Kyle and Jackie O Show’s final radio ratings decline and contract fallout in Sydney and Melbourne
Consensus Summary
The Kyle and Jackie O Show concluded its two-year stint in Melbourne and finalized its Sydney dominance with a ratings decline, marking a significant drop in listener numbers despite maintaining a stable share percentage. The show lost 60,000 listeners in Sydney and 220,000 in Melbourne since its launch, with cumulative audience figures plummeting by 25% and 36% respectively. Internal conflicts escalated when Jackie ‘O’ Henderson left after a public altercation with Kyle Sandilands on February 20, leading to a solo broadcast by Sandilands during the final week of the survey. ARN terminated Sandilands’ contract following a 14-day suspension for misconduct, while Henderson’s representatives confirmed her inability to continue working with Sandilands. Meanwhile, rival shows like Jase & Lauren on Nova and Christian O’Connell on Gold surged or declined, reflecting shifting audience preferences. The ABC’s local radio stations faced their worst-ever performance, with Sydney and Melbourne shares dropping to historic lows, underscoring broader challenges in commercial radio competition.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The Kyle and Jackie O Show’s final ratings survey (Jan 18–Feb 28) showed a 12.7% share in Sydney, unchanged from 2025’s final result, but a 60,000-listener drop to 636,000 cumulative listeners.
- In Melbourne, the show’s share rose by 0.1 percentage points to 5.1%, remaining in 8th place with 403,000 cumulative listeners unchanged from the previous survey.
- Jase & Lauren’s Nova breakfast show surged to 11.1% share in Melbourne, up from 8.8%, surpassing The Kyle and Jackie O Show and placing second behind 3AW’s Russel & Ross (18.9%).
- Jackie ‘O’ Henderson left the show on February 20 after being berated by Kyle Sandilands on air, leading to a solo broadcast by Sandilands the following week (the survey’s final week).
- KIIS owner ARN suspended Kyle Sandilands for 14 days to ‘remedy’ alleged serious misconduct and contractual breach, with his contract terminated on Wednesday following Henderson’s departure.
- Christian O’Connell’s new show on Gold (KIIS’ sister station) in Sydney dropped from 9.7% to 6.1% share, ceding the No.1 FM spot to Nova’s Jase & Lauren.
- The ABC’s local radio stations in Sydney and Melbourne both recorded their worst-ever or largest share drops, with Sydney at 5.1% (equal worst) and Melbourne at 5.4% (down 1.1 points).
- The Kyle and Jackie O Show lost 220,000 listeners (36%) in Melbourne since its launch and 215,000 listeners (25%) in Sydney compared to the same survey two years prior.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The ABC’s Sydney share result of 5.1% matches its result from the second survey of 2024 (described as ‘equal worst ever’).
- The Business Briefing newsletter is mentioned as delivering major stories and exclusive coverage (contextual detail, not core data).
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- No contradictions found between the two sources for verifiable factual claims.
Source Articles
Kyle and Jackie O lose listeners in final ratings survey
The year’s first radio ratings survey covered a period while the duo were mostly still on air together. But Jackie “O” Henderson’s exit after their blow-up appears to have damaged the show’s total aud...
Kyle and Jackie O lose listeners in final ratings survey
The year’s first radio ratings survey covered a period while the duo were mostly still on air together. But Jackie “O” Henderson’s exit after their blow-up appears to have damaged the show’s total aud...