Sydney’s unlikely new radio king, Ugly Phil O’Neil after beating Ray Hadley in latest poll
In a shock result, a radio presenter who grew to fame in the 1990s has claimed the crown of top radio show from radio heavyweight, Ray Hadley. Here’s the new king of morning radio.
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In a surprising ratings upset, Ugly Phil has dethroned 2GB heavyweight Ray Hadley, becoming Sydney’s new top morning host on WSFM and marking the first time in decades that Hadley has been beaten in his timeslot.
Phil O’Neil, who built his radio career across Australia and the UK, quietly clinched the victory with a 12.7 per cent share, nudging past Hadley’s 11.1 per cent and SmoothFM’s 11.2 per cent.
“It’s like I’ve always said in my radio career, if it’s lying around on the floor broken in pieces, don’t fix it,” O’Neil told Confidential, making light of the fickle industry.
“All I ever wanted to do when I was a kid was be on radio, since I was 17 years of age. So I still get as much fun doing it now as I did way back then when I did my first ever radio show back in 1980.”
O’Neil’s journey in radio began in the 1990s, where he hosted the Hot30 Countdown and later held prime slots on stations like Nova 969 and Triple M.
His success in Australia and the UK led him to return to the local airwaves, where he now leads the WSFM mornings.
As he puts it, his on-air nickname, Ugly Phil, became part of his enduring brand.
“It is funny because I spoke to somebody, who said, ‘that Ugly Phil thing is sort of becoming a bit old now’. And then somebody else said to me, ‘well, you’ve spent like 30 years building a brand and why would you want to discard that?” he told The Daily Telegraph in 2021.
The win is especially remarkable given Hadley’s longstanding dominance.
The 2GB morning host, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, responded graciously:
“As winners for 20 years we’ve tried to be dignified and today we will try to deal with this in the same way. It is not the end of the world, just the end of a record-breaking run … it would be completely lacking in grace not to congratulate Ugly Phil O’Neil for his victory today.”
In response, O’Neil joked: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard what Ray said. That’s very kind of you Ray, I’m absolutely honoured mate. Thankyou so much, you’ve had an amazing career, and I promise the next time I’m in your cab I will pay the full fare.”
O’Neil’s return to Australian radio in 2020 also put him back in the same building as his ex-wife Jackie O Henderson, who co-hosts the leading FM breakfast show on ARN’s KIIS 106.5.
The two were once the golden couple of Australian radio, meeting when Jackie O called in to a Gold Coast radio station where O’Neil was working.
They married soon after but separated in 1999. Their former working relationship and his charismatic style have made O’Neil a distinctive voice in radio.
His four hour WSFM shift starts at 9am while Jackie O is on air from 6am to 9am.
O’Neil won the ACRA Award for Best Music Host at last month’s industry awards.
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