ARN issue early mark to Hughesy & Kate, Matt & Meshel

Staff Writer

No regrets, no goodbye tears. Proving there’s little sentimentality in radio, Australian Radio Network has pulled the pin on Hughesy & Kate a week ahead of schedule.

The pair had one week remaining on the KIIS network, before signing off and heading across the dial to Southern Cross Austereo’s Hit Network in the new year.

However, ARN had other ideas and after the show on Friday, they received a phone call to inform them it was the end: there would be no farewell show and no chance to say goodbye to listeners.

Instead, Hughesy took to Instagram to confirm the news: “Call has come thru that this bunch of @hughesyandkate legends just had their last Drive shift ARN. We’ve loved working with so many great people there and are pumped to start with @hitnetworkaus in 2018!”

But they weren’t the only ones to be cut loose early.

Breakfast duo Meshel Laurie and Matt Tilley got the same phone call, prompting Laurie to take to Facebook on Friday night.

“So it turns out today was our last day on kiis fm in Melbourne. It’s been a deeply weird two years, but our immediate team was so brilliant, they really made the daily grind survivable.,” Laurie wrote to her followers.

By way of explanation, ARN says it has plans to renovate the KIIS 101.1 studios, so it made sense to release them all early and bring forward the reno plans. 

“The KIIS studios were due to be renovated later this year. With both Matt and Meshel, and Hughesy and Kate, due to finish up with KIIS on December 8, it made sense to give them a couple of weeks off early and bring forward the renovations,” an ARN spokesman told Herald Sun.

The KIIS FM studios in Melbourne last received an overhaul three years ago.

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Confused
27 Nov 2017 - 7:40 am

Didn’t ARN refurb those studios (both KIIS and GOLD) like 2-3 years ago? I think this speak volumes about what they think of their listeners. Not giving on air team the chance to wrap up their years on the station and say thanks to the listeners etc. It’s just ridiculous

The Evening News
27 Nov 2017 - 9:23 am

Once upon a time you didn’t serve out the day once you were let go.

TheT
27 Nov 2017 - 9:24 am

I heard Kate make many comments on air about them finishing early so I don’t believe they were blind sighted.
If I was ARN- I’d be worried what they would say if they knew it was their last show too! LOL

max
27 Nov 2017 - 10:52 am

It’s pretty much SOP that you finish when the word is out , on that note they should have left a month ago. Anyhow , what difference does it make , its over

PJC
27 Nov 2017 - 11:31 am

This explains the promos already appearing on 2Day FM this morning that ‘in 2018, the drive home starts early with Carrie & Tommy, then Hughesy & Kate’. I’m sure these will be popping up across the Hit Network from today.

Do we know who else is moving across with Hughesy & Kate? I’m assuming Sacha French is going too. Are any of the other production team also moving? Is Jack Laurence staying with KIIS?

Stu
28 Nov 2017 - 4:30 pm

Do they take their production crew with them or get new producers?

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