Mix 102.3: Inside the top Adelaide radio station’s dramatic fall

Mix 102.3 has consistently won Adelaide’s radio ratings, but after years of on-air upheaval, it’s slid down the ladder – and that’s nothing compared with the behind-the-scenes drama.

Mix 102.3 might want to change its name to Muddle 102.3 because right now it’s in a mess.

The FM station used to be a winner in the ratings, but the latest survey results must have been disappointing – for both the on-air talent and their bosses – to say the least.

Once the top station in the breakfast timeslot on the FM dial for what seemed like countless consecutive weeks, Mix was also the No. 1 station for ages.

This time around, it was Adelaide’s third most popular station behind ABC Adelaide – on the AM band – and its rival on the FM dial, Nova 919. In the brekky results, Mix’s The Ali Clarke Breakfast Show ended up in 6th place.

That said, the banter in that timeslot always has a good dose of drama thrown in – but it’s nothing compared to the upheaval that appears to be constantly happening behind-the-scenes.

Mix were contacted prior and post publication of this article but have declined to officially comment to The Advertiser.

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

The breakfast timeslot is regarded as crucial. Not only is it where advertisers spend the biggest bucks, but, according to those in the know, it sets the tone for the day. The theory is that if you can hook listeners while they are having their Weetbix, there’s a good chance you’ve got them for every other timeslot from mornings to evenings.

When the powers that be at Mix reportedly began headhunting Ali Clarke in 2021, they knew they were onto a good thing. At ABC Adelaide she was a ratings winner.

The price must have been right because she decided to walk late last year.

Mix 102.3’s Erin Phillips, Ali Clarke and Eddie Bannon. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

In mid-December 2021 Ali Clarke revealed she was leaving ABC Adelaide citing “family reasons”.

But within weeks – in what would have to be one of Adelaide radio’s worst kept secrets ever – it was announced she was joining Mix’s breakfast crew.

She took Irish-born comedian Eddie Bannon, a regular on her ABC brekky show, with her.

That Mix signed him – reportedly at her bidding – showed she had clout.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

But even more telling was the title of the new show. In the past all the presenters were named. Think Kym, Ali and Dzelde, Jodi & Soda and Erin and Soda.

But this was The Ali Clarke Breakfast Show, even though Eddie and Erin Phillips were part of the line-up.

Interestingly, now since Erin’s involvement has been significantly scaled back to almost nothing, there’s a promotional poster around town featuring only Ali, which must be making her full-time sidekick feel like he’s Eddie Not-So Everywhere. Plus, the rumour that he won’t be back next year probably isn’t helping either.

There was also a new executive producer, namely Shaun Sandilands, who had been brought in from Brisbane’s 4KQ.

Behind the scenes, he had helped steer that station towards having its best-ever brekky ratings year in 2021.

At the time The Tiser reported: “The powers at Mix are, no doubt, thinking he will be able to work his magic to make Mix Adelaide’s No. 1 FM breakfast show again, after ratings fell last year.”

CAUSING A STIR

Is there a little bit too much ABC in the mix? Some listeners think FM station Mix is turning into a boring old Aunty wannabe since Ali arrived, while others say she, Eddie and Erin just don’t have the on-air chemistry that Jodie Oddy and Mark Soderstrom shared.

An industry insider says The Ali Clarke Breakfast Show’s lacklustre ratings are due to “personality being No. 1” when it comes to an FM show’s success. Not having the top rating station overall also makes it tough to win the brekky timeslot, they say.

The source also believes ABC’s breakfast show consistently does well in the ratings because listener loyalty to Aunty and its news service are so strong, with personality not coming into play as much as it does on commercial radio.

“Long-term underlying problems with management and the culture in place are starting to reflect in the ratings,” the source says, adding anyone who challenges the status quo ends up leaving …

Erin Phillips and Mark Soderstrom in the Mix 102.3 studio. Picture: Supplied

NOT-SO HAPPY CHRISTMAS?

On December 26, 2021, Australian Radio Network announced Mark “Soda” Soderstrom was leaving Mix.

The official line was that Soda had pulled the plug after eight years, but you can’t help but wonder.

Especially seeing as his top-rating FM breakfast show with AFLW star Erin Phillips was unexpectedly off air earlier that year in March.

Word on the street was that the pair walked off-air for a week due to disagreements with management.

It was around the time insiders reckon Mix was negotiating with Ali, whom the station had reportedly been courting since 2020.

FULLY SICK?

A Mix 102.3 spokeswoman said to The Tiser at the time: “Mark Soderstrom was unwell. Mark has been signed off work until the end of the week, so the show will be off air tomorrow, too. Shane Lowe will present a music show tomorrow.”

All that said, Soda presented his usual 7 News sports segment that evening and was looking the picture of health, if slightly stressed.

