‘It doesn’t make sense’: Top-rating radio team axed

A popular radio team are “in shock” and processing the news off-air, after being told their top-rating program is getting the axe.

Triple M’s Adelaide drivetime radio hosts have been left reeling after the station axed their program – despite it rating first in its timeslot.

The Rush Hour hosts Andrew Jarman, Bernie Vince and Greg Blewett learned this week that their show will finish at the end of 2024, and will then be replaced by Triple M Melbourne’s Rush Hour offering, hosted by Billy Brownless and James Brayshaw.

The station’s decision to axe a radio show that rated well ahead of its competitors in the most recent ratings surveys had left the on-air team stumped.

“It doesn’t make sense to any of us,” Blewett told the Adelaide Advertiser.

“Obviously our show was going great and we were rating really well but it’s a management decision in regards to the business. Unfortunately we’re the ones that have to pay the price.”

Blewett told the Advertiser that the Rush Hour team would take the rest of the week off to process the bad news, before returning to the airwaves next week and continuing until a mid-November farewell.

Andrew Jarman, Bernie Vince and Greg Blewett are getting the boot. Pic: Triple M

Listeners will instead hear Melbourne duo James Brayshaw and Billy Brownless. Picture: Tony Gough

Jarman in particular is a radio veteran, having been on-air with Triple M for 22 years.

The same fate has befallen Perth’s The Rush Hour with Embers & Katie, with hosts Andrew Embley and Katie Lamb also being told their services were no longer needed in the new year.

“Triple M thanks the teams from 104.7 Triple M Adelaide’s The Rush Hour with Bernie, Blewey & Jars and 92.9 Triple M Perth’s The Rush Hour with Embers & Katie for their exceptional work and commitment to deliver amazing entertainment to their loyal listeners,” a spokesperson for Triple M’s parent company Southern Cross Austereo said in a statement.

Perth's Rush Hour team, Embers and Katie, will also finish up soon.

“Bernie Vince, Greg Blewett, Andrew Jarman, Andrew Embley and Katie Lamb have all been outstanding broadcasters as part of the Triple M family and we thank them for their incredible contributions.”

The news comes after another big Triple M shuffle in recent months, with comedian Marty Sheargold quitting the station’s Melbourne breakfast show in July.

Comedian Wil Anderson, former AFL star Dale ‘Daisy’ Thomas and Triple M veteran Rosie Walton are now temporarily co-hosting the program until October 4, with permanent hosts for 2025 yet to be announced.

Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek are among those who’ve been rumoured to be in the running.