2Day FM
2Day FM (call sign 2DAY) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to broadcast on 104.1 MHz in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, owned by Southern Cross Austereo and featuring a contemporary hit radio format aimed at younger listeners.[1][2] Launched on 2 August 1980, the station has been a key player in Sydney's Top 40 market, hosting popular programs such as the Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show and the Hot 30 Countdown.[1][3] It achieved international attention in December 2012 when presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian broadcast a hoax call impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles to King Edward VII's Hospital, where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was receiving treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum; nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who transferred the call, died by suicide three days later, prompting widespread backlash, the temporary suspension of the station's advertising revenue, and findings by the Australian Communications and Media Authority of breaches to privacy standards.[4][5] A 2014 inquest ruled Saldanha's death a suicide influenced by distress from the incident and a professional dispute, though she had no prior history of mental illness.[6][5] In March 2025, 2Day FM relaunched with a youth-focused refresh, committing to play more new music and Australian artists than competitors.[7][8]
History
Launch and Early Development (1980s)
2Day FM, with the callsign 2DAY, commenced broadcasting on 2 August 1980 as one of the inaugural commercial frequency modulation (FM) radio stations in Sydney, Australia. This launch coincided with the Australian government's allocation of new FM licenses to foster commercial competition beyond amplitude modulation (AM) broadcasting, granting approvals to 2Day FM alongside rival commercial station 2MMM (later Triple M) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-oriented Triple J. Technical difficulties had postponed the debut from an originally proposed mid-July start, but the station quickly established itself on the 104.1 MHz frequency, targeting Sydney's metropolitan audience with high-fidelity sound quality superior to existing AM options.[9][10][11] The station's founding consortium comprised prominent media personalities, including television hosts Graham Kennedy and Mike Willesee, veteran radio broadcaster John Laws, and the investment entity Village Pty Ltd, which provided financial backing. Kennedy, known for his entertainment career, actively promoted the venture in pre-launch interviews, emphasizing its potential to deliver fresh, engaging content via the novel FM medium. This ownership structure leveraged established industry connections to secure the license and build listener interest, positioning 2Day FM as a venture blending celebrity endorsement with commercial ambition amid the nascent FM landscape.[11] Throughout the early 1980s, 2Day FM experimented with programming to attract advertisers and audiences transitioning from AM, incorporating contemporary music segments and innovative features like a dedicated compact disc (CD) hour introduced at the end of 1986 between 7:00 and 8:00 pm weekdays. This initiative, expanded to full Sunday night CD shows by March 1987, anticipated the format's mainstream adoption and helped differentiate the station amid growing competition. By the late 1980s, ownership changes—including Austereo's acquisition in early 1989—prompted a pivot toward a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format emphasizing pop and rock tracks, aligning with shifting listener demographics and ratings pressures from rivals like Triple M. These adaptations underscored 2Day FM's evolution from an experimental FM pioneer to a competitive player in Sydney's commercial radio market.[12]Growth and Initial Successes (1990s)
Austereo acquired 2Day FM in July 1989, completing its national FM network and signaling the station's growing commercial value, with the deal valued at around $80 million by 1994 assessments.[13][14] Under program director Brad March, who had joined as managing director in 1984, the station refined its Contemporary Hit Radio format in the early 1990s, including a CHR relaunch involving key figures like Eriks Celmins starting in 1990.[15] This strategic focus propelled 2Day FM to its first number one overall ratings position in Sydney during the decade.[16] A pivotal element of this success was the 1993 launch of the breakfast program The Morning Crew, co-hosted by comedian Wendy Harmer, Paul Holmes, Peter Moon, and Jamie Dunn, which quickly became the top-rated FM breakfast show in the market.[17][18] The ensemble's mix of humor, celebrity interviews, and audience engagement sustained high listenership, contributing to the station's competitive standing against AM talk leaders and rival FM outlets like Triple M.[19] By mid-decade, these efforts had solidified 2Day FM's reputation as a dominant player in Sydney's youth-oriented music radio segment.Dominance with Kyle and Jackie O (2000s)
Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson, known professionally as Jackie O, launched their partnership on 2Day FM's drive-time slot in 2000, establishing a format characterized by candid discussions, celebrity interviews, and audience interaction that appealed to a demographic of 18- to 39-year-olds.[20] Their on-air chemistry, blending Sandilands' confrontational humor with Henderson's relatable persona, drove consistent listenership gains for the station during the early 2000s, positioning the program as a key driver of 2Day FM's competitive edge in Sydney's FM market.[21] In January 2005, the duo transitioned to the breakfast timeslot, replacing the prior team of Judith Lucy, Peter Helliar, and Kaz Cooke, a move that marked a strategic overhaul for 2Day FM aimed at capturing morning commuters.[16] This shift propelled the show to immediate prominence, with the program securing top FM breakfast ratings in subsequent surveys and elevating 2Day FM's overall market share.[22] By mid-decade, the Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show routinely outperformed rivals like Nova 96.9's breakfast program, achieving audience shares often exceeding 10 percent in Nielsen surveys.[23] Throughout the late 2000s, the show's dominance persisted despite periodic backlash from regulatory scrutiny over content boundaries. In August 2009, following a controversial lie-detector segment involving a minor, initial reports indicated a listener dip, but the duo rebounded to claim victory in the subsequent survey, underscoring their resilience and loyal fanbase.[24][23] This era solidified 2Day FM's leadership in Sydney's commercial FM sector, with the breakfast program anchoring the station's revenue through high advertiser demand fueled by its demographic pull. By 2009, the pair had cemented a track record of topping FM breakfast for multiple consecutive surveys, contributing to the station's reputation as a youth-oriented powerhouse.[22]Turbulence and Realignments (2010s)
In December 2012, presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian broadcast a hoax telephone call to King Edward VII's Hospital in London, where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was receiving treatment for severe morning sickness; the duo impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles to obtain private medical details about the Duchess's condition.[25] The call was transferred by nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who was found dead by suicide on December 7, 2012; an inquest later determined the hoax was a contributing factor weighing on her mind, alongside professional shame and media exposure.[26] Initially, 2Day FM aired the segment repeatedly and sought to monetize it through advertising, but following Saldanha's death, the station faced international condemnation, with advertisers including Telstra and Mercedes-Benz withdrawing support, leading to a suspension of all ads and an estimated revenue loss of millions, including a sharp drop over the Christmas period.[27] Greig and Christian were indefinitely suspended, received death threats—Greig reported bullets sent to her home—and the station's Facebook page was temporarily disabled amid abuse; the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigated, finding breaches of the commercial radio code on privacy and accuracy, resulting in fines and mandated industry reforms.[28] [29] The scandal compounded ongoing challenges, as 2Day FM's ratings, while resilient in early 2013 surveys with minimal drops in affected time slots, began eroding amid reputational damage and prior controversies like the 2009 Kyle Sandilands lie-detector incident involving a minor.[30] In November 2013, breakfast hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson announced their departure after 12 years, with their final show airing on November 28; the duo had secretly negotiated a lucrative deal to join rival Australian Radio Network's rebranded KIIS 106.5 (formerly Mix 106.5) starting January 20, 2014, drawing an estimated AU$12 million in contracts and shifting the competitive landscape.[31] [32] This loss of the station's flagship program precipitated a severe ratings decline; in the first survey post-departure (March 2014), 2Day FM's breakfast share plummeted from leading position to 5.6 percent, while KIIS surged, reflecting the hosts' personal draw amid broader FM market fragmentation.[33] [34] Efforts to realign included lineup overhauls, such as introducing Dan Cassin and Mazen "Maz" Hermon to breakfast in 2015, but performance lagged, with KIIS dismissing 2Day FM as non-competitive.[35] In response to stagnant shares and network-wide pressures at Southern Cross Austereo, the Today Network—encompassing 2Day FM—was rebranded as Today's Hit Network on January 14, 2015, adopting refreshed "Hit" branding while retaining local identities like "Hit 104.1" for Sydney; this involved new logos, jingles, and programming synergies aimed at youth demographics but yielded mixed results, with 2Day FM's overall metro share hovering below 7 percent by mid-decade.[36] [37] The shift marked a strategic pivot toward networked content and digital integration, though it failed to reverse the station's slide from top FM contender to underperformer.[38]Adaptation and Persistence (2020s)
