Kyle Sandilands Fired, Eyeing Podcasting

0:00In Sydney, it's March 19th, here's what is happening. Kyle Sandilands has been fired from his top-rated breakfast radio show on K-I-S FM in Sydney after a major fallout with co-host Jackie O. Henderson. The network, IRN Media, cited serious misconduct and a breach of his $100 million contract. Their show drew 630,000 daily listeners, making it the number one FM program in the city. The trouble started with an on-air clash where Kyle criticized Jackie's work ethic, calling her off with the fairies. He was stood down for 14 days to fix things, but got sacked on Wednesday. Kyle denies any contract violation and says he plans to fight it legally, insisting he wants to stay on air with his audience. Fans of the show, hundreds of thousands strong, now need a new morning listen. Industry experts predict 20 to 30% of those listeners would follow Kyle if he starts something new. Meanwhile, Jackie has already jumped into podcasting two years ago and fellow broadcaster, Carl

1:03Stefanovic, runs a successful one alongside his TB gig. Podcasts are booming in Australia, with 9.6 million monthly listeners last year, up by 1.47 million. Radio ratings in Sydney dropped over 50,000 across stations. Experts say Kyle could easily shift to a daily podcast, owning the content himself for better money through ads and sponsors. This can mean a fresh start for Kyle, maybe even toning down his shock jock style a bit, though some doubt it. With regulatory pressure from past decency breaches, podcasting offers more freedom away from strict radio rules. Listeners will watch closely for his next move. Support for this episode comes from our sponsor, see the description. A pillow that plays your podcast, music, or white noise privately, no earbuds required, so L.I. SullyPillow.com