Revealed: Australia’s 20 highest earning radio personalities

They’re the country’s top radio personalities — but what they actually get paid might surprise you, writes Annette Sharp. See how much your fave radio star earns.

When it comes to assessing the value of the stars of Australian radio, there is only one rule: If you consistently dominate your timeslot and attract the largest portion of the available listening audience, you will be well remunerated.

Just how well remunerated depends on how many advertisers are knocking at your door for a premium-priced spot on your show.

In the case of radio’s reigning king and queen Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’, their winning margin over rivals is estimated to be worth as much as $80 million a year in the KIIS FM coffers, so paying them $5 million each is just good business sense.

A look at the nation’s highest paid radio stars reveals that to make it big on radio, one must first crack the gruelling breakfast slot … and then pack your bags for Sydney.

Read on to see how much your favourite makes.

Top earners Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and Kyle Sandilands, who were crowned best on-air team (FM) at the 33rd annual Australian Commercial Radio Awards last week. Picture: Supplied

1. KYLE SANDILANDS: $5 MILLION

As Kyle Sandilands’ $5 million-a-year salary (plus bonuses) shows, it pays to be a rude and crude — and bold and funny — shock jock on Australian radio.

Sandilands and his radio partner Jackie “O” took a risk when they made the jump to the rebranded KIIS FM/MixFM in 2014, but the leap paid huge dividends for the pair — and the station, with a quarter of a million listeners switching radio stations from 2DayFM overnight to follow them.

2. JACKIE ‘O’: $5 MILLION

After a decade of trailing Sandilands’ salary package, ‘O’ finally achieved pay parity with her male co-host in 2016 when the pair re-signed with KIIS FM.

The partnership’s controversial breakfast show has for the past four years consistently been the highest rating FM radio station.

The pair, who claim the secret of their 18-year partnership is they just “say what they’re thinking”, achieved a record-breaking cume (cumulative) audience of 738,000 in their most recent survey.

Ray Hadley is broadcast around Australia. Picture: Nine Network

3. RAY HADLEY: $4 MILLION

2GB’s Hadley is the last of the old guard still standing on Sydney’s formerly conservative AM talk show station GB, and his $4 million-a-year reflects that.

While station ownership and the line-up has changed around the mornings host since Nine acquired the station, the “tell it like it is” veteran Hadley has endured.

With 144 consecutive surveys behind him, a question mark hangs over his future ahead of contract negotiations next year.

4. AMANDA KELLER: $2.5 MILLION

As one half of 2WSFM’s popular breakfast show Jonesy & Amanda, talented and warm media all-rounder Keller pulls down the lion’s share of the breakfast show budget on WS with a $2.5 million slice of the pot.

It’s said that Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones doesn’t mind earning a bit less than his on-air partner and good mate Amanda Keller. Picture: Getty

Proving, like their ARN stablemates Kyle & Jackie, that after 18 years together on air the years haven’t wearied them, Keller’s professionalism and good humour keep her at the top of her game and hugely relatable to a broad audience.

5. RYAN ‘FITZY’ FITZGERALD: $2 MILLION

Former AFL player and one-time Big Brother contestant ‘Fitzy’ is the only old-style Aussie larrikin to make our top 10, and is one of a rare handful of sportsmen to have successfully made the lucrative leap to breakfast radio on a program not exclusively designed for sports fans.

On $2 million a year, Fitzgerald is the “everyman” on NOVA’s breakfast radio show where, alongside Michael “Wippa” Wipfli, he plays resident unfiltered “shit-stirrer”.

Knockabout blokes Ryan Fitzgerald and Michael Wipfli.

6. MICHAEL ‘WIPPA’ WIPFLI: $2 MILLION

After starting out as a panel op on the Hamish & Andy show, Wipfli, who is on $2 million like his breakfast radio partner Fitzy, found success on NOVA after being thrown together with a radio partner who shares his sense of humour and love of the ridiculous, although Wipfli says the two men are very different.

They’ve found their rusted-on audience by pulling on their dad hats and talking to mums driving their kids to school in cars.

7. DAVE ‘HUGHESY’ HUGHES: $2 MILLION

Comedian Dave Hughes, on $2 million, likely hasn’t banked a lot of incentive bonuses since moving to 2DayFM’s breakfast show alongside Ed Kavalee in 2021.

In relocating from Melbourne to Sydney — and drive to breakfast — the team shed more than just longtime co-host Kate Langbroek, who was replaced by Sydneysider Erin Molan.

The team has struggled to break ground, although 2DayFM looks set to continue with them in 2023.

8. CHRISTIAN O’CONNELL: $2 MILLION

Having relocated from Britain to Australia in 2018 on a golden $2 million contract, radio veteran O’Connell has left his mark on Melbourne radio, where he’s quickly shaken up the breakfast radio slot and helped Gold104.3FM to the largest slice of the breakfast radio market and a 10.2 per cent audience share.

That’s a clear 1.3 point lead over longtime favourite Fifi Box.

O’Connell’s show is also repeated on Sydney’s WSFM weeknights, although currently trails sixth in the ratings.

Christian O’Connell quickly made his mark on Melbourne radio.

9. FIFI BOX: $2 MILLION

Media darling Fifi Box is the star of the HITFM breakfast show Fifi, Fev & Nick, alongside comedian Nick Cody and retired AFL player Brendan Fevola.

With her profile bolstered nationally by stints on Channel 7’s Dancing With The Stars and Sunrise, Box has become Australian radio’s quintessential quirky girl next door.

