Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has been plunged into chaos following the failure of two tentpole breakfast shows, reports claim.
Bosses at SCA, the owner of Triple M and 2Day FM, are apparently in ‘disarray’ following a spate of low ratings and controversial headlines, according to The Sunday Telegraph.
‘Executives at the station are only reluctantly backing the return of The Morning Show with Hughesy, Ed and Erin in 2022 after running out of options to replace the trio, who have shed listeners since being promoted to the breakfast slot at the start of the year,’ the publication reports.
‘Dissaray’: Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has been plunged into chaos following the failure of two tentpole breakfast shows, reports claim. Pictured: Former Moonman in the Morning host Lawrence Mooney
Meanwhile, recent controversies surrounding newly-ousted Triple M breakfast host Lawrence Mooney has also thrown a spanner in the works.
The decision to terminate Lawrence ‘Moonman’ Mooney’s contract is believed to have sparked mayhem at Triple M, with the station ‘struggling to find a suitably experienced star’ to replace the radio doyen.
Since its launch, Moonman in the Morning struggled to contend with other FM breakfast shows, earning a 4.6 per cent market share in the latest radio survey.
Damage control? Bosses at SCA, the owner of Triple M and 2Day FM, are apparently in ‘disarray’ following a spate of low ratings and controversial headlines, according to The Sunday Telegraph. Pictured: Triple M’s Moonman in the Morning c-host Jess Eva
Ratings flop: 2DayFM’s The Morning Show with Hughesy, Ed and Erin Molan has plunged in the ratings since its January launch. Pictured host: Erin Molan
The show peaked at a 6.9 per cent market share when it debuted in 2019 after taking over The Grill Team, which ended its nine-year run with a 5.4 per cent share at the end of 2018.
2DayFM’s The Morning Show with Hughesy, Ed and Erin has also continued to plunge in the ratings since its January launch.
It went from a 4.1 in the first survey, to a 3.8, and most recently, dropped to a 3.3.
New name: Triple M Sydney’s breakfast program, formerly called Moonman In The Morning, will now be named Triple M Breakfast with MG, Jess & Pagey – with ‘MG’ referring to incoming host Mark ‘MG’ Geyer (pictured)
On Tuesday, SCA announced that the Sydney breakfast program will be renamed following the shock axing of Mooney, 56.
Formerly called Moonman In The Morning, will now be named Triple M Breakfast with MG, Jess & Pagey – with ‘MG’ referring to incoming host Mark ‘MG’ Geyer.
Triple M Sydney announced they had parted ways with Mooney on Monday.
Parting words: A Southern Cross Austereo spokesperson said in a terse statement on Monday: ‘SCA thanks Mooney for his contribution to the Triple M Network over the past five years.’ Pictured: Moonman in the Morning co-hosts (L-R) Jess Eva, Lawrence Mooney and Chris Page
The comedian was hired in early 2019 to host the Moonman in the Morning breakfast show alongside Eva and Page.
His contract, believed to be worth $2million per year, was set to expire in 2022.
A Southern Cross Austereo spokesperson said in a terse statement on Monday: ‘SCA thanks Mooney for his contribution to the Triple M Network over the past five years.’
Mystery: Listeners had been left puzzled by Mooney’s disappearing act for the past two weeks. Triple M hadn’t offered any explanation for his absence, with a spokesperson telling Daily Mail Australia last Wednesday: ‘Lawrence Mooney is currently off air’
Mooney has since called his lawyers on Triple M over the axing.
Employment lawyer John Laxon confirmed he was acting for Mooney against the radio station’s parent company Southern Cross Austereo on Monday afternoon.
‘My client has a contract which runs through to the end of next year, which SCA has brought to an end,’ Mr Laxon said.
‘The terms of that contract were drafted by SCA and were bargained for and agreed to by my client. He will hold SCA to those terms.
‘All my client asks is that SCA honour the contract and observe the contractual arrangements which they put in place.’
Issues: Mooney had apparently caused issues at the station in recent months, after clashing with several staff members including Eva (left). Network executives were also said to be struggling to justify his rumoured $2million paycheck given the program’s meagre ratings
His exit comes two weeks after he vanished from the airwaves without explanation, and amid rumours of a ‘major’ falling out with co-host Eva.
When contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia on Monday afternoon, Mooney said, ‘Please don’t call again,’ then hung up the phone.
Entertainment reporter Peter Ford said an ‘internal’ issue had led to Mooney’s sudden departure.
‘My information – which is very well-placed – says to me that it was an internal, off-air workplace issue that has led to this disappearance,’ he said on The Morning Show.
It comes a week after sources told Daily Mail Australia that Mooney was set to lose his contract at Triple M ‘imminently’.
Lacklustre: Since its launch in January 2019, Moonman in the Morning struggled to contend with other FM breakfast shows, earning a 4.6 per cent market share in the latest radio survey. The show is expected to change its name following Mooney’s departure
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