What's New
BY RadioToday Network June 11, 2026
What's New May 19, 2026
ARN signs Karl Stefanovic and Eddie McGuire in landmark multi-platform deal
Reporter
ARN has signed two of the most recognisable figures in Australian media, with Karl Stefanovic and Eddie McGuire set to join the network to create a major new entertainment format.
Stefanovic and McGuire will join forces to co-create The Long Weekend – a new weekly news, sport and entertainment format which promises three hours of big personalities, big opinions, and no-holds-barred discussions that will set the tone for the weekend ahead.
The Long Weekend is the first Australian-produced audio and video format with Australian distribution across broadcast radio, live radio streaming, podcast, social, free-to-air streaming, premium SVOD, and global distribution across the iHeart network.
The Long Weekend will be broadcast live on the GOLD Network, Fridays 12-3pm across Australia, live streamed and on demand on iHeart, amplified on all social platforms and available via the iHeart global network in New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, the United States and the UK.
This new format will also be available on video streaming platforms 9Now and Stan.
In a further extension of the partnership, ARN and McGuire Media will collaborate on a new sport focused iHeart original podcast series for global distribution across the iHeart network.
Both formats will be produced in partnership with JAM TV, Eddie McGuire’s production company.
Michael Stephenson, Chief Executive Officer of ARN, said “Karl and Eddie are two of the biggest stars in Australian media and they are now at ARN. The Long Weekend is an excellent example of our strategy coming to life, premium audio and video content distributed across every platform, amplified on social and distributed across the globe on the iHeart Network. This is going to be brilliant.”
Kerri Elstub, Chief Content Officer of ARN, said “I’ve known Karl for 20 years from his first day on Today. When big moments happen, there is no one better – he has a unique ability to relate to Australian audiences. Eddie needs no introduction. His influence and broadcasting prowess is legendary. I can’t wait to show you what they can do together.”
Eddie McGuire said: “This is a wonderful new chapter. Karl and I have been talking about working together for years, and to do it on this scale, nationally on GOLD, internationally on iHeart, on 9Now and Stan and with JAM TV as a production partner is a once in a career opportunity. We’re going to bring our audience along to wherever the big news, sport and entertainment is happening, with great music in between. Karl is one of my closest mates in the industry. Now we get to do this together. Off we go.”
Karl Stefanovic said “Since I was born, I’ve been a student of radio and announcers. The intimacy of the medium is powerful. Working with Eddie makes it even more exciting for me. We’ve been friends for a long time. We are both ready to disrupt the status quo and let me tell you, we’ll have plenty of fun along the way. God, don’t we all need that. ARN have given us this opportunity, now watch us go and have a proper crack.”
Both McGuire’s and Stefanovic’s respective commitments with Nine Entertainment remain unchanged.
Nine Managing Director, Streaming and Broadcast, Amanda Laing said: “Nine has a deep commitment to audio through podcasting and vodcasting and it makes perfect sense for two of Nine’s talent to have their new show streamed on their home network.”
“Karl and Eddie are great broadcasters and we look forward to showcasing The Long Weekend, adding to the expanding content available to our audiences on 9Now and Stan.”
The Long Weekend will launch on June 19, 2026.
Image supplied.
Sounds great. One question.
Why?
So it’s a weekend show on some FM and some DAB.
I prefer music to chit chats and rabbiting on about crap.
Why in gods name would you join ARN ? They’re sinking quicker then the titanic
When is ARN going to change “Just Great Songs” to the more appropriate “Just More Talk”?
Really?
I assume most people listen to Gold to hear classic hit music.
Not 2 blokes talking sport.
This looks like another great ARN decision
God this company Loves spending money – yet can’t generate it !! More money being thrown at the problem across commercial and content at senior levels …….. with no “troops” to impact ratings or revenue
It’s good that a legacy broadcaster is trying something new with a vast multi-platform strategy, but I suspect the ex-TV folks running ARN are about to learn that 12-3PM on a Friday is not the slot to park two very high-profile hosts… on a station who’s audience expect to hear Dire Straits and Fleetwood Mac at that time.
Also strange to promote the fact that this can be heard in Canada or Mexico…? Does anyone seriously expect consumers in Mexico to care what two Australian bloke think about local issues and sport?
(unless Eddie has been practicing his Spanish)
Oh great, yet another reason not to listen to Gold…
Can’t speak for everyone else, but a lot of programming decisions made during the past 18 months or so (including this one – Karl, Eddie and The Long Weekend should be on 2GB/3AW!) have really alienated me as someone who grew up listening to 101.7 Sydney.
I still rather like Jonesy & Amanda and their behind-the-scenes team (Jenna Benson would be a major asset for any media company or brand in Australia) but even their current Drive doesn’t have quite the same feel as their former Sydney breakfast show.
ARN OS MESING WITH OUR FORMULA WHICH HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THEM THIS WILL COST THEM LISTENERS AND REVENUE. TRIPLEM SITTING BACK WAITING TO TAKE TAKES AND RENEWAL IN BOTH MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY FROM GOLD.
Nine owned Nine Radio for seven years and starved it of any cross-platform integration on 9Now or Stan. Yet just 19 days after selling it off, they hand that exact streaming distribution to their competitor on a silver platter. Massive slap in the face to the former Nine Radio teams.
Why must people be so negative in this forum? This is a massive win for any media company and the fact that arn can pull this off in their current situation should be celebrated. Brand safe collateral with massive media personalities who have huge loyal followings can only be a win commercially. Good content is Good content and if these two can deliver for radio as they have on tele it’s onwards and upwards for arn.
Well played – lock in Karl, probably the most enticing talent to become available at years end now… oh, and his rumoured $3m annual TV salary which is under threat is cheap in comparison to K&J’s salaries. The ultimate win/win!
ARN have been selling themselves as an entertainment / content company and not a pure audio / radio company for the last 18 months. This definitely fits into that new group positioning. I guess since ARN failed in their play for Triple M, they may as well tinker with Gold to make it Triple M-ish. Also, Nine Entertainment have just sold off their radio assets, and ARN is kind of a bargain right now; could this new pairing be the beginning of a close ongoing partnership between Nine and ARN?
The risk here for ARN is not to mess with Gold too much given it’s their only ‘stable’ product right now. This new show may work well in Melbourne where Eddie is popular, and it might resonate in Sydney too, but Gold is already in a period of transition there. It’ll be interesting to see if this will be (as) live in Perth on Gold 96FM, or on Gold 80’s DAB+ like Christian is.
@PJC: The possibility of a Nine/ARN merger at some point in the future has definitely crossed my mind, especially in light of the Seven/SCA deal.
I’m personally not so sure that Karl & Eddie’s new show will resonate with the Sydney market though. Despite Nine being the market leader in TV around these parts, both Karl & Eddie are probably only tolerated personalities at best. A substantial number of Sydneysiders can’t stand either!
As for the whole idea of Triple M-ising Gold, I’m not really sure why ARN are doing that when prior to the 2025 relaunch, it’s to my understanding that 101.7 Sydney and 104.3 Melbourne had rated considerably higher than 104.9/105.1 for several years.
Maybe it’s a different story from a profitability point of view, but one still would’ve thought Triple M is likely to have more overheads with its live sports coverage, etc. Of course, Christian O’Connell and Jonesy & Amanda would command decent salaries but apart from that I would’ve thought 101.7/104.3 were fairly cheap stations to run (certainly compared to KIIS), even if they’re not the absolute cash cows Nova have with Smooth 95.3/91.5!
Anyone who talks about “global distribution” as a cool new thing really doesn’t understand the internet.