SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO is facing more upheaval this week after the axing of its Sydney breakfast show with news KATE LANGBROEK won’t return to the airwaves in a full time capacity for the remainder of the year.
TV Blackbox can exclusively reveal Dave Hughes has lost his radio partner in crime on HIT’s national drive show Hughsey and Kate. The news comes after our exclusive story yesterday saying it was unlikely Kate Langbroek would be returning to her national HIT network drive show in 2020.
TV Blackbox has since learnt Langbroek has already left the show and will only file occasional segments. Ed Kavalee, who was axed from his 2DAY FM breakfast show this week, will take over her role permanently for the remainder of the year.
Langbroek is expected to rejoin Hughes in a full time capacity upon her return to Australia but there does not appear to be a specific timetable as to when that will happen.
The Hit Network’s head of content Gemma Fordham confirmed the news, telling TV Blackbox:
“Kate is absolutely part of the show! It’s simply in less capacity whilst she has a planned sabbatical with her family.
We certainly look forward to welcoming her back full time on her return and in the interim she is doing segments in the show a few times a week”
Langbroek is currently living in Italy and would not commit to anything beyond a 12 month contract when she was renegotiating with ARN in 2017, to continue her afternoon show with Hughes across the KIIS network. Radio insiders say that lack of long term commitment was why negotiations with ARN fell apart. Langbroek and Hughes then moved across to the HIT Network, owned by Southern Cross Austereo.
Hughes and Kavalee have great chemistry on air so listeners, while missing Kate, will enjoy their banter until she returns… whenever that might be.
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I wish Ed the best; I’ve always thought that he’s a great talent who hasn’t quite found his niche. The decision to go with a music-based breakfast show on 2Day in Sydney is the more interesting development, as it could potentially change the industry. First we had the solo jock then, in the early 1980s, most Australian radio stations aimed at a younger audience adopted a "zoo" format, with two, three, four or more voices competing to be heard. But a lot of people simply don’t want the chatter; they want to hear music they like to put them in the mood for the day ahead. A carefully created music playlist, not too many ads in a row and a dash of news and other relevant information might be just the ticket for 2Day, which has struggled to rate since the departure of Kyle and Jackie O. And if it works in Sydney, well …