Review: SAFM’s new brekky duo Bernie Vince and Emma G

Adelaide’s new brekky radio pairing Bernie Vince and Emma G have made their debut on SAFM claiming to be “best friends” but do they have the chemistry for ratings success?

Launching a breakfast radio show at the end of the year is a tough gig, but SAFM’s Bernie Vince and Emma Georgiadis sound like they are up to it.

Bernie and Emma G – Best Mates for Breakfast has made its debut on Monday, November 11.

The promo at the start included the phrase “How’s the energy” and it wasn’t an empty promise.

AFL star Vince and Georgiadis, who was a schoolteacher in a former life, were not only enthusiastic but effervescent from the moment the show kicked off just after 6am.

Telling listeners they had met while working together on (Triple M’s) drive show “six or seven years ago”, the two come across as old friends.

Emma Georgiadis. Picture: Supplied

Bernie Vince. Picture: Instagram

They genuinely sound excited to be on-air together, giving each other a friendly ribbing and even talking over one another – as tends to happen when good pals have a catch up.

Vince and Georgiadis have replaced Rebecca Morse and Mark Soderstrom, who spent almost two years on-air together before they made headlines after they both left the station – separately.

Morse and Soderstrom ended up in sixth spot last radio ratings.

Former SAFM breakfast hosts Mark Soderstrom and Rebecca Morse Picture: Supplied

When The Advertiser listened to Bec and Soda’s first show for 2024, our reviewer noted “a year ago, rumours of supposed tension between the two were rife but none of that comes across on-air and their banter remains playful and engaging for listeners”.

While that may have been so, the powers that be are now obviously looking to attract younger listeners to the pop station.

Soderstrom is 54 and Morse is 47, while the brekky newbies are both under 40. Vince is 39 and Georgiadis is 37.

Returning home to Adelaide after spending two years in Sydney “chasing radio”, Georgiadis has an on-air presence not dissimilar to Laura O’Callaghan, who is heard on sister station Triple M’s brekky show.

Triple M’s Chris Dittmar, Laura O'Callaghan and Mark Ricciuto. Picture: Supplied

Triple M’s Roo, Ditts & Loz is currently in top spot in the breakfast timeslot and has been there for 13 consecutive radio ratings surveys. Many believe O’Callaghan has played a big part.

SAFM has to be looking to emulate that success by pairing jock Vince with Georgiadis, who, like O’Callaghan, is refreshingly down-to-earth and can give as good as she gets.

With Vince regularly mentioning his wife Abbie and their kids, Georgiadis also talks about her partner, “my beautiful nerdy boyfriend”, Eddie Kleut.

Never taking herself too seriously, Georgiadis tells us they did the long-distance thing but have now been living together for eight days and are “going strong”, despite her hoarding takeaway containers. Her cat and his dog are also yet to meet.

Bernie Vince and wife Abbie. Picture: Instagram

Emma Georgiadis and partner Eddie Kleut. Picture: Supplied

The debut show revisited one of the duo’s on-air “clashes” from back in the day on Triple M drive when Vince “burned” Georgiadis for having Mondayitis after a big weekend and she bit back – with expletives beeped out.

The pair also don’t shy away from talking about Vince’s departure from Triple M’s Adelaide Rush Hour, which recently got the axe. As you would expect, there are no hard feelings aired and it is a clever strategy to encourage Vince’s fans to tune in to him on SAFM.

In the first half hour of Bernie and Emma G – Best Mates for Breakfast, Vince’s No.1 fan, wife Abbie, sent a message, “your voices sound great together” and she’s right. The challenge will be keeping up the OTT energy.

Did you listen? What did you think of the new show?