Jackie O reveals how to succeed in the man’s world of radio

Women are rarely focused on when it comes to talking about successes of commercial and FM radio, but Gemma O’Neill and Jackie O are plotting to change the rules inside and outside the studio.

Gemma O'Neill and Jackie 'O' Henderson have launched new business 'Besties' – that will bring Gwyneth Paltrow to Australia in October. Picture: Emily Abay

Radio is still a “boy’s club” says Gemma O’Neill, one of the industry’s most successful executives, and it is that which inspired her to establish new media ventures that focus on women.

The former national content director of Southern Cross Austereo’s HIT network left commercial radio – after installing a number of female radio bosses around the country – in late 2021.

After more than 25 years she has now launched her own talent management and production company.

Throughout her radio career she forged strong working and personal relationships with Nicole Kidman, Carrie Bickmore, Allison Langdon, Samantha Armytage and Jackie “O” Henderson, and now represents the last three.

She also counts Kidman and Henderson as among her best friends, which was the genesis for Besties, the events operation she has established with Henderson and announced in July. They will bring wellness aficionado and Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow to Australia for the first time in 20 years for a close to sold out “up close and personal” night later this month.

O‘Neill says she and Henderson have talked for years about starting a business, including opening a salad shop, but now is the time.

“We saw this groundswell of activity particularly with women,” O’Neill says.

“We wanted to tap into the sentiment of just making women feel good. We felt there are so many options out there which are all valid and have their place, but it’s a place that pushing women to do more – further your career, be a better leader – there was no option for women who just want to have fun and enjoy having fun with the person who is just as important to them as their romantic partner, their best friend.”

Not that Henderson – the undisputed queen of Australian radio, on KIIS 1065 – is relinquishing her crown in the competitive Sydney radio market. She treats every day as if it’s her last on air, partly due to the what she calls the “fickleness” of the industry.

The most recent radio ratings released earlier this month showed the volatile Sydney radio market continues to rise and fall, with The Kyle & Jackie O Show once again overtaking 2GB’s Ben Fordham to be the No.1 breakfast show.

With O’Neill driving the negotiations, Henderson and her co-host Kyle Sandilands are also set to ink a new (and reported $200m) radio deal in the coming months after their existing arrangements with the Australian Radio Network expires at the end of 2024.

The pair are already the highest-paid talent in the Australian media with each earning an estimated $5m each annually, a sum topped up with incentives and extra commercial arrangements.

Sandilands runs his own entertainment company King Kyle and now Henderson is entering her entrepreneurial era with Besties.

She has had a number of successful side gigs in the past, including as inaugural judge on Popstars Australia, during which she formed an enduring bond with Bardot’s breakout star ­Sophie Monk.

She was a Weight Watchers “ambassador” and appeared on other TV formats, but is excited to finally create something of her own that’ll bring together what she loves the most – talking, ­empowerment and female friendship.

@sunriseon7

Jackie O joined Natalie Barr to reveal the three simple changes she made to lose a staggering amount of weight in just six months. #Sunrise#Sunriseon7#JackieO#NatalieBarr

♬ original sound - Sunrise - Sunrise

The timing is right for the ­single mother. Her daughter Catalina, 12, is “finding some independence”, and Henderson is looking to branch out from radio, a medium she has helped transform in Australia.

The Kyle and Jackie O Show is not only a ratings winner, its hosts have become celebrities and social media stars. The show is now heavily amplified on every social media platform with close to two million followers consuming and liking their work every day.

@kyleandjackieo

The Logies afterparty was looose 😜 #KJshow#Logies#logies2023

♬ original sound - Kyle & Jackie O

“You have to be front and centre and you have to be top of people’s minds,” Henderson says. “I used to go into work and I didn’t have to put on any makeup or do my hair because no one could see me but now you know that every day there’s going to be a video. It’s like I’m on bloody TV.”

When the pair started out first on Southern Cross Austereo before jumping ship to ARN, the selling point was their ability to attract the most popular celebrity interviews.

They have since thrown out the FM radio rule book and spend more time – sometimes even 20 minutes at the top of every show – talking about Sandilands’ baby and Henderson’s love life. It makes broadcast experts blanch, but their audience is loving it. This year’s sixth survey period saw the network attract an extra 37,000 listeners.

“The celebrity interview is a little bit over,” Henderson says. We’re battling this now at the radio station. Some think the show is about the big stars coming on. Others believe it’s about the personal banter, the silly conversations that can go anywhere. I prefer that style of radio, I believe that’s where the show is headed quite naturally at the moment.

“Listeners lean towards that familiarity, thinking ‘I know these guys. I know they’re going to give me a laugh and lift my spirits’,” Henderson says.