KIIS FM boss reveals moment he knew Kyle and Jackie O Show would tank
The former head of content at ARN, Duncan Campbell, has shared how he knew the Kyle and Jackie O Show was doomed just ten minutes into their Melbourne broadcast.
The Sydney-based breakfast radio show expanded into Melbourne in 2024, and the hosts, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson, were told to dial back on the sexual and outlandish content they were known for to suit the local demographic.
However, Sandilands did not heed that warning, sealing the program's fate and resulting in a ratings struggle.
'Probably 10 minutes into the first show (I knew),' Campbell told the Game Changers Radio podcast this week.
'I had spoken to Kyle on Friday… and talked about, let's just go easy on Monday. He was all for that.
'But something happened between Friday and Monday and I was at home on Monday morning and I was just shaking my head going, 'wow, this is going to a whole other level now'.
The former head of content at ARN, Duncan Campbell, has shared how he knew the Kyle and Jackie O Show was doomed just ten minutes into their Melbourne broadcast. Pictured: Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson
Campbell said that he foresaw the issues growing over time, well ahead of the hosts' infamous bust-up in March, which led to the cancellation of the show.
'The rest obviously unfolded as it did. Very early on (I knew). I knew it was going to be a massive challenge before that anyway,' he said.
After a headline-grabbing on-air clash between Sandilands and Henderson over Henderson's 'fixation' on astrology, the Kyle and Jackie O Show came to an end, leading to high-profile legal battles between the duo and their former employer.
Sandilands, 55, was just months away from a blockbuster trial in Federal Court over his $100 million contract when he accepted a deal with ARN.
Meanwhile, a court date has been set for the legal stoush between Henderson, 51, and ARN over her $100 million contract.
The radio star is set to kick off her court battle against ARN on October 12 after launching a Fair Work claim against the network in April.
An interlocutory hearing - a proceeding that focuses on resolving specific procedural issues - will be held on August 24.
It is understood that Henderson will be forced to undergo a medical examination as part of her legal action against ARN.
Campbell said that he foresaw the issues growing over time, well ahead of the hosts' infamous bust-up in March, which led to the cancellation of the show. Pictured: Duncan Campbell
Sandilands, 55, was just months away from a blockbuster trial in Federal Court over his $100 million contract when he accepted a deal with ARN
Read More
The 'hero' who helped broker a settlement between Kyle Sandilands and ARN
According to court documents released last Thursday, the examination is 'to be conducted by a suitably qualified medical expert to be selected by' ARN.
The radio host's former employer is then required to file an affidavit from their chosen expert on August 6, reported The Daily Telegraph.
Henderson launched a Fair Work claim against ARN in April after her radio contract was torn up following a heated on-air argument with ex-co-host Sandilands.
She has alleged that ARN failed to provide her with a safe workplace and minimise the psychosocial risks after she made several complaints against Sandilands.
