2Day FM axes breakfast show starring Grant Denyer, Ed Kavalee and Ash London

Kyle Sandilands has sunk the boot into 2Day FM radio hosts Grant Denyer, Ed Kavalee and Ash London whose show has been axed.

Kyle Sandilands has sunk the boot into Grant Denyer, Ed Kavalee and Ash London after their 2Day FM breakfast show was axed.

It was announced today that the 2Day FM show, which has struggled in the ratings, will be replaced with three hours of music from Monday morning onwards.

Reacting to the announcement on Twitter, Sandilands wrote: “Hahahahahaha … Another one bites the dust #seeya.”

Speaking to news.com.au afterwards, he added that 2Day FM’s decision to ditch the breakfast show in favour of a music show is “another bad move” by the station he used to broadcast on until the end of 2013.

“If you want just music only, there’s Spotify, there’s all that sort of s**t,” he said. “I think it’s a terrible move, because it’s not what people want. If they want just music, there’s plenty of platforms. It’s just another bad move, more of the same bad moves.”

The Grant, Ed and Ash Show has just a 3.1 per cent audience share at the moment.

The decision to axe The Grant, Ed and Ash Show was made “rather recently” according to the head of the Hit Network, Gemma Fordham.

“It was tough because it’s through no lack of hard work from the on-air team,” Fordham told news.com.au. “But at the same time, we can’t have our heads in the sand and ignore the fact that the audience are telling us very loudly that they are only coming back to us because they love the music that we’re playing.”

Fordham was adamant the dumped hosts were “extremely professional” when they were told about the decision.

“They were absolutely understanding and supported the decision and said, ‘If we were in your shoes we’d be doing the same thing’,” she told news.com.au.

As for whether or not the hosts will rock up to work tomorrow for their last shift, Fordham was positive: “I don’t see why they shouldn’t be (on air),” she told news.com.au.

“I’ve encouraged them to make sure that they’re on air tomorrow and I think that they’ll go on air and have a huge amount of fun and enjoy it.”

After the announcement was made, Denyer took to Instagram and joked, “It’s nice to join an elite group of people who’ve been sacked from radio”.

“Well that was bloody fun!” he wrote. “Last ever show on 2Day FM tomorrow. I have really enjoyed it.

“Tried my hardest, did my best and over-shared more than I should have.

“Thanks 2Day FM, thanks to the incredible humans on our team and thanks to my wife Chezzi for allowing me to tell stories about her, like when her boob came out on the rollercoaster. Least I won’t have to come home to ‘that look’ anymore,” he wrote.

The 2Day FM breakfast team with Guy Sebastian.

The sacked announcers will all remain part of the Hit Network with Ash London continuing to host Ash London Live nationally from 6.30pm weeknights, Ed Kavalee continuing to fill in for Kate Langbroek with Hughesy from 4.30pm and Grant Denyer making appearances around the Network.

The Grant, Ed and Ash show is the sixth breakfast show in as many years that has been tried and turfed by 2Day FM due to poor ratings, a fact that wasn’t lost on Fordham.

“I know there’s been a lot of shows and we’ve obviously got it wrong with each of our attempts, not through a lack of those people being talented on each occasion and not through a lack of people working their arses off,” she told news.com.au. “But ultimately we have to look at what the audience are telling us and where we see the opportunity.”

In the most recent round of radio ratings that were released in July, 2Day FM’s Grant, Ed and Ash breakfast show had just a 3.1 per cent audience share.

That’s a long way behind FM market leaders Kyle and Jackie O from KIIS FM (10.9 per cent), WSFM’s Jonesy and Amanda (8.5) and Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa (7.5).

The 2Day FM breakfast slot has been dubbed “the poisoned chalice” of radio ever since Kyle and Jackie O defected to KIIS FM at the end of 2013 and took the majority of their listeners with them.

Breakfast shows that have failed on 2Day FM since are:

2014: Merrick Watts, Jules Lund and Sophie Monk with Mel B

2015: Dan Debuf and Maz Compton

2016: Rove McManus and Sam Frost

Merrick Watts, Sophie Monk and Jules Lund at 2Day FM in 2014.

Rove and Sam. Picture: Adam Yip

Em Rusciano and Harley Breen.

2017: Em Rusciano and Harley Breen

2018: Em Rusciano, Ed Kavalee and Grant Denyer

2019: Grant Denyer, Ed Kavalee and Ash London

2Day FM’s Music for Breakfast, which will start on Monday, will be hosted by Jamie Angel who was an announcer on 2Day FM in the late 90s/early 2000s.

Angel is a surprising choice given he’s been Triple M Sydney’s Head of Content for many years before accepting the offer to return to 2Day.

“He’s the best person for the job,” Fordham told news.com.au about Angel.

“It wasn’t a decision that he made lightly – I had to have a few chats with him because he’s currently in another role (Triple M). But he’s pretty legendary for being the best there is and he’s so passionate about 2Day and he’s ready to go back on air and deliver his gold again.

“The music (in the new show) will be exactly what we’re delivering on workday which is those surprise and delight songs that no one else is playing,” Fordham told news.com.au.