The last two weeks across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are the mid year radio survey break where most of the breakfast on air talent take well deserved breaks, ready for GfK Radio 360 Survey 4, out this Tuesday July 14.
This ‘off season’ has still been incredibly busy here at Radioinfo with Kyle settling, Karl departing, the PM Kylie confessing and surveys of Canberra, Hobart and Mackay to keep us knee deep.
However a wonderful hour of radio still happened last week in Sydney that unfortunately won’t be reflecting in the ratings and even came as a surprise to the on air team, but that should still be recorded for posterity.
Before going any further, full disclosure that this writer is a NSW Blues supporter. The kind of fan who stomped down the corridor and shut herself in her room to grump after Game 2 of the 2026 State of Origin.
In Sydney, one of the often overlooked radio stations is Sky Sports Radio. GfK Survey 3 was a pretty good one with Sky up to a 1.9 audience 10+ (up 0.5) and the Big Sports Breakfast show hosted by Laurie Daley and Gerard Middleton also up 0.3 to a 2.7% audience share. This will be attributable to being mid season for the AFL and NRL.
Some additional reference notes, Gerard Middleton is a sports broadcaster and journalist with over two decades experience. Laurie Daley is one of our greatest ever rugby league players. He is the only son of a Wiradjuri mother and Caucasian father, with seven(!) sisters. His football career saw him captain NSW and Australia as well as being part of the Canberra Raiders greatest ever era through the late 80s, early 90s. His caoching career spans NSW Country, the Indigenous All Stars and the NSW Blues. This is his second stint coaching the Blues with his first amidst a lengthy reign for the Queenlanders.
He returned to the Blues in 2025, a series we lost in a fashion that I don’t want to talk about. Game 1 of 2026, the Blues just, JUST, pinched the win. Game 2 the wheels fell off. Game 3, last Wednesday July 8 I started with little hope.
But in the end the Blues ran away with the game, and the series, to the point that I could watch the second half from on the couch rather than behind it.
The next morning no one at Sky Sports Radio was expecting to see Laurie Daley front up for work. If you could bet on such a thing, the odds would have been astronomical. Yes, a phone call after 8am perhaps was on the cards, but no way Jose to in the office, on the air.
And yet, just before the 6am news, Laurie, a little hoarse but bright eyed and bushy tailed, was in the building ready to go.
What followed was slightly unhinged, totally real and two buckets of cut onions – the best of what radio can be when it is alive and can breathe.
Loz was riding on an incredible high and of course that resonated with the parochial NSW fans.
It was when Josh Reynolds (he is pictured main giving Laurie a peck) called in that I become unstuck. Josh contributes to the show and is a former Bulldogs and NSW Blues player. Since his retirement he is one of the new breed of sportsmen who look to give back to his community and build and mentor new players coming though.
He says of his own Origin experience:
‘I just knew I could go out there and do a job, but because of YOU.’
He then tells Loz a couple of times that he loves him.
This is why I love radio, pure radio because what followed was the great Laurie Daley, without a video in his face, trying to respond but being overwhelmed by his own emotions. You could hear and feel it:
The whole of Laurie’s contribution that morning is above. He has no right looking and sounding that fresh the morning after an Origin win. A nod to great sports radio, and the changing nature of rugby league.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo. Email: [email protected]. You can subscribe to this publication for just $199 per annum (less for community stations, students and pensioners) and support local media. Celebrate Radioinfo in its 30th year.