Mikey Robbins will leave ‘The Whole Shebang’ and 2MMM at the end of his contract. His place will be taken by comedian Peter Rowsthorn (‘Brett’ in Kath & Kim.
The new breakfast and drive programs on Triple M were scheduled for refinement at the end of the year, after the station had been able to judge the impact of the new programs and various presenters came up for contract renewal.
Austereo’s Sydney General Manager Patrick Joyce told radioinfo: ”We want to thank Mikey for his contribution to The Shebang and 2MMM over the years. We wish him well in the next phase of his career.”
Speaking about The Shebang line-up for 2004, Joyce said: “We’re going to have a huge 2004. The whole concept is settling down really well and the team are hitting their straps. We’re more than pleased with the way the show has developed.
“Sydney can look forward to more of Marty and Fifi and some
surprise guests and happenings throughout the year. All I can say
is stay tuned …next year we are turning up the volume, the chat and the fun.”
Phil O’Neill also left the station last week after his contract to present the late night music and youth talk program was not renewed.
Patrick Joyce spoke to radioinfo about Ugly Phil:
radioinfo: What were the ratings before and after Phil’s show was on air?
Joyce: The ratings for the show were about the same. It was not a ratings decision to finish the show, it was a joint decision that we didn’t want to do it next year, between us and Phil. It wasn’t a disaster, we just didn’t want to continue.
radioinfo: Is this the end of youth talk?
Joyce: Well, let’s never say never. We’ve tried it and we have decided not to pursue that kind of program at the moment. Our focus is currently on a resuming a wider variety of music and comedy and it seems to be working so far.
The Cage and Shebang just had their second ‘up book’ in Sydney and that is encouraging us to think we’re on the right track. The challenge has been put to us all year and we have used the depth of talent in our organisation to bounce back.