Abbie Chatfield was welcomed into the KIIS FM family with open arms on Monday as she clocked in for the breakfast radio shift, a slot left vacant by the cancellation of The Kyle and Jackie O Show. The 30-year-old podcaster was embraced on set by Pete Deppeler, known as Intern Pete, the producer, reporter, and occasional on-air talent who has worked with Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson for years.
In photos and video shared on Instagram, Abbie and Pete cuddled and laughed together during a comedic segment, proving that she fit right in with the talent and staff at the radio network. The network has been embroiled in controversy in recent months following the departure of Sandilands and Henderson.
The social media star walked away from her own radio career in 2023 when she quit Hot Nights with Abbie Chatfield on the Hit Network. Now, Chatfield has been recruited by KIIS FM to help fill the void left by the former stars.
News.com.au reported last week that the controversial influencer would be sitting in the KIIS FM breakfast chair from Monday. She is joined by Mike Etheridge (Mike E) and newsreader Brooklyn Ross, who have been holding down the fort since The Kyle & Jackie O Show was pulled from the airwaves in March.
It is only a fleeting visit, however, with Abbie taking on a week-long guest co-hosting role as ARN continues to search for replacements for its former flagship duo. The network has remained tight-lipped about potential replacement plans amid its ongoing legal battle over unfair dismissal claims by Kyle and Jackie. However, sources told the publication that talks with prospective replacements are already well underway.
Abbie's trial run comes after popular Channel Ten star Georgie Tunny sat in the KIIS breakfast chair alongside Mike E this week. The publication also reported that KIIS executives are hugely encouraged by the latest GfK radio ratings survey results, released this week.
The show saw a bump of 37,000 more listeners in both the Sydney and Melbourne markets than in the previous survey, released in March. Cumulative ratings figures reveal that 673,000 listeners tuned in to the show between February 8 and April 4. Conversely, the March survey, which covered the period between January 18 and February 28, revealed the show attracted 636,000 listeners. Similarly, in Melbourne, listenership increased from 403,000 to 440,000 between the two survey periods.
