Ahead of the ARN Upfronts, Steve Fitton has added to the 2026 puzzle announcing he will depart the Gold Network at the end of this year. Steve hosts Drive from 3-6pm and has a side hustle restoring old buses (sorry Steve – it had to be mentioned).
Steve made the decision to leave after eight years to focus more on time with family and will leave Sydney, but not ARN. He said on social media:
“I have been so lucky to be a part of the launch team for the new iHeartCountry Australia rebrand over the last 12 months. With steady growth over the year, the stage is set for the next step.
Moving forward I will continue to present the breakfast show, we are stretching it out to 3 hours from 6-9am weekdays as of next month, and the BEST news is- ARN is assisting me in building a studio at home so I can be THERE, and also on the AIR everyWHERE!
I live and breathe country music and can’t wait to see where it goes in Australia. It is the fastest growing music genre in this country, and presently Australia is in the Top 3 country music markets in the world. I am absolutely pumped that I get to play the music I love, and immerse myself in this exciting format that is taking Australia by storm, on a truly national network!
AND I’ll be able to indulge my other love- driving buses.
THAT right there is my version of the best of both worlds! I also get to be close to my family and my babies (the 4 wheel kind).”
Steve will take a break over the Christmas period from December 15, then return to Gold for two weeks from January 5-16 after which Jonesy and Amanda take over Gold 101.7 Drive and Christian O’Connell goes national on breakfast.