2GB host Ray Hadley walks out while live on his morning radio show

Broadcaster Ray Hadley made an abrupt exit from his top-rating morning show, forcing a scramble to replace him.

Ray Hadley is the host of 2GB’s morning show.

Broadcaster Ray Hadley made an abrupt exit midway through his radio program on Monday after telling listeners he had endured a “fiasco for 30 minutes” that included technical issues, forcing his employer to replace him at short notice.

Bizarrely, the radio host told listeners on multiple occasions he was headed back to Sydney where he would present his show for the remainder of the week, but this decision was later refuted by his employer, Nine Entertainment, who said he was staying in Queensland.

Presenting his weekly show from Brisbane’s Ekka, the state’s annual agricultural show, for the week, the 2GB mornings host appeared frustrated on air as his program failed to run smoothly.

He repeatedly apologised to listeners throughout the first hour of his three-hour program.

“All I can do is apologise most sincerely for the first 30 minutes of the program which has been a complete and utter fiasco,” Hadley said from Brisbane’s showgrounds.

“I do apologise, I’m broadcasting from the Ekka which I didn’t get a chance to tell you ‘cos nothing seemed to work.

“I hope it is currently working and we’ll see what happens from hereon in but I do apologise most sincerely to network stations and the listeners on 2GB and 4BC for basically what has been a fiasco for 30 minutes, and obviously we’ll be having some discussions at midday about the fiasco I’ve presided over.”

Crowds at The Ekka in Brisbane. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Hadley went on to tell listeners, “I’ll make my way back to Sydney and I’ll be broadcasting from the studio in Sydney tomorrow given the problems we’ve encountered this morning”.

However a Nine Entertainment spokeswoman told The Australian this was not the case and Hadley “will be on air at the Ekka for the rest of the week”.

The problems for the station continued throughout his show before he told listeners about 30 minutes into the program he would be departing the live show and instead be replaced by presenter Mark Levy in Sydney after 10am (AEST).

“While I’m on air there are people here trying to fix things, unsuccessfully, I might add and there’s no point as we do from time to time get through three hours of this,” Hadley said.

Throughout the show there were continuous interruptions, silences and at one point Hadley came back on air and sharply said, “look we are going to take another break”.

Hadley’s show is broadcast not only on 2GB but also on Brisbane’s 4BC and network stations across Australia.

It’s remained the top-ratings mornings radio program in Sydney since 2003.