Media veterans Karl Stefanovic and Eddie McGuire are set to join the Australian Radio Network (ARN) to create a major new entertainment format. The Today host, 51, and radio star, 61, will co-create a new series titled The Long Weekend, ARN announced on Tuesday.
Format and Content
The Long Weekend will see Karl and Eddie, joined by guests, discuss the biggest news, sport, and entertainment moments of the week. The format promises three hours of music, banter, big personalities, big opinions, and no-holds-barred discussions that will set the tone for the weekend ahead.
It will be the first Australian-produced audio and video format with Australian distribution across broadcast radio, live radio streaming, podcast, social, free-to-air streaming, premium SVOD, and global distribution across the iHeart network.
Broadcast Details
The Long Weekend will be broadcast live on the GOLD Network, Fridays from 12-3pm across Australia, live streamed and available on demand on iHeart. It will also be amplified on all social platforms and available via the iHeart global Network in New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, the United States, and the UK. This exciting new format will also be available on Australia's leading video streaming platforms 9Now and Stan.
Additional Partnership
Eddie is also set to take the partnership a step further, as his McGuire Media company will collaborate with ARN on a new sport-focused iHeart original podcast series for global distribution across the iHeart network. Both formats will be produced in partnership with JAM TV, Eddie's production company.
Reactions from the Hosts
'This is a wonderful new chapter,' Eddie said of the big move. 'Karl and I have been talking about working together for years, and to do it on this scale, nationally on GOLD, internationally on iHeart, on 9Now and Stan and with JAM TV as a production partner is a once in a career opportunity. We're going to bring our audience along to wherever the big news, sport and entertainment is happening, with great music in between. Karl is one of my closest mates in the industry. Now we get to do this together. Off we go.'
Karl echoed Eddie's sentiment. 'Since I was born, I've been a student of radio and announcers. The intimacy of the medium is powerful,' he said. 'Working with Eddie makes it even more exciting for me. We've been friends for a long time. We are both ready to disrupt the status quo and let me tell you, we'll have plenty of fun along the way. God, don't we all need that. ARN have given us this opportunity, now watch us go and have a proper crack.'
Launch Date
The Long Weekend will launch on June 19, 2026.
