Kate Ritchie will join the “Fitzy and Wippa” breakfast show on Nova 96.9 in Sydney from Monday (March 13), transforming it into “Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie”.
The move follows Ritchie’s extended absence from the “Kate Tim and Joel” drive show, which is syndicated across the country via the Nova Network.
On Thursday, it was announced Ricki-Lee Coulter was replacing Ritchie in drive, creating the “Ricki-Lee, Tim and Joel” show, alongside Tim Blackwell and Joel Creasey. It was widely speculated the shake-up would then see Ritchie move into Sydney breakfast.
“Fitzy and Wippa” have been in Sydney breakfast on Nova since 2011. They moved into the slot replacing Merrick Watts and Scott Dooley (“Merrick and Dools”).
In the most recent radio ratings survey, at the end of last year, the “Fitzy and Wippa” show in Sydney had 6.0% in breakfast.
Ritchie said she’s excited to be joining the competitive breakfast slot in Sydney.
“I’m a huge fan of the show and I’ve been great mates with the boys for years,” she said. “The past eight years on drive has been an important part of my life, but I’m thrilled to take on this new challenge by returning to breakfast radio in my hometown. I can’t wait to wake up Sydneysiders beside two of the industry’s much-loved breakfast announcers.”
Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli added: “We’ve been annoying Kate aeound the office for 10 years, now we get to do it every morning. We are excited for our audience to hear how funny Kate thinks we are. Nova listeners have always loved Kate and now she’ll be served up every weekday. Please enjoy your breakfast.”
Peter Charlton, Nova Entertainment’s CEO, said it was a dream lineup.
“Kate is a respected announcer and has spent over a decade with the Nova Network across two of our most successful shows. Her engaging personality, natural rapport and quick wit, has resonated with listeners and advertisers alike. Fitzy and Wippa are incredible talents with a unique approach to entertaining their loyal audience. Matching them with Kate has created a dream lineup and we can’t wait to see and hear what they get up to.”
Ritchie’s move rounds out a series of talent shuffles across the Nova Network, including the end of the “Chrissie, Sam and Browny” breakfast show in Melbourne.
Melbourne now has “Ben, Liam and Belle” for breakfast, leaving a void in the Adelaide breakfast slot which was filled by “Jodie and Hayesy”.
Chrissie Swan, formerly of the Nova Melbourne breakfast show, took on the national 3:00 pm slot across the network, which previously had an hour of highlights from the previous “Kate, Tim and Joel” show.
