Eddie McGuire’s Hot Breakfast is under a cloud at Triple M while a big radio rival is inking a new deal
With a cloud hanging over the future of Eddie McGuire’s Hot Breakfast radio show after more than a decade of ratings success, a rival Melbourne radio titan is sitting pretty and about to ink a new lucrative deal.
Fiona Byrne
Don't miss out on the headlines from Fiona Byrne. Followed categories will be added to My News.
With a cloud hanging over the future of masterful media star Eddie McGuire’s Hot Breakfast radio show, another Melbourne radio titan is sitting pretty.
As McGuire shapes up with Triple M over his contract and his much-loved, heartland Melbourne show, leviathan newsbreaker Neil Mitchell is poised to sign a new deal with talkback powerhouse 3AW.
Mitchell was more concerned with the progress of his beloved Demons than discussing his AW deal which is close to being agreed to, when called yesterday.
“I have had a chat (to management),” Mitchell said.
“I want to be there and they want me to be there (next year).”
While many in radio land are eagerly waiting for the September 29 release of ratings, the first since April, Mitchell is remaining squarely focused on his audience.
“At one stage (during COVID-19) we were getting three emails a minute and the board was jammed with callers for the whole show,” he said.
“Who knows if that is going to translate (into ratings).”
Mitchell was part of an extraordinary piece of radio last week when a caller went to air and described in real time a police shooting at the Lilydale market.
It was chilling radio and one of the most impactful moments Mitchell has been part of.
“We had no idea that was going to happen when we put her to air,” he said.
“It was on a par with the calls we took from the King Lake area on Black Saturday, not in the terms of the scale of the tragedy, but in the drama.”
Mitchell has since been in touch with the caller, Pauline, to see that she is OK after witnessing and describing the distressing incident live-to-air.
Meanwhile, over at Triple M the mystery of whether or not McGuire and his co-host Luke Darcy will be in the breakfast shift next year remains unanswered, although there are plenty of rumour suggesting change is on the cards after more than a decade.
Triple M chose not to replace Wil Anderson who departed the show at the end of last year and the Hot Breakfast has reflected the seriousness of the times Melburnians are living through this year by becoming much more news focused.
The show has broken plenty of stories this year, with Darcy’s challenging interview with
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews still making ripples. Hats off to you Luke.
Rumours that former Nova Drive host Marty Sheargold could be in the running to pop up the Triple M breakfast shift next year were quickly slapped down by Triple M’s Group Content Director, Mike ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick on Friday.
The to-the-point Fitzpatrick told Radio Today the suggestion was nothing more than “fake news.”