perth
23 Oct 2017 - 5:25 pm

Commiserations to the 96fm crew on the loss of a great team, and also on the new gain.

Bobby
24 Oct 2017 - 10:22 am

Not happy you have axed carmen and fitzi they were the reason i listened in the mornings i am deeply disappointed

Mark
24 Oct 2017 - 11:01 am

Sometimes going back to the past isn’t always the best especially if the past was failure.
I think it may be time to recreate Breakfast Radio in Perth.
Something Perth radio doesn’t do very well , it recycles old faces that havent worked in the past thinking the listeners have forgotten them.
Sometimes radio stations need to take the risk with new people and stick with them.

Nic
24 Oct 2017 - 11:05 am

Lise?!

Nic
24 Oct 2017 - 11:05 am

What’s wrong with plain Lisa..

Jamie
24 Oct 2017 - 11:21 am

Wondering, why go with “Lise” when the audience knows her as Lisa? She’s got good profile being on 9 News and they call her Lisa on that. Is it a missed opportunity? Going with a different name to what people know you as.

Good luck to them – going to be a very interesting market to watch next year.

Kaz
24 Oct 2017 - 7:55 pm

Carmen and Fitzi were the only reason we put up with the terrible music, we will deffinately be changing stations. Good luck Carmen & Fitzi with you future endeavors we will miss you in the mornings!

Doc
25 Oct 2017 - 11:15 am

Doc
I like Carmin I think she’s so cool. I’ll be changing stations

Dave vance
25 Oct 2017 - 7:22 pm

Get botica and blackers,best gig in town!

Jim
26 Oct 2017 - 8:51 am

They are a pretty average team at best and they have never really set the world on fire ratings wise. They were right to move them on.

Andrew
26 Oct 2017 - 1:12 pm

This is absolutely insane. Carmen and Fitzi were just hitting their stride. No pretentious bull crap, always friendly and likeable, funny promotions and competitions and talk. Didn’t Lisa, Paul and Baz fail dismally and all get the sack not long ago? Everyone can still remember hating them so this is a really bad move 96fm. I hope Carmen and Brad get another gig on radio in Perth because they have a lot of loyal fans they will take with them.

Terri Rice
26 Oct 2017 - 3:53 pm

Since finding this news ( have been wondering for a couple of days where they both were) we have immediately switched over to 94.5.
96 is notorious for putting the blame on & then axing their presenters, when it is the “behind the scenes“people who make the decisions on the format of the show – the presenters just do their best with what they have been dictated to air.
Still miss Gary Shannon’s humour.
Apart from the Classic cafe on Sunday morning we will never listen to 96 again. & Gavin Miller has been axed on more than one occasion because of his outspoken views. How long has he got now?
Good luck for the future Carmen & Fitzi. You are both very talented people with much to offer the industry.

Peter D
28 Oct 2017 - 1:13 pm

Not happy!

Emma
28 Oct 2017 - 1:21 pm

It all started when they got rid of DeMello. Then Blackers. Then allowing Taylor Swift and Katy Perry songs on the air. Then having Kyle n Jacki O on. I have TRIED to remain a loyal listener . Then they went back to the rock music, I had hope. But this? Carmen n Fitzi really were the rock that held the station together. They kept listeners like me loyal through the last crap few years. 96 will never be top of ratings because its not aimed at teenyboppers and young adults (and thank God!), they need to deal with it! 96 killed it on the demo it aimed at…Im really really disappointed. Way to kill it, whoever makes these decisions… One Powerball..Id make my own bloody station!

Charlie
29 Oct 2017 - 11:46 am

This is the end of 96fm .☹☹☹

Kortney
1 Nov 2017 - 8:09 pm

Absolutely terrible news. I was wondering where they were and decided to google and found out. I am actually sad I used to look forward to Carmen and Fitzi. Disgusting 96 not even giving them a proper send off. And what a shocking replacement, Lisa was terrible on 92.9, she’ll be even more intolerable now. I hope the ratings plummet.

