Sacked Gold Coast Sea FM radio star Bianca Dye reveals what went on and where to next
The real story behind the shock axing of radio legend and beloved Gold Coaster Bianca Dye: how she’s dealing with ‘dark days’, what’s next … and why she’s leaving the country
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It’s 3am.
Bianca Dye wakes in absolute fright. Heart pounding, body shaking, breaking into a cold sweat, she lies alone and breathes her way through another panic attack.
While she’s had these before, it used to be maybe one a year. But in the last 10 weeks, since she lost her job at 90.9 Sea FM, there have been three already.
Even when spared that extreme anxiety, which can be so intense it feels like a cardiac arrest, there is a moment every morning when it feels like she has been “punched in the face”.
It’s a moment anyone who has experienced grief knows all too well. That moment when, after a few blessed seconds of forgetfulness upon waking, reality and all of its trauma is remembered.
That’s the space that Bianca is in, after the shock axing of the Bianca, Ben & Lakey breakfast show.
But please don’t feel sorry for her.
In fact, rather than a pity party, she has invited listeners to join her on a journey of self-discovery that she’s calling a midlife pivot, as well as to tune in to her next adventure … hosting her own podcast, tentatively titled ‘Fifty, Sacked and Single’.
She also wanted to make it clear that while these recent weeks have been tough, she knew she was not alone.
“Whether it’s job loss or divorce or any other major midlife change, there’s comfort in doing this together. I want to show other women - and men - that change can mean new and amazing opportunities,” said Bianca, sitting down at Currumbin’s beachfront Kinship Cafe.
While she might not love how her four-year stint hosting the Sea FM breakfast show ended, especially given the multiple awards that the Bianca, Ben & Lakey team won, as well as Bianca herself, she said that was the way her chosen industry worked.
“That’s showbiz,” she said.
“You can’t be mad when you know that’s how the game is played. Could it have been handled better? Yes. But this is the fourth time this has happened to me. And it wasn’t just me, a lot of others lost their jobs as well.”
Bianca said while this time the grief of job loss has ‘hit different’, she was also incredibly inspired.
Despite experiencing some dark times in the last few weeks, and admitting she was not “out of the woods” just yet, she knew there was plenty of light around the corner.
“This time the grief hit me like never before,” she said.
“Maybe because of my age, it’s true that women over 50 can have a tough time in media. Did I lose my job because I just turned 50 and they’re going for a younger vibe? I don’t know.
“I was diagnosed with ADHD the week of my birthday … did that play a part? I doubt it. But ‘turned 50, got ADHD, got the sack’ is another great name for a podcast.
“All they said was ‘we’re going in a new direction’. That’s what they always say.
“I’m not going to pretend it’s all fine right now, it feels a bit like I’ve lost my identity. Who am I if I’m not the girl on radio or TV? But I know that it will be fine in the end, I’ll make sure of that.
“But also, it’s okay to struggle. I need to sit in my own s--- for a while and figure it out, not rush to the next thing.
“The last thing I want is for people to think that I’m bitter or have sour grapes. But I do want people to see the sticky bits in the middle … the part between one door closing and when you don’t quite know which door will open next.
“It would be easy for people to see the happy Bianca from Sea FM, then six or twelve months later see me pop up somewhere else happy again. But I want them to see this whole in-between, the part that is not easy and not so fun and is a lot of hard work. We have to remember that change creates growth and that can be beautiful and inspirational.
“The worst times can be your best times, those are the times that really define you. I want to invite people on this journey of growth with me, I want to encourage people not to give up but keep going, to see that the sun will shine again.”
To that end, Bianca said she was heading to Bali on January 3 in what she called her ‘B, Pray, Love’ chapter.
While she would consider all of her options, she said she was certain she would create her ‘Fifty, Sacked and Single’ podcast.
She said she was also incredibly grateful to have the time, funds and freedom for both this personal and professional exploration through travel and the podcast.
“I’m not where I want to be yet, I’m in the cocoon phase. That’s why I want to do the ‘Fifty, Sacked and Single’ podcast … let’s just embrace the pivot, let’s look at what it means to be in the middle,” she said.
“In so many ways I’m so excited to see what’s next, but of course it’s also frightening. I’m going to Bali to have my ‘B, Pray, Love’ moment, but I’m also going to peel back all of my layers to find out who I am when I’m not chasing content for a radio show. I’m going to find out what happens when I slow down and see what’s underneath.
“I keep getting stopped by people asking what I’m doing next, but the truth is I don’t entirely know yet. There are lots of opportunities out there but I need to just go away and not be Bianca from the radio for a little while.
