What's New
BY Sarah Patterson June 26, 2026
What's New October 28, 2025
Ben, Liam & Belle officially finish up at Nova
Reporter
Ben, Liam & Belle’s days at NOVA Entertainment have officially come to an end, and earlier than expected.
The Adelaide trio’s national Late Drive show has now wrapped up, with Ben Harvey, Liam Stapleton and Belle Jackson leaving the network after five years – effectively immediately.
Nova had already confirmed last month that Ben, Liam and Belle would be finishing up, with their final Late Drive show pencilled in for December 12.
That’s now been brought forward, with the trio having now officially departed the network.
Ben, Liam and Belle had previously hosted Breakfast on Nova Adelaide and Melbourne’s Nova 100. Replaced in Melbourne by Jase & Lauren, they were shifted to the national Late Drive timeslot.
Thanking them for their contribution and wishing them well in their future endeavours, NOVA Entertainment’s Group Programming Director Brendan Taylor said in an internal email that further details regarding programming updates will be shared in due course.
Image: NOVA Entertainment
100% new Adelaide breakfast that will rebrand to KiIS
97.3 Smallsy ( who started in Brisbane at Nova)
So now Mix’s trajectory is clear, a third hit radio station in Australia’s oldest skewing and conservative mainland capital. Where even the low budget Cruise was beating FMs when it still had a couple of well known local announcers.
If it happens it suggests overlooking institutional memory (2001’s 5ADFM rebrand to Mix led to several years in the doldrums till they departed from the national strategy and adopted a variety music format).
Back when they abandoned 5AD, I recall Triple M going to a positioner “Variety 104.7” kicking off with a “Summer Jukebox” even playing 60s like the Beatles and eventually getting what must be its highest ratings ever (until it too went young with Totally Different Nova spoiler leading to a Mix resurgence but never to 5AD’s 90s heights). I was in my early 20s but loved it, and you heard it on in shops and workplaces round the city. It really was the cliched “station everyone at work can agree on”.
What an opportunity for SAFM to throw away the playbook and pitch for the Adelaide adult audience (currently shared with Mix, Cruise and 5AA) with a similar genuinely large variety playlist and personality radio.
Though I wonder if anyone has the authority to do that sort of market-responsive move any more. And maybe it *is* easier to sell a national product (even with mediocre local ratings) to national advertisers out of Sydney who basically know Adelaide only as the “city of churches”.
how many new breakfast teams Mix Adelaide going to go through? And why would any talent want to work there.
That’s a real shame. They had a positive energy that made their Late Drive programme enjoyable. Best of luck to them – hopefully still on radio in 2026.
9.73 is not getting Smallzy
It’s looking to be lowie for breakfast
Smallzy national drive and nights