Analysis

Kyle & Jackie O’s boss ignites silent fury among his own investors

ARN’s dubious splurge on a rival’s shares has become the talk of the Australian radio industry.

Sam Buckingham-Jones and Mark Di Stefano

Jun 25, 2023 – 3.47pm

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Ciaran Davis spent this week on the phone explaining himself.

The chief executive of ARN Media – owner of the Kiis and Gold radio brands and manager of FM ratings jackpot Kyle and Jackie-O – startled the usually dreary Australian radio market. Davis came to the party with $38 million, buying a 14.8 per cent stake in Southern Cross Austereo, his biggest radio rival and the owner of Triple M and the Hit network.

Sam Buckingham-Jones is the media and marketing reporter at The Australian Financial Review.

Mark Di Stefano is Rear Window columnist, based in the Sydney newsroom. He previously worked at BuzzFeed, the Financial Times and The Information before joining the Financial Review as a media and tech correspondent.