Steve Price’s new 2GB afternoon radio show to be hijacked by new owner Nine
NEW majority owner of radio station 2GB, Nine, is wasting no time executing a soft “takeover” of the radio network, commandeering Steve Price’s new afternoon show to promote its slate of TV identities from tomorrow, including $60,000 a week man Karl Stefanovic.
Opinion
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NEW majority owner of radio station 2GB, Nine, is wasting no time executing a soft “takeover” of the radio network, commandeering Steve Price’s new afternoon show to promote its slate of TV identities from tomorrow.
With Price forcing 2GB management’s hand and demanding bosses at least partially honour a deal struck last year to have him switch from nights to a more prominent daytime slot, he takes over the afternoon slot from recently departed host Chris Smith and is set to be joined by Nine news identities Karl Stefanovic, Deb Knight, Erin Molan and league commentator Phil Gould.
As revealed here last month, radio executives had expressed an interest in recruiting Knight but with the new Today anchor stretched thin at Nine she was deemed “too busy” for a major role on 2GB — a station that currently has no women program anchors.
Knight will now join Price on Thursdays from noon to 3pm.
Price will kick off the week with Stefanovic, the man who Knight replaced on Today.
Nine has been looking for ways to milk some value from their largely idle $60,000-a-week star since he was axed from his Today show hosting gig in December.
Radio industry sources maintain Stefanovic was contemplating a jump to radio last year.
In October 2018 he was linked to Triple M’s Grill Team program as a potential replacement for outgoing host Matty Johns.
Triple M bosses knocked those rumours on the head.
On Tuesdays Price will be joined by sports newsreader Erin Molan, whose radio career at 2GB has been nurtured for the past year by mornings host Ray Hadley. Phil Gould will then join Price on Fridays.
Sources say 2GB bosses are concerned Price, a Melburnian, will struggle to maintain Smith’s afternoon audiences in Sydney.
All four Nine personalities have high profiles in Sydney while Stefanovic, a Queenslander, should also appeal to the Brisbane market, where the show is heard.
Nine is under pressure to improve softening TV news ratings on the east coast.
The network has long dominated Seven in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane but is now regularly beaten by them in Melbourne and has had its lead eroded by Seven in both Sydney and Brisbane.
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