In the early 2020s, 2Day FM maintained its position as a commercial FM station on 104.1 MHz in Sydney, simulcast on digital radio and available via streaming platforms like the LiSTNR app, adapting to increased listener access through online and app-based consumption.[39][40] The station began 2020 with its strongest ratings performance in nearly 12 months, signaling initial resilience amid competition from digital media and youth-oriented broadcasters like Triple J.[41] By late 2024, 2Day FM shifted its breakfast programming by appointing Jimmy Smith and Nath Roye—previously national nights hosts—to the slot on a fill-in basis, a move made permanent in December 2024 to inject fresh energy into morning drive times. In January 2025, Emma Chow joined as co-host, forming The Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma, which debuted on January 20 and emphasized a style distinct from established Sydney formats.[42] Concurrently, Nic Kelly and Loren Barry were announced for nights, launching The Hot Hits with Nic & Loren as Southern Cross Austereo's first permanent SCA radio show update for 2025.[43] A pivotal adaptation occurred on March 13, 2025, when 2Day FM executed its most significant format overhaul in decades, rebranding its imaging around "The Hits Before They Hit" and committing to play more new music than any other commercial station in Sydney to target younger demographics.[44][2] This included a refreshed playlist prioritizing emerging tracks and a new morning show, positioning the station as a direct competitor to Triple J's youth-focused alternative programming.[45][46] Drive home slots featured Carrie & Tommy, reinforcing a lineup geared toward contemporary hits and personality-driven content.[39] Persistence was evident in subsequent playlist adjustments, with Australian music representation rising to an average of 24.75% in the first half of 2025—peaking at 27.52% in April—demonstrating sustained efforts to balance commercial viability with local content mandates and listener preferences amid streaming fragmentation.[47] These changes, overseen by Southern Cross Austereo, underscored 2Day FM's evolution toward a music-forward, digitally integrated model to retain market share in a landscape dominated by on-demand audio platforms.[48]Programming and Content
Current and Historical Schedules
2Day FM initially broadcast a contemporary hit radio format upon its launch on August 2, 1980, emphasizing continuous music playback with minimal structured talk segments across daytime and evening hours. By the late 1980s, the station introduced specialized music blocks, such as the CD hour airing from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. starting at the end of 1986, which expanded to a full Sunday night CD-focused program by March 1987.[12] These changes aimed to differentiate the station amid competition from other new FM outlets like Triple M. In the 1990s and 2000s, schedules shifted toward personality-led content, particularly in key dayparts. The breakfast slot became a ratings driver, with shows incorporating humor and listener interaction alongside top 40 hits. Evening programming featured networked countdowns, including the Hot 30, a request-based music chart show that aired nationally on Hit Network stations.[49] Drive-time and mornings maintained music-heavy rotations punctuated by contests and artist interviews. A pivotal adjustment occurred in 2005, relocating the drive duo Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O to breakfast, which solidified the slot's dominance through the late 2000s.[50] The 2010s marked turbulence in scheduling, exacerbated by the 2012 royal hoax controversy and the 2014 departure of Sandilands and O to rival KIIS 106.5. Breakfast programming saw rapid turnover, with six different teams launched between 2014 and 2019, including Hamish & Andy, Rove & Sam Frost, and Grant, Ed & Ash, often blending talk, games, and music but struggling for sustained audience share.[51] In response to declining ratings, 2019 introduced a music-focused "Music for Breakfast" format temporarily replacing a host-led show.[52] The station briefly rebranded as Hit 104.1 in 2015 before reverting to 2Day FM, aligning with broader Hit Network synergies for shared evening content like Hot Hits Live.[53] Into the 2020s, further realignments occurred, with Hughesy, Ed & Erin holding breakfast from 2020 until its axing in August 2024 amid persistent low ratings.[54] A March 2025 format refresh emphasized "hits before they hit," incorporating more current and Australian tracks while retaining personality elements. As of October 2025, the weekday schedule features:| Time Slot | Program | Hosts |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast | Jimmy & Nath with Emma[55][44] |
| 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Mornings | Sean YB[55] |
| 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Drive | Carrie & Tommy[55] |
| 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. | Evenings | The Hot Hits AU[55] |