Is Kent “Smallzy” Small about to take over breakfast?
Yesterday, one of Australian radio’s worst-kept secrets finally became official: The Australian Radio Network (ARN) pulled the pin on Robin, Kip & Corey at Brisbane’s KIIS 97.3.
The trio’s final show will air on Friday, 12 December, bringing an end to a long-running chapter in the Brisbane Breakfast market, and fuelling months of speculation about what comes next.
For weeks, the industry had been buzzing with talk that the axing was part of ARN’s plan to make room for its multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal with Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’. The assumption was that Brisbane would be the next stop in the duo’s KIIS expansion.
But yesterday, in an internal email to staff, sighted by Mediaweek, Chief Content Officer Lauren Joyce officially shut that rumour down.
While confirming the axing of Robin, Kip & Corey, Joyce also hinted at the show’s replacement writing that “while we can’t reveal all the details just yet, the new show will be bold, entertaining, and fast-moving, with a renewed focus on energy and music,” she said.
Crucially, Joyce also confirmed the show will be “live and local.”
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That phrase – live and local – may sound innocuous, but it’s telling. In radio speak, it’s code for programming produced and broadcast from the city it serves, not piped in from another market. And that means one thing: the new KIIS 97.3 show won’t be hosted by Kyle and Jackie O.
The Sydney duo’s schedule and production demands make a live Brisbane broadcast logistically near impossible, and any simulcast would contradict the network’s stated direction.
Why a ‘live and local’ strategy matters
ARN’s decision to go local instead of syndicating Kyle and Jackie north is a pivot back to heritage market strategy. For all its talk of national reach, ARN is signalling that Brisbane’s unique radio culture – more community-focused, less celebrity-obsessed – still matters.
The data supports that.
According to the latest GfK radio survey, KIIS 97.3’s Breakfast share rose to 10%, up from 9.3%. That might not sound seismic, but it’s growth in a market where other ARN stations slipped.
KIIS 1065 Sydney fell from 15.3% to 13.6%, KIIS Melbourne held steady at 6%, and Mix 102.3 Adelaide dropped from 11.4% to 10.4%. Even Perth’s 96FM edged down. The numbers show that Robin, Kip & Corey weren’t technically tanking.
The decision to axe the show, then, seems less about performance and more about positioning. ARN has made it clear that 2026 is about transformation, and Brisbane, one of its most competitive and fast-evolving markets, is where it’s starting.
A slow build
Radio consultant and co-host of the Game Changers podcast Craig Bruce believes the shift is part of a longer-term play. “I think the plan from about six months ago (when Kyle and Jackie O were part of the picture) has shifted, but there was always going to be a change in Brisbane for 2026,” Bruce told Mediaweek.
“The real headline now is that whatever replaces Robin, Kip & Corey, it’s not going to be Kyle and Jackie. Any national rollout seems to be on hold for now.”
He said ARN’s focus is now on stabilising the network commercially before any major syndication moves. “They need to get a few things in line first, particularly showing stronger revenue results, and they’re understandably concerned about that,” he said.
As they should be.
Figures published by The Sydney Morning Herald show ARN’s audience losses are now spilling into its commercial performance – with ad revenue, the lifeblood of the radio business, taking a notable hit just six months into Kyle and Jackie O’s10-year, $200 million deal.
According to unpublished Guideline SMI data cited by the paper, ARN’s metro ad revenue fell by $6 million (or 13%) in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, as competitors gained ground.
The broadcaster, which owns the KIIS and Gold networks, has seen its metro ad revenue share slide from 28% to 24%, indicating a shift in agency and brand investment away from its stations.
Over the same stretch last year, ARN was virtually neck-and-neck with both Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) and Nova Entertainment. That balance appears to have tipped.
Bruce continued: “I think next year will be about aligning with Kyle and Jackie on the type of content they’ll deliver nationally, and having a real discussion about maximising revenue before rolling it out elsewhere.”
That delay, Bruce said, gives ARN breathing room to experiment locally. “I don’t think the new Brisbane show is a stopgap, it could be developed locally with a national focus in mind over the next 12 months. I’d imagine they’ll give Kent 12 months to refine the act on Breakfast, then shift the show into another day part nationally.”
Enter Smallzy?
That “Kent” is Kent “Smallzy” Small, the long-running Smallzy’s Surgery host whose name has repeatedly surfaced in connection with the KIIS 97.3 slot.
In August, Smallzy signed off from Nova after more than two decades with the network. Since then, speculation has been rife that he’s signed with ARN on an as yet undisclosed show.
Bruce believes that show will be the one to replace Robin, Kip & Corey.
“At the moment, it seems Kent is the only option, rather than the two or three they may have had earlier this year, like Mitch Churi and others who’ve since left the network,” he said.
“It also depends a bit on how the station wants to position itself. Historically, 97.3 has skewed older, it’s traditionally targeted women aged 35 to 54, and it’s done really well with that approach.”
The risk, Bruce noted, is that Smallzy’s style could skew too young. “Kent’s a younger announcer, certainly young at heart, and if the show aims for a Top 40, under-45 audience, that’s already B105 and Nova’s territory. I don’t think there’s room for three shows chasing the same demo. The question is how they cut through in a market where Abby Coleman’s (who is part of B105’s Breakfast team of Stav, Abby, & Matt) been targeting younger women for 15 years, and Nikki and the Nova crew (comprising of Ash and Luttsy) already perform strongly with that audience.”
Still, Bruce sees a potential payoff if ARN leans into what makes Smallzy work.
“The plan for Brisbane’s 97.3 Breakfast will sound quite different. Kent’s a great operator, it’ll probably have a BBC Radio 1 or Radio 2 Scott Mills-style feel, with a rotating cast, lots of interviews, star power, and a strong music focus. In a market with strong competition from Triple M, B105 and Nova, taking a unique sonic direction is a smart move.”
Smallzy is also no stranger to the Brisbane market. In 2007 he co-hosted the local night show on Nova 106.9 alongside Michelle Anderson. The pair recorded solid ratings and even scored a nomination for Best On-Air Team at the 2008 Australian Commercial Radio Awards.
The long game
For ARN, that direction appears to be about balance, protecting the “live and local” strength of stations like KIIS 97.3 while setting up a scalable network model for the future.
Kyle and Jackie O may still expand north eventually, but not until the economics, timing, and listener appetite align.
Bruce believes this hybrid approach could define the next few years of ARN’s strategy.
“If Kyle and Jackie go into Breakfast in 2027, Kent will likely stay with ARN in a national role,” he said. “It gives them flexibility they didn’t have before. They can test the format, build the brand locally, and decide whether to go national later.”
With ARN’s Upfronts taking place next week at Sydney’s Star, the stage is set for more announcements, and likely more speculation.
The network has poured big money into the event, and while a flashy Kyle & Jackie O expansion might not be in the cards this year, insiders expect the company to double down on its “live, local and bold” narrative.
For now, all signs point to KIIS 97.3 becoming ARN’s experimental lab – a place to test fresh formats, new talent, and a more modern blend of content and music.