Ray Hadley shocked listeners earlier this month when he announced he was hanging up his mic for good in December.
And as the 70-year-old’s retirement looms, speculation is hot over who will take his seat at Channel Nine’s flagship station, 2GB.
Front runners include current 2GB personalities Ben Fordham, and Chris O’Keefe.
But since Channel Nine management has the summer to settle on the host’s ultimate successor, a bizarre theory has emerged about how 2GB plans to fill the void left by Hadley in the meantime.
Instead of popping in a stand-in announcer for Hadley’s regular 9-12pm slot, there’s now speculation that presenters will ‘likely’ have their shifts ‘extended’, according to The Daily Telegraph.
There’s been no confirmation from 2GB management over their plans.
Ray Hadley astounded listeners earlier this month when he announced he was hanging up his mic for good in December. As the 70-year-old’s retirement looms, speculation is hot over who will take his seat at Channel Nine’s flagship station, 2GB. (Pictured)
Instead of popping in a stand-in announcer for Hadley’s regular 9-12pm slot, there’s now speculation that presenters will ‘likely’ have their shifts ‘extended’ before a full-time successor is announced. Pictured: Ben Fordham
Meanwhile, insiders are tipping 2GB’s reigning breakfast show host Ben Fordham as his likely replacement.
The tireless talkback presenter has repeatedly shown he is more than capable of winning over a crowd.
He was given the almost impossible task of replacing 2GB’s all-powerful Alan Jones four years ago and has since proved a runaway success at retaining the station’s critical early morning audience.
He’s well-known to audiences after doing impressive stints with Sky News, A Current Affair and 60 Minutes.
The only drawback? The internal shuffle would just create further headaches for Nine Radio execs who would then have to replace him at breakfast.
There’s also much talk about Nine reporter Chris O’Keefe comfortably slotting into Hadley’s old chair.
Currently wowing 2GB listeners in the station’s 3-6pm drive time slot he impressed management as Nine Sydney’s state political editor before switching formats.
Also in the mix to replace Hadley is talkback veteran Jason Morrison.
Front runners for Hadley’s gig include current 2GB stars Ben Fordham and Chris O’Keefe (pictured)
He kicked off his lengthy media career at 2GB as a cadet reporter in 1989 at the tender age of 17.
Just 10 years later he was the station’s director of news – the youngest person to ever hold the role – and been giving a weekly newspaper column.
Like Fordham and O’Keefe, Morrison is a veteran of 2GB’s drivetime slot, hosting the show between 2008 and 2010.
He was also Alan Jones regular fill-in host at breakfast during the golden age of talkback and, according to industry legend, even out-rated him during one extended stint before defecting to rival 2UE.
Morrison eventually left radio for the glitz and glamour of television during an eight-year run as Seven’s Sydney news director before taking some time out with his young family last year.
There is currently speculation that Sydney’s 2SM are pursuing him for a major role.
Insiders are also pointing to former Nine player Liam Bartlett.
The award-winning journalist is a favourite among executives across all of the country’s commercial networks – and was even a headline act at the national broadcaster for a while – due to his hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners approach to interviews.
This year he made headlines for his chat with billionaire former media baron James Packer and for breaking the ‘fake gun shots’ scandal enveloping the ABC.
A former presenter A Current Affair and 60 minutes, he’s also worked for Seven’s Spotlight.
After leaving 60 Minutes for the second time five years ago, he enjoyed a successful stint at 2GB’s sister station 6PR in his hometown of Perth.
Sources said he enjoyed a strong relationship with Nine Radio boss Tom Malone while the duo worked together at 60 Minutes and that he shouldn’t be ruled out of contention.
