Shock twist in Melbourne’s radio war

Jase and Lauren, who were axed from KIIS FM to make way for Kyle and Jackie O, just pulled off an incredible comeback.

Jase Hawkins and Lauren Phillips are the new king and queen of Melbourne radio.

Their Nova 100 show is now the number one FM breakfast show in Melbourne, after they leapfrogged market leader Christian O’Connell in the latest round of radio ratings released on Tuesday morning.

Jase and Lauren gained 0.3 per cent audience share to top the ratings with 9.9 per cent.

Fox FM’s Fifi, Fev and Nick are in second spot with 9.6 per cent audience share, and Gold FM’s Christian O’Connell slipped to third with an 8.3 per cent share.

KIIS 101.1’s Kyle and Jackie O rose 0.2 per cent and are the fifth highest rated FM breakfast show in Melbourne with a 6.1 per cent share.

Clint, Lauren and Jase.

Fox FM’s team is no. 2.

A remarkable achievement

The result caps off an incredible comeback for Jase and Lauren, who were axed from KIIS FM at the end of last year to make way for Kyle and Jackie O’s expansion into the Melbourne market.

The pair previously told news.com.au they were “devastated” when they were let go, with Lauren even contemplating leaving Australia.

“Late last year I was ready to leave the country and move overseas,” Lauren told us back in July.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do. I felt pretty lost in the world.”

Then, in early 2024, Jase, Lauren, and their co-host Clint Stanaway, were offered a lifeline by Nova 100 who expressed interest in hiring them to host their breakfast show.

“It happened very quickly and it happened with a really honest conversation,” Jase told news.com.au.

“We all just sat down together and we said, ‘Let’s have a chat about this, see how it feels, and it doesn’t feel right for us, let’s all just walk away.’”

The trio decided to give it a go, hosting their first show on Nova on March 8.

Since then, the show has steadily climbed up the ratings and now they’re the number one FM breakfast show in the city.

Nova's Jase, Lauren and Clint are the number one FM breakfast show in Melbourne.

How they reacted to the ratings result

Speaking to news.com.au after Tuesday’s ratings result, the Nova trio said they “overwhelmed”.

“We were shocked when we got the phone call,” Lauren said. “We thought they were joking!”

“I broke down,” Jase said. “It’s just it’s been a really, really long road to get here.

“It’s quite overwhelming all the support everyone’s shown,” he continued. “And we keep saying it’s not lost on us.

“When people come up and say ‘hi’ in the street, and say they followed us over (from KIIS to Nova) or they listen to the show, it is not lost on us how much that means.”

Clint also paid tribute to the Nova bosses who gave their radio show a second chance.

“It was an investment of faith and we just feel so grateful for that and so well supported,” he told news.com.au.

The trio will celebrate their incredible result when they head on a team trip to Mt Buller tomorrow.

“I think we’ll have a little dinner tomorrow night all together,” Lauren said, with Jase adding, “and it’ll turn into karaoke in someone’s room, no doubt”.

Originally published as Shock twist in Melbourne’s radio war