Sean
6 Nov 2017 - 1:35 am

What a shame, the only reason I listened to 96 in the morning was to hear Fitzi’s infectious laugh and Carmen keeping him in line. Really botched this one Duncan, bad call bud. I mean Paul Hogan, come on mate are you for real.
Gonna lose a lot of listeners on this one. Time to change stations.

Good luck Carmen and Fitzi you will be missed.

Michael
8 Nov 2017 - 10:26 am

Great news and thank you 96FM. I would leave for work an hour earlier I would not have to listen to those two. I enjoy 96FM returning to their original music and now this – I can now wake at a decent hour, and won’t be in work an hour earlier. Thanks again

Lauren
8 Nov 2017 - 4:00 pm

Very disappointed. Carmen and Fitzi were reason I switched to 96fm.

Chrissy
9 Nov 2017 - 2:06 am

Fitz & Carmen you deserve better. I have been listening to 96 since the early 2000s and i have even put up with the latest music change but now that youre gone then so am i. Good luck in all of your future endeavors you both deserve the best of everything. I will miss listening to you every day.

Pissed off
9 Nov 2017 - 5:10 am

Oh well won’t be listening to 96fm anymore that’s a bad move and Will and Woody are shit. I stopped listening to 92.9 because of them and that dumb bitch Heidi. 96 had the best breakfast crew now the worst.

Mark
23 Nov 2017 - 10:26 pm

Liked Fitzie, found Carmen irritating, would have preferred to see Fitzie remain and replace Carmen, it’s a shame!
Not a Fan of Lisa Fernandez, cringed every time she was on 9 WA morning news, she is pathetic at interviewing anyone!
dont know Paul Hogan ( obviously not the same as Mick Dundee ha ha)
Like the new music format for 96, have to agree with the comments about blaming the presenters!
Should get DeMello back and Gavin Miller is just awesome!
Would listen to 94.5 but can’t stomach Matt Dyktynski (probably a nice person but just too insipid to listen too)

Rob
16 Dec 2017 - 6:18 pm

Bad enough there replacing a horrible morning show with even worse morning show 96 lost there way when they went tweenybopper then came and having to hear the same playlist everyday you know exactly what song is going to be played when they up next from this artist you the same inxs songs and ac/dc constantly I know by law they have to play a high% of aussie music they talk how great aussie music is but they don’t play any new stuff sorry but radio in Australia is sad thankfully after years of having 96 on at work we have now gone to stations from around they world where we can actually hear zeppelin the beatles and so on not the same puny playlist perth is really lacking in classic rock 96 is the only so called rock station in a town full of tweenybopper garbage we tried 92 one day but when they male dj talked about Justine beiber being a great artist well it was time for him to hand in his man card its amazing how much music is out in the world by very popular world wide groups except here thankfully with the net we never have to go back to 96 and to hear the worlds smallest playlist

Debbie
30 Dec 2017 - 12:50 pm

Love carmen and fitzy. Not happy with the change.
Really happy getting rid of Hughsey and Kate, i switched to 94.5 in the avos. I may need to switch in the mornings too.
All the best to Carmen and Fitzy. You will be sadly missed!

Paul
5 Jan 2018 - 12:35 pm

sorry I had to turn the station this morning. I always set the work radio on 96. not anymore… Waffle Waffle Waffle. I could listen to nova for that…. disappointing.

J Davies
8 Jan 2018 - 7:47 pm

Now changed to another station, very boring at least Carmen & Fitzi was fun to listen to,
Lisa Fernandez should stay with TV just both new crew dull and openly say I need to buy you ,
Breakfast Radio more like a old folks ABC radio talk show with dead music

Jay
16 Mar 2018 - 3:08 am

Very disappointed. I’ve tried to listen a couple of times to Paul and Lise but they don’t have anywhere near the chemistry of Fitzi and Carmen (and Blackers). I end up listening to Radio 2 on digital.

Georgie
15 Jul 2019 - 2:28 pm

I’ve tried to embrace the 96fm new line up with Lisa. Sorry just can’t stand her grating voice.
I’ve found Carmen in 6PR thankfully.
Carmen and Fitzy were the best

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