Nikki Osborne’s Nova debut costs the station $2,000

Nikki Osborne’s first show as Nova 106.9’s breakfast host delivered chaos and comedy … and a costly outlay for the station.

Nikki Osborne with her radio co-hosts Ash Bradnam and David "Luttsy" Lutteral. Picture: Nova 106.9.

Nikki Osborne’s much-anticipated debut as Nova 106.9’s breakfast host delivered a lively mix of chaos, comedy, and controversy, but it also left the station $2000 out of pocket after her infamous “potty mouth” featured twice during the show.

The comedian and Qweekend columnist officially joined co-hosts Ash Bradnam and David “Luttsy” Lutteral on Monday, stepping into the high-profile role previously held by Olympic legend Susie O’Neill.

Osborne’s candid and unpredictable style was on full display, with the show’s cheekily titled promotion, ‘Nikki’s Dump Button Bingo’, taking centre stage.

The two-week campaign, launched to embrace Osborne’s unfiltered humour, while discouraging on-air swearing, awards $1000 to the first listener who calls after the dump button — a censor tool used to block profanity or inappropriate content — gets pressed.

By 8.20am, Osborne had triggered the button twice, once for dropping an F-bomb and another for saying ‘c-ck’, resulting in a windfall for two quick-thinking callers.

Nikki Osborne. Picture: Peter Wallis

While Osborne’s slip-ups may have cost the station financially, her debut was praised, with expressing their excitement and offering warm welcomes to the new host.

However, the stand-up comedy star’s arrival has not been without its critics.

Fans of Susie O’Neill, who spent more than a decade in the breakfast slot, expressed reservations about the new host on social media in the lead up to Osborne’s debut.

“She’s no Susie, but good luck to her. I’m tuning out,” one listener posted on Instagram.

Another said, “Great … you just lost a loyal listener,” while another said Osborne “isn’t a vibe.”

Still, many welcomed the shake-up, with some overseas fans even asking how they could stream the show.

“It’s a fresh, fun vibe,” one listener commented.

“The drive to work will be fabulous!”

Susie O'Neill live on air for the last time with Ash and Luttsy at South bank before retiring from her radio job with Nova. Picture Lachie Millard

A key concern for fans was the fate of the beloved ‘Smarter Than Suse’ trivia segment.

The popular competition, which pitted listeners against O’Neill’s sharp trivia skills, was a staple of the program.

Listeners were relieved to learn on Monday the segment would survive, albeit with a new name: Smarter Than Who?

While new to the game, she handled the challenge with humour and quick thinking during its inaugural run under her tenure.

Speaking to The Courier-Mail after the show, Osborne said she was so nervous she barely slept overnight.

“I woke up at three … well, I didn’t really sleep. I just lay there thinking, ‘Oh cr-p, I have to do breakfast radio in the morning,’” she admitted.

“I was up, just wandering around, thinking, ‘Gosh, I hope I don’t offend anyone or say something really dumb.”

Osborne also realised she didn’t have a pass to access the building and found herself alone in the studio for nearly an hour.

“I got here at five. Nobody was here. I just sat in the studio on my own for 54 minutes until my co-host arrived at 5.58am. Then it was straight in — no warm-up, no ‘Hey Nicky, first day.’ Just, ‘Here you go, monkey, perform!’” she joked.

That aside, Osborne was upbeat about her debut. “The programming director was smiling through the window, so I assume it went well,” she said.

Her proudest moment however was simple text from her mum.

“Mum just sent me a text saying, ‘Congratulations on your first day of a salary job.’,” she said.