Sea FM’s Breakfast with Bianca, Ben and Lakey no more

Sea FM listeners have stood behind Dye, publicly posting their shock and disappointment after yesterday’s breakfast show shake-up. See the latest.

Much-loved Gold Coast radio host Bianca Dye was off air as of Tuesday morning after Monday’s shock revelations of her breakfast show shake-up.

Sea FM’s Breakfast with Bianca Dye, Ben Hannant and Danny Lakey show aired Tuesday morning without her, despite her name still appearing in its title.

Bianca Dye, Danny Lakey and Ben Hannant. Picture: Peter Wallis

Co-host Hannant, who is also being axed for 2024, and surviving co-host Lakey did Tuesday’s show on the Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) station.

Lakey - the show’s most recent addition after returning to the Gold Coast last year - will usher in the new year with a new radio partner to be announced soon, a Sea FM statement confirmed to the Bulletin earlier this week.

Dye shared a post to social media on Monday night saying: “For a star to be born, there is one thing that must happen: a gaseous nebula must collapse. So collapse. Crumble. This is not your destruction. This is your birth.”

Dye thanked one of her “lovely listeners” who sent her: “The person sending you this wants you to know that you are human sunshine. That you radiate warmth, and good energy and you make people feel happy. Don’t ever dim your beautiful light.”

Post Bianca Dye shared to social media following Monday's shock breakfast show shake-up.

Social media users and Sea FM listeners have stood behind Dye, publicly posting their shock and disappointment after yesterday’s breakfast show shake-up.

One user wrote on the Bulletin Instagram: “Why on earth would they let Bianca go? Bizarre decision. Bianca is a delight, makes me laugh every day and truly cares about women’s issues, a beautiful ray of sunshine to listen to and a genuinely gorgeous human. Thank you Bianca for talking about mental health especially, we love you and look forward to seeing where you will shine next.”

Another supporter posted they “didn’t expect it at all.”

“I opened the comments to see if it was Ben or Lakey. I like them all but I didn’t expect Bianca. She is the one that makes that show. Makes me laugh every day, but also dived deep into some really important topics that were so beneficial to me and so many women.

“Normally I don’t care about these things but this new(s) sucks. Bianca Dye - I have loved listening to you.

“Maybe not everyone got you, but every time you spoke the ones that needed to get you did. Thank you for sharing so much and being real and so honest. Please never change and please let us know where to next so we can follow.”

Other show listeners said without Dye the show would “die” and they would “turn off in protest.”

Bianca Dye 90.9 SeaFM, Gold Coast QLD, Southern Cross Austereo Winners of Best Community Service Project Provincial Award for Bianca, Dan & Bens Flood Watch at the ACRAS 2022. Picture: LP Commercial Photography

It’s understood Dye a longtime fixture of Queensland radio and Hannant - a former NRL star - will be finishing up before the end of the year at the Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) station.

Dye and Hannant would not comment when approached by the Bulletin on Monday, but the radio rumour mill has been in overdrive about the show axing.

When approached by the Bulletin, Hannant replied: “Maybe later in the week.”

Lakey declined to comment.

An anonymous source in the industry claimed: “Ben and Bianca gone.

“We’re approaching a population of one million people and it would appear we’re going to have very few local radio stations. It’s a very sad day for local radio,” the source said.

“Sea FM has been an institution – I don’t know what’s happening at Triple M, but it’s my bet they’re about to do a similar move there, cut back on staff and broadcast a generic breakfast or morning show.”

SCA head of regional content, Blair Woodcock said there would be a new breakfast line up for 2024 on 90.9 Sea FM.

After returning to the Gold Coast last year and joining the breakfast team, Lakey would usher in the new year with a new radio partner with an announcement soon.

Dye and Hannant would not return in the new year, opting to focus on new pathways, Woodcock confirmed.

Ben Hannant, Bianca Dye and Danny Lakey at the Sea FM SOGC boat party. Picture by Luke Marsden.

“Ben and Bianca have always gone the extra mile and have even put themselves on the line to help community groups and individuals up and down the Coast with their generous nature and positive energy, and they’ll be missed from the speakers in 2024.

“We are set for an exciting time as we plan the new show that will be waking up in this amazing part of the world,” Woodcock said.

The shake up follows a potential major network buyout.

Sources claim the weekday breakfast show has been axed with Gold Coast to take a national feed as a potential outcome of ARN Media’s bid to acquire SCA.

KIIS FM’s owner ARN Media teamed up with private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners to lob a non-binding takeover offer, it was announced last week.

A radio industry source added Dye was a “great talent, shoots from the hip, could be all over the place...but was a pro.”