National intrigue in Box peaked in 2012, when it emerged she was to become a single mother to a daughter fathered by Australian ironman legend Grant Kenny.

Quirky girl-next-door Fifi Box.

10. NEIL MITCHELL: $2 MILLION

After 35 years on radio, Mitchell, on $2 million (plus bonuses) and the host of 3AW’s long-running Melbourne morning talk show program, is an institution in Victoria.

The commentator has dominated the ratings in Melbourne for decades, and locked in his pay rate back in the day when radio bosses could afford to be generous.

His current contract expires next year, but the almost 71-year-old has indicated he’ll be hanging around for years, maybe decades, yet.

11. MARTY SHEARGOLD: $2 MILLION

After being promoted from drive to Triple M’s breakfast slot in 2021, Sheargold saw his stocks sharply increase along with his salary.

Now on $2 million a year, the comedian, who for the past two decades has worked as part of an ensemble, has said he enjoys working alone and being in control of his own destiny.

Triple M has much riding on Sheargold, who managed to lift his audience share by a point to seventh place and 6.3 in the latest radio ratings.

Comedian Marty Sheargold says he likes flying solo. Picture: Supplied

12. BRENDAN JONES: $2 MILLION

Amanda Keller’s radio partner hasn’t quite achieved pay parity with Keller yet, and is said to happily trail behind his breakfast partner on a package worth $2 million.

Jones had served his apprenticeship in radio before landing at Triple M, when he met Keller, who he later persuaded to join him in breakfast at WSFM.

While Keller has been off enjoying success on TV, Jones, her trusted work partner and friend, has kept the hearth fire burning at home at WS.

13. CHRISSIE SWAN: $2 MILLION

Swan heads into 2023 with a new national radio show on NOVA to look forward to from January, although a question mark still hangs over her longtime NOVA 100 breakfast show partners Sam Pang and Jonathan Brown after it was announced they were leaving the Melbourne station.

For seven years the trio anchored the breakfast show, but are to be replaced next year by the younger Ben Harvey, Liam Stapleton and Belle Jackson ex-Adelaide.

Chrissie Swan has inked a new deal to broadcast nationally …

… while Carrie Bickmore is going to have some time on her hands.

14. CARRIE BICKMORE: $1.5 MILLION

The market is consumed with talk of where Bickmore, who has quit Ten’s The Project, will turn up next on the radio landscape — and whether money will be a key motivation.

With Bickmore’s radio contract on SCA’s drive show put at $1.5 million, she may be happy to do as insiders say she plans to, and spend more time with her three children.

That would leave her co-presenting SCA’s national drive show Carrie & Tommy with Tommy Little on Fox/2DayFM.

15. TOMMY LITTLE: $1.5 MILLION

Having made his name on Melbourne’s comedy circuit, Little, on $1.5m, found fame in Melbourne after being tapped to sub in for Dave Hughes on radio and later Peter Helliar on The Project, bringing national attention.

In 2017, he and Bickmore were partnered for the Carrie & Tommy show, which was later extended, becoming SCA’s top ratings drive show.

Rumour is, radio bosses have plans to transplant the show to the breakfast slot at a future date.

16. BEN FORDHAM: $1.5 MILLION

At $1.5 million, Sydney radio’s top-rating AM breakfast anchor Ben Fordham is paid a fraction of what his predecessor Alan Jones ($4 million plus bonuses) was on, but at 45, Fordham still has a long career ahead of him.

His audience share slipped slightly in the latest radio ratings to 16.9 points — with a cume of 492,000, which is around 33 per cent lower than FM’s Kyle & Jackie O’s 738,000 — but looks very settled in his slot on Nine Radio.

17. KATE RITCHIE: $1 MILLION

Home And Away darling Kate Ritchie, on NOVA’s drive show, tops the list of presenters who are making $1 million a year.

Ritchie stunned fans two weeks ago when she announced she was taking an extended break from Nova’s Kate, Tim & Joel show before returning in 2023.

Currently appearing as a judge on Channel 7’s Australia’s Got Talent, Ritchie is also planning to return to acting in the Seven miniseries, The Claremont Murders.

No playing favourites on the Kate, Tim and Marty show — all three earn $1 million each. Picture: Supplied

18. TIM BLACKWELL: $1 MILLION

Radio funnyman Tim Blackwell has been part of the furniture at Nova for 20 years, and has anchored the drive show since 2011 when he and then on-air partners Marty Sheargold and Meshel Laurie replaced Fitzy & Wippa.

In 2014, Ritchie joined the show, replacing Laurie, and in 2020 Joel Creasey replaced Sheargold.

Sharing pay parity with Kate Ritchie on $1 million a year, Blackwell likes not being in the news, so probably won’t enjoy this mention.

19. JOEL CREASEY: $1 MILLION

Comedian Joel Creasey is also on $1 million, after scoring a job alongside numbers 17 and 18 on Nova’s Kate, Tim & Joel show.

While Blackwell brings experience to the show and Ritchie brings mainstream popularity, it is Creasey, a decade younger at 32, who brings a younger, gayer audience – a strong point of difference in a predominantly heterosexual media space.

20. BOGART TORELLI: $1 MILLION

She’s often overlooked when radio executives are spruiking their high achievers, but SmoothFM’s Bogart Torelli was bettered only by KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O for cumulative audience figures in the latest survey — up 58,000 to 579,0000, which was on par with Fitzy & Wippa.

That represents millions in ad revenue to station bosses, who reward her with a $1 million contract.

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