“I’ve been working non-stop in this industry for 30 years without a break, so I want to know … do I want to stay in this industry? The answer is yes, but to what extent? How much capacity do I have? What is best for me?
“I don’t want to dive in headfirst straight away because when I work at a gig I give everything. I have lived and breathed my radio jobs because I’m very passionate. So if I’m going to do something for the next five to 10 years of my life, I need to be sure that I’m super passionate about it and that it’s sustainable for me.
“Answers come when you let go. Because I’ve been holding on so tight my whole life, I don’t know what it even feels like to let go. So that’s what this journey to Bali is all about.
“I’m fully prepared that I will probably have a nervous breakdown when I’m there, but maybe that’s what I need,” she laughed.
Bianca said she was not closing the door on broadcast radio entirely, but accepted that changes were happening across the industry.
She said the fact that the Bianca, Ben & Lakey breakfast team won the Best Podcast by a Radio Show award at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards, and that she was nominated for the Individual Talent of the Year award, the only Gold Coast host nominated, showed that the industry was in a state of flux.
Even the Sea FM show set for 2024, featuring Danny Lakey and Bronte Langbroek, would be different as it would be based on the Gold Coast but networked to other areas in Queensland, meaning less local content.
“At the radio awards, our show won best podcast, we beat Kyle and Jackie O. Then we were sacked,” she said.
“I was also nominated for best entertainment personality but didn’t win, which would have been my fifth time if I did. I remember a woman who was there, a host from another station, came up to me and gave me the biggest hug. She was saying ‘you’ll be fine, it’s gonna be okay, you’re so amazing’ … and I thought, wow, that’s a big over-reaction to not winning the award.
“But of course she knew that I was about to get the sack and so did many people in that room.
“When I was finally told, the boss actually said ‘let’s just rip the bandaid off’, everyone knew that everyone knew by that time; but I was one of the last to know.
“I’m still in touch with heaps of people at the station, Ali (Plath) and I text all the time, and Benny and I do too. It didn’t end badly … it’s just one of those showbiz decisions you have to accept.
“But it is a tough time to lose a job in this industry because it’s shrinking. It’s like a media GFC. I’ve had people very high up in the industry tell me what a great skillset I have, but it’s just a bad time.
“Radio is still chasing that young audience but they’re listening to podcasts and Spotify. This is a whole new age of media and I think it’s going to turn away from a live show to a digital daily podcast.”
Bianca said being fifty meant that she wanted to do something meaningful and she wanted to create a legacy.
She said while she loved the laughs and lightheartedness of breakfast radio, she also knew that many listeners wanted more depth and inspiration.
“I know in my heart that I’m meant to do something with podcasting, maybe a YouTube show and hosting events with deep Q & As, I’ve gone through IVF, endometriosis, anxiety, ADHD … I know I have a lot to share and that I can help people,” she said.
“I also need to shut the door on that person who put up with a lot of s---.
“I don’t mean at Sea, but just over the course of my career.
“Having said that, sometimes I wonder whether being feisty and outspoken affected my longevity. I stood up against things that I thought were wrong, like when others were being bullied, and maybe they thought I was difficult? But I wouldn’t change any of that because that’s who I am.”
Bianca said this major life change meant she was reconsidering all her relationships, whether with herself, with men or even the Gold Coast.
She said she was learning to better value herself.
“I’ve had relationships that have had domestic violence, verbal abuse and cheating. Never again. I know now what I deserve,” she said.
“I deserve to be picky. If I go on a date with a nice guy, that’s great but I’m ready to call it a day if I can recognise that he’s not the one for me.
“I definitely want to stay on the Gold Coast, but I’m also open to seeing where the next chapter takes me.
“I’ve even considered getting my real estate license - in which case, I’d be mad to leave this city. I just really need to think about what’s going to be right for me.”
In fact, despite these recent dark days, Bianca said it was Gold Coast listeners who helped her keep going.
She said she had been flooded with hundreds of messages of support.
“Honestly, it’s been a little like being at my own funeral - in the best way possible,” she said.
“When you die you don’t get to hear all the lovely things people say, but this was like having a living wake … maybe that’s kind of morbid, but it really helped me survive the grief.
“People said they felt like they had lost a best friend. I had a lady run up to me at the bottle shop to tell me how much I meant to her. She busted me buying a bottle of wine but, hey, I’d just lost my job … a girl’s allowed a glass or two of red to get through!
“In a way this has been a funeral, for who I thought I was. But I know I’ll rise again, and I want everyone to join me on that journey. Let’s become butterflies together.”
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