Hit NSW Breakfast’s EP Matthew Lucas moves to Triple M’s Paddy & Rob Palmer

There’s more change afoot at the Hit Network’s NSW Breakfast show, with executive producer Matthew Lucas departing.

He is moving across to SCA stablemate Triple M where he will EP the Paddy & Rob Palmer show from next year.

Lucas has been with SCA since 2019, when he kicked off as a producer of the Hit 101.3 Breakfast show with Daniel ‘Gawndy’ Gawned and Ash Pollard.

He remained with the program as SCA scrapped other regional offerings and syndicated Gawndy & Ash across most of the Hit Network’s regional stations in NSW.

Pollard later didn’t return from maternity leave, with Maz Compton permanently replacing her, forming Gawndy & Maz.

This month, it was announced Gawned would be departing to spend next year travelling.

The show will now recruit a new EP and co-host to work alongside Compton.

Lucas will now EP the Central Coast’s 107.7 Triple M Breakfast show featuring Paddy Gerrard and Rob Palmer.

The show kicked off in 2020, when Gerrard returned to Triple M (formerly 2GO) to replace Mandy Coolen.

The show has previously been EP’d by Chiara-Rose Kemp.

James Speed, group content director across Hit & Triple M on the Central Coast, said Lucas will “kill this new challenge next year”.

“Matt has been an excellent [addition] to this extremely local Central Coast product,” he said.

“Matt’s had a busy few years on Hit relaunching a few different co-hosts and taking the show state-wide,” he added.

Speed also urged potential candidates for the Hit NSW Breakfast EP position to “get your gear ready if you’re keen to create and execute a band new show for NSW next year”.

“Exciting times ahead,” he added.

In the most recent ratings for Gosford, the Central Coast’s Hit 101.3 lost its overall lead to Star 104.5.

Hit had 16.0% of the surveyed audience saying they listen to the station the most, down 2.0 points, while Star 104.5 climbed 1.7 points to 18.3%. Triple M was up 0.4 to 12.5%.

In Breakfast, Star’s Rabbit & Sarah, featuring Dave ‘Rabbit’ Rabbetts and Sarah Foster, climbed 1.6 points to a leading 18.0%, while Hit’s Gawndy & Maz slipped 2.4 to 16.2%. Paddy & Rob Palmer on Triple M had 11.2%, down from 11.7%.