This morning, January 19, 2026 at 8am, Mix 102.3 was officially relaunched as KIIS 1023 by South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas (main image) with the first song played Get it Done by Adelaide and now international music star Guy Sebastian.
Malinauskas, who is known as Mali, was not afraid to mention that listeners would have been surprised at him activating the relaunch.
At the October 29 Upfronts for ARN, Ben and Liam (Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton), with Belle Jackson returning to her off air role as producer, were announced to be taking over Mix 102.3 breakfast from Hayley and Max. NOVA Entertainment, the network where the trio had been hosting Late Drive, enforced a non-compete clause in Ben and Liam‘s contract meaning they can’t commence until after the exclusion period, on April 1, unless that date is also part of a joke.
The Premier gave away prizes including Ed Sheeran double passes, framed as part of the launch celebration. Callers who made it to air in the 8am hour were also awarded a KIIS Day, a ‘day off’ by the Premier to mark the station’s debut.
Mali left KIIS 1023 to now have to deal with a concerns notice raised by the lawyer for Randa Abdel-Fattah related to comments he made on FIVEAA on January 14. You can read more on that here.
Head of the KIIS Network Derek Bargwanna said of the rebrand:
“This is a huge moment for Adelaide radio as KIIS 1023 gives us the opportunity to lift the energy of the station and create bigger, more engaging moments on air, while still delivering the variety Adelaide listeners expect. We are encouraging all Adelaideans to tune into 1023 as it officially becomes KIIS 1023.”
While Ben and Liam continue their gardening leave, KIIS 1023 Breakfast will be hosted by Bec Morse. Bec previously hosted SCA‘s SAFM Breakfast show alongside Mark ‘Soda’ Soderstrom.
From 1 April, Ben & Liam officially return to Adelaide radio, from 6-10am. Ryan “Burgo” Burgess will then host workdays from 10am to 3pm. Ryan replaces Michelle Murphy who’d been with Mix a decade and has shifted over to join the ACE Radio Network.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo.