Triple M’s Marty Sheargold has delivered huge personal news to his Melbourne listeners, months after taking an extended break from his breakfast show in the city.
ABC’s radio shares are in “rapid decline,” according to Sky News host Liz Storer.
The station dropped to a 5.6 per cent share which is their worst result since 2004 as listeners tune out of the ABC’s programs.
“Last September, it was reported that their radio share in Melbourne had gone down by 40 per cent, in Sydney by 35 per cent in just three years – well, that is a nosedive in ratings by any metric,” Ms Storer said.
Sheargold revealed on Thursday that his eponymous show will no longer be heard in the breakfast slot on 105.1 as he had made the decision to prioritise self-care.
His breakfast show had been running for three-and-a-half years, although Sheargold took a three-month break from the program last October.
“Taking an extended break at the end of last year has reinforced the importance of spending more quality time with my family,” Sheargold said.
“As a result, I have made the decision to prioritise self-care, maintaining a better work/life balance and will not be returning to my Triple M Breakfast show.”
Marty Sheargold will no longer front the Triple M breakfast show in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied/Triple M
Sheargold will continue to host The Marty Sheargold Show podcast and will still front a weekday national Triple M show between 3pm and 4pm from mid-July.
“I want to thank my immediate team and the network for their ongoing support and understanding,” he said.
“And I’d also like to thank the listeners for their loyalty to both the show and the station. Like them, I remain a Triple M fan.”
SCA, which owns Triple M, said a new host for the Melbourne breakfast show will be revealed “in due course”.
“SCA supports Marty’s decision to rebalance his personal and work commitments, and we’d like to thank Marty and his team for creating a unique and hilarious Breakfast show for Melbourne since 2021,” SCA Chief Content Officer, Dave Cameron, said.
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The Marty Sheargold Show had the Triple M Melbourne breakfast slot since January 2021. Picture: Supplied/Triple M
Sheargold’s departure follows on from a flurry of changes on other radio networks in Melbourne in the 6am to 9am weekday breakfast slot.
KIIS FM replaced the Jase & Lauren show with the Sydney-based Kyle and Jackie O show as part of a 10-year, $200 million contract with Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.
Jason Hawkins and Lauren Phillips were then picked up by Nova, putting them head-to-head with their KIIS FM replacements in the breakfast slot.
The previous Nova Melbourne breakfast show, Ben, Liam and Belle, become a national program on the network, airing from 6pm to 8pm.