Radio insiders said the buzz was that there was “friction” between Soda and a content director Richie Wright, who had got his gig about six moths prior after being an assistant content director at sister station Sydney’s KIIS 1065.

Sources also said Soda had “clashed” with other previous executive producers.

A source even told The Tiser: “He’s (Soda) a dominant personality, there’s no two ways about it.” According to an industry insider Soda “saw people not doing their jobs and called it out”. As the year went on, Mix fell in the ratings.

OFF THE MARK

Just before Soda and Erin went AWOL, Adelaide media personality Mark Aiston nearly got a gig at Mix where he had been a brekky presenter with Jodie Oddy (when she was Jodie Blewett) and Jason “Snowy” Carter before defecting to FIVEaa.

(BTW, Mark’s Mix brekky spot was filled by another Mark, namely Mark “Soda” Soderstrom in 2014.)

Aiston, who won the admiration of many when he openly shared his long-running battle with gambling, alcohol and drug addictions, was almost appointed executive producer of Mix’s breakfast show.

The station even sent out a press release announcing the move. Emailed to the Sunday Mail by the station’s communications team on March 16, 2021, it described Aiston’s return as a “real coup”, saying he would start his new role the following morning.

In what must have been a kick in the guts, just hours later Mix retracted the announcement.

Aiston told The Tiser he was poised to secure the executive producer role but said “things fell over right at the last moment”.

Kym Dillon was also headhunted by Mix for an on-air role, with talks starting in March 2021.

The plan was to have him join Erin and Soda to help give their brekky show’s ratings a boost. But a verbal offer was hastily withdrawn in November, amid rumours that Ali Clarke was set to join the station.

Richie Wright. Picture: Supplied

Mark Aiston. Picture: Dean Martin

YOU GO, GIRL

Was Soda’s exit a case of history repeating itself? A little over 12 months before his then-brekky co-host Jodie Oddy made her shock exit, quitting effective immediately after 13 years at Mix.

Jodie, who was part of the station’s brekky show for 11 years, had achieved more than 90 ratings wins in the FM breakfast timeslot with Soda.

She was replaced by Erin Phillips who had been filling in while Jodie was on maternity leave.

Like Soda, Jodie was contractually bound to not talk about who and why she left Mix, but in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mail some months later, she said she was grateful to be spending more time with her family and free of the 4am weekday alarm.

Close to nine months later she got her own Saturday brekky show on Nova 919.

Jodie Oddy at Nova 919. Picture: Keryn Stevens

POACHED BREKKY

As anyone who has been in the radio biz will tell you, it’s cutthroat. And Jodie and Soda nearly got the chop long before they each parted ways with the station.

In 2015, insiders told The Tiser that Mix had attempted to replace them with Nova’s Dylan Lewis and Shane Lowe.

Word was Mix content director Chris Cotton made an approach to Dylan and Shane, days after the year’s second radio ratings survey was released, offering them the brekky shift.

At the time, a Mix spokeswoman said there was “absolutely no truth” to the goss.

Shane eventually made the switch to Mix, where he is the anchor (read panel operator) on the brekky show.

WALK THE TALK

Eight years before, in late 2007, Mix 102.3’s No. 1 FM breakfast trio Kym Dillon, Ali Carle (now Clarke) and Chris Dzelde announced they were moving to rival station Triple M.

All three had previously worked at Austereo-owned Triple M and the decision to defect was believed to have followed months of infighting at Mix 102.3, an Australian Radio Network.

At the time industry insiders told The Tiser several staff – many of whom had worked directly with the breakfast team – had left Mix that same year.

As is customary in these situations, Kym, Ali and Dzelde were not given the opportunity to say farewell to their listeners.

Once news broke about their upcoming departure, they were off the air and Jason “Snowy’’ Carter, John Riddell and Jodie Blewett were hired.

Former Mix trio Kim Dillon, Ali Carle (now Clarke) and Chris Dzelde defected to rival Triple M. Picture: Supplied

MIXED TAPE

Away from the behind-the-scenes dramas at Mix in the noughties, it’s nice to know there was an office romance that’s gone the distance.

It’s in the station corridors that the now Jodie Oddy (nee Blewett) met her hubby Greg. They went public with their relationship in early 2008.

An Australian ice hockey player, Greg was working as an account manager at Mix. Now that station’s top sales person he recently handed in his notice, which must be concerning given that an industry insider says revenue is already down by a quarter this year.

At the time of going public with their relationship, then brekky co-host Jodie told The Tiser Greg was `”one of the kindest people’’ she had ever met.

“I actually feel like I have three new men in my life and they’re all pretty amazing,’’ she said, referring to Greg and her then new co-hosts John Riddell and Jason “Snowy” Carter, adding: “I only want to kiss one of them though.”

Mix 102.3 was contacted for comment.