After weeks of speculation, the wait is finally over. One of Australia’s most loved presenters, Lauren Phillips will join Jason ‘Jase’ Hawkins as co-host of Melbourne’s newest breakfast show, Jase & Lauren in the Morning on Melbourne’s KIIS 101.1.  

A genuine and relatable Melbourne girl to her core, Phillips will bring her local knowledge, humour and upbeat warmth to listeners each morning, starting conversations about all the things that matter to Melburnians – from what’s hot and fun around town, to the latest in footy and more.  

If you need a refresher, Phillips is one of Australia’s most versatile television personalities and is authentically steeped in Melbourne’s rich culture.  Each weekend she presents the weather on Channel Nine’s Weekend Today and is a presenter on the Victorian travel show Postcards on Nine.

Since her media career began more than 13 years ago, she’s presented on Kids WB, Today Show, Today Extra, Getaway, 20 to 1, The Australian Open Tennis, Helloworld Travel and has even sung live at Melbourne’s famed Carols By Candlelight.

Happy to be able to share the news on KIIS’s latest hire, ARN’s chief content officer, Duncan Campbell explains: “KIIS 101.1 will now deliver Melbourne’s ‘show in the know’. Together with their love and passion for Melbourne, Jase & Lauren in the Morning will be fun and fresh, keeping listeners in the loop across all the news around town.   

“Lauren was part of our KIIS Summer Breakfast Show and was an immediate hit with listeners for her likeable nature and infectious laughter. We are so pleased she will now be joining Jase, she was the perfect choice to take over from Polly ‘PJ’ Harding after she announced she was leaving KIIS to return home to New Zealand.   

“Jase and Lauren each have a terrific sense of humour, plus their easy-going rapport makes them a perfect fit for the show and KIIS 101.1.  They will be a dynamic duo in the Melbourne market. There will also be further announcements coming very soon on who else will be joining Jase & Lauren in the Morning.” 

On getting her dream job and getting to put a smile on the face of Melburnians every morning, Lauren Phillips said “I’m so relieved the secret is finally out! I’m beyond excited to get started and can’t wait to wake up with Melbourne every morning. Being part of the ARN family is a dream job for me.  I love to have a laugh and a chat, and I can’t wait to do that with KIIS 101.1 listeners.” 

And finally able to talk about his new mate and co-host, Jason ‘Jase’ Hawkins adds: “Lauren and I have had quite a few covert catch-ups over the past few months where we’ve been plotting and planning the new show and it’s been a lot of fun.  I’ve been a fan of Lauren’s work for years and she makes me laugh, a lot.  She’s got the perfect energy for breakfast radio – you just want to be around  her. I can’t wait to share with Melbourne what we’ve planned.” 

And if that’s not enough to warm up winter, when their new show begins, at 7.30am each day listeners will have a chance to play “Jase and Lauren’s $50k Wordplay”.  A simple word association game – match five words with either Hawkins or Phillips and be in the running to win a guaranteed $50,000.