Ben & Liam to host Breakfast on Nova 91.9 Adelaide in 2020

Staff Writer

In another talent coup for NOVA Entertainment, chief programming and marketing officer Paul Jackson has secured the services of triple j Breakfast duo Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton.

Ben & Liam have accepted an offer to move to Nova 91.9 in Adelaide and will head back to their hometown to host Breakfast in 2020.

The boys will replace Dylan Lewis & Hayley Pearson, which ends an eight-year run for Lewis at the station. Their departure from the public youth broadcaster was announced this morning.

“Working at Nova has been something we’ve wanted to do ever since we started in radio,” said Harvey. “We can’t wait to start the next phase of our careers back home in God’s Country.”

The news follows triple j’s announcement that Harvey and Stapleton’s final show at the national broadcaster will take place next Friday (November 1). They’ll be replaced on Breakfast by Weekend Arvos hosts Sally & Erica.

Harvey and Stapleton return to Adelaide where they emerged as a duo on community radio station Fresh 92.7, following three successful years in Sydney during which their profile grew significantly.

Stapleton is equally excited about their homecoming and defection to commercial radio.

“We’re really looking forward to coming home to Adelaide. At night we dream of giant silver balls, even larger Scottish men on the side of motels and Tony Modra’s right foot. You can take the boys out of Adelaide, but you can’t take Adelaide out of the boys.”

Big news gang, we’re moving on from triple j next year. Thanks for a fab three years. Love you all x

Posted by Ben and Liam on Monday, 21 October 2019

NOVA Entertainment will hope that adding the young boys to its Adelaide lineup will give Nova 91.9 a boost in the battle with heritage station Mix 102.3’s Jodie & Soda. As of the sixth GfK survey of 2019, Nova was placed just 1.0% behind Mix among People 10+.

“Ben & Liam have proven themselves to be top class radio broadcasters,” said Jackson. “We’ve been watching their progress for some time and with recent announcements around our Adelaide breakfast show, the perfect opportunity has arisen for us to bring the boys back to their hometown of Adelaide.

“The guys have great chemistry, tell great stories and are laugh out loud funny. I’m sure the Nova Adelaide listeners are going to love them.”

As revealed by Radio Today on Friday, incoming content director Ben Latimer will oversee the new show as head of programming for Nova 91.9 Adelaide, Nova 100 Melbourne and Nova 93.7 Perth.

“Latimer is going to be based in Adelaide, and hands-on running over Nova 91.9 and the new show that we’re putting there,” Jackson told Radio Today last week. “Our jobs are to entertain people in Adelaide every morning. I think we’ve got the people that can do that.”

Image: Ben Latimer

At a time when the industry often bemoans the fast-tracked radio careers of reality television contestants, a move to a major commercial network is undoubtedly a win for Australian radio to see a talented duo rise through the tried and tested path of community radio through to the top end of town.

The move also harks back to the founding years of the Nova Network, when Merrick Watts and Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross were poached by the network from triple j for it’s inaugural Sydney Breakfast show on Nova 96.9.

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Alex D
22 Oct 2019 - 12:46 pm

Going to miss them on the J’s, but so well deserved.

Brian
22 Oct 2019 - 2:41 pm

Good to see some real radio guys getting the plum gig. Well done to Ben and Liam and nice move Nova.

Darren
22 Oct 2019 - 2:42 pm

Good they’ll be back doing a real radio show. I try to listen to them on the J’s but the music is awful.

Damo
22 Oct 2019 - 3:01 pm

Umm did they just get a Shane Lowe look-a-like ? Congrats boys!

Tom
22 Oct 2019 - 3:32 pm

Such great news for the industry these boys have paid their dues.

Harry
22 Oct 2019 - 6:33 pm

Hot shit go boys. What a win for nova.

Nic
23 Oct 2019 - 2:22 am

Watch out Fitzy & Wippa

Kevin
23 Oct 2019 - 2:27 am

Poor Triple J have lost a top brekky show again. Good though that the J’s provide a solid training platform and produce so many top performers like Merrick & Rosso, Will Anderson, Tom Ballard. The boys will be missed sorely. Is it Those Two Girls moving to breakfast ? Interesting idea, but Triple J have never really cared about ratings. Whatever happened to the last lot Matt & Alex they’ve sunk without a trace.

Bobby
23 Oct 2019 - 9:06 am

Will miss these guys on Triple J. Good on em’! They always sounded slightly like they belong on a commercial station… but they sound different. Perhaps this is Nova returning to their roots.

Anon
23 Oct 2019 - 9:16 am

Correct Kevin. I hear they’re going to be doing it from Brissie most of the time.

Don
23 Oct 2019 - 9:57 am

Awesome steal Triple J will be absolutely spewing.

Michael
23 Oct 2019 - 10:38 am

The fact that a couple of you are confusing ‘Those 2 Girls’ (who are now on gold coast HIT) with … a new JJJ breakfast team that is also 2 girls shows how far radio has to go.

Craig
23 Oct 2019 - 12:35 pm

Sorry to say Michael and Kevin but females tend to sound very similar on radio can be hard to tell them apart.

Anon
23 Oct 2019 - 12:36 pm

Sounds like triple J didn’t have a plan B.

Not Dave
23 Oct 2019 - 3:41 pm

@Craig can’t tell if trolling or serious >< .

Trolling I hope or explains why commercial radio music is programed by the tone deaf.

Josh
23 Oct 2019 - 4:44 pm

Sally and Erica have been literally slogging it out FOREVER. Putting in all the hard work, moving up the hierarchy. This is the perfect reward for them.

The amount of people here who don’t understand why JJJ works is staggering.

The legends are gonna smash it.

Best of luck to Ben and Liam too!

Mick
23 Oct 2019 - 6:16 pm

Look what happened on the Today show with two women fronting. They lost 1/2 their viewers.

Realism
25 Oct 2019 - 10:21 am

@josh No offence to the women involved, but slogging it out “forever” goes a bit far. They started presenting on Triple J last year as far as I can tell? And before that presented a show on community radio since 2015.

PJC
26 Oct 2019 - 1:35 am

Fantastic get by Nova, these boys are very talented!

Looks like Triple J were caught on the hop.. surprised they didn’t look to move Veronica & Lewis into Breakfast instead. I’m sure Sally & Erica have been ‘slogging it out’ and will grow and develop further in Breakfast, but listening to them on Weekend Arvos, and they still sound very green. Best of luck ladies.. I’m sure you’ll be fine 🙂

Pete
27 Oct 2019 - 4:32 pm

Two girls Sally and Erica next for triple J breakfast. Has Gemma moved from Hit to Triple J ?

Tom
22 Nov 2019 - 5:13 pm

Brilliant and we’ll deserved boys.

Shane
15 Dec 2019 - 11:38 am

Excellent news been following their career since Fresh days. How did SCA miss these two. Congratulations to Nova on a good hire.

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