ARN re-sign Kyle & Jackie O

The Australian Radio Network has announced the re-signing of the high-rating Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O to a five-year deal to host Breakfast on KIIS 106.5 Sydney.

The deal which will see the duo secure a significant salary increase, boosted further when ratings bonuses are factored in.

On the deal Jackie O shared with Radio Today: ” I’ve always loved working in radio and I love the radio industry. I’ve spent 17 years on air now and Kyle and I are having the best time we’ve ever had working here at ARN. I’m really looking forward to another 5 years at KIIS creating great radio for our listeners “

Kyle agreed: “There was never a doubt in my mind KIIS was our home for the long haul, because we helped to create it! It’s my baby. Jackie and I are still doing what we love and doing it better than ever.”

ARN’s National Content Director Duncan Campbellsaid: “Kyle and Jackie are without doubt Australia’s most successful radio team and I am thrilled they will continue to be KIIS 1065’s breakfast show.

“The breakfast shift is the most gruelling and competitive in the market and The Kyle & Jackie O Show has rated the outright #1FM Breakfast team every year for the past decade and they have by far the biggest breakfast audience in Sydney.

“KIIS 1065’s loyal listeners love Kyle and Jackie’s bold, edgy show and their reputation as the best in the business means today’s most popular stars want to speak to Kyle and Jackie first, which gives KIIS 1065 audiences exclusive access to the most compelling interviews and engaging entertainment. Combined with the creative and often very emotionally moving content they deliver on-air and online, it’s easy to see why their show is a compulsory part of their fans’ day.

“It has been an incredible three years at KIIS 1065 and I’m excited to see what the next five years hold for The Kyle & Jackie O Show.”

ARN’s CEO Tony Kendall said: “Kyle and Jackie O are worldwide stars themselves and have been an integral part of KIIS 1065, and indeed ARN’s, growth over the past three years and they will continue to be instrumental in the station and company’s success.

“And it’s not only the radio ratings that Kyle and Jackie dominate. Kyle and Jackie O’s fan engagement extends to a social reach of over 2 million active followers, more than 1.9 million monthly video streams and 1.5 million monthly unique users on the KIIS website. This is all testament to the deep connection Kyle and Jackie O have with their audiences”.

“ARN is committed to investing in the best talent to build entertainment brands Australians love and, as a multi-platform media company, this five-year deal with Kyle and Jackie is an integral piece of our strategy to broaden the reach of our content.”

There would seem no doubt that the financial package would have been assisted by the current 2Day ratings, and the possibillity that the pair could always ‘kiss and make up’ with Southern Cross Austereo, should that company decide to make a Breakfast change.

That said, Southern Cross Austereo have consistently said that they are committed to ‘Rove & Sam’ for the long-term in the Breakfast slot, and accept that ratings improvement will take time.

With the re-signing of Kyle & Jackie attention now turns to Southern Cross Austereo.

Whilst SCA have publicly supported ‘Rove & Sam’, it would be reasonable to think that they would need to see some signs of ratings improvements for that support to continue. Then there is the small matter of ‘Hamish & Andy’, who are not signed beyond 2016 at this stage, and are rumoured to be finishing in November.

But it is nearly August, so it is getting into contract season, watch this space!