Today is a big day in radio. After years of dominating the Sydney ratings, the Kyle & Jackie O show is launching in Melbourne.
Whilst some have sworn that Melbournians won’t like the controversial show, Kyle Sandilands is confident of its universal appeal.
“The only difference if you’re a regular listener in the Sydney market is that in the Melbourne market you will hear local Melbourne commercials and Melbourne traffic and news.
“That’s the only thing that anyone requires of localism.”
For Sandilands, the breadth of opinion and the openness of discussion is what attracts listeners.
“I feel it’s very reflective of society. It’s not just my opinion or Jackie’s opinion, it’s ten different people’s opinions. I encourage my staff to jump in if they disagree with something because that’s what goes on in real life.”
This format has been a recipe for success since the Kyle and Jackie O Show first hit Sydney airwaves in 2004.
“I think we’ve got it pretty well covered, and the ratings reflect this – over the last ten years, we’ve doubled our audience.”
Sandilands believes the Melbourne market is ripe for disruption.
“In Melbourne, no one seems to dominate the lead. Every eight weeks, there’s a different market leader, and that’s been going on for years.”
“I’ve been watching Melbourne for a while and I think there’s a real opportunity there,” he said, adding that hundreds of thousands of listeners already tune into the Kyle & Jackie O podcast.
The 10-year deal in Melbourne signifies a deep commitment to the ARN network and to co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, who has worked with Sandilands for the past 23 years.
It is unusual to have a working partnership last such a long time, so what is the key to the duo’s success?
“The reason that it’s always worked is because from the start, we weren’t competitive with each other. I was genuinely really interested in what her opinions were and what her thoughts were. And she was genuinely interested in what my opinions were. We were never competing for the laugh,” he said.
He explained that this is a stark difference from most radio presenters, who have “some internal sort of competition” even with the people they are on air with.
Whilst Sandilands is not a fan of endorsements and never has been, he sees the value of long-term brand sponsorships, particularly when it aligns with the show’s strategy.
“It’s not just filling a hole anymore. It’s doing proper collaborations with companies to achieve what they want to achieve for their business.”
If a brand wants to integrate on the show, Sandilands and Henderson will join the show’s programmers to understand how they can give the client the best result while also being authentic to the show’s values and style.
“The worst thing for me is hearing an ad on the radio, and not understanding what they’re trying to sell,” he said.
“When we take someone’s advertising money we want them to come back. We want return business. It’s no good just taking someone’s money.”
