Ben & Liam to depart triple j Breakfast for Adelaide radio gig

After three years at the national broadcaster, Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton are leaving triple j.

Their next destination is yet to be confirmed but is widely rumoured to be a move to commercial radio back in their hometown of Adelaide after their final show on November 1.

Update: In another talent coup for NOVA Entertainment, chief programming and marketing officer Paul Jackson has secured the services of triple j Breakfast duo Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton.

Replacing the pair on triple j Breakfast in 2020 are former FBi Radio presenters Sally & Erica who have been hosting Weekend Arvos on the j’s since 2018.

Harvey and Stapleton arrived at triple j in 2017 having cut their teeth in community radio at Fresh 92.7, replacing Matt Okine and Alex Dyson in 2017.

It didn’t take long for the duo to win over a typically stubborn, but equally loyal triple j national audience, climbing in the ratings and even beating 2DayFM in Sydney in recent surveys.

“We’ve had an absolute blast at triple j,” said Harvey and Stapleton in a joint statement sent to media. “Never in our wildest dreams did we think two dweebs doing community radio in Adelaide would get a crack at a gig like this.

“Thanks for waking up with us, listening to our shit talk and sharing your stories, we’ll be forever grateful.”

At a time when the industry often bemoans the fast-tracked radio careers of reality television contestants, a move to a major commercial network is undoubtedly a win for Australian radio to see a talented duo rise through the tried and tested path of community radio through to the top end of town.

The move also harks back to the founding years of the Nova Network, when Merrick Watts and Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross were poached by the network from triple j for it’s inaugural Sydney Breakfast show on Nova 96.9.

Harvey and Stapleton are part of former Austereo CEO Brad March’s stable of talent, housed under his management company March Media. Other radio talents managed by March include Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, The Chaser and Matt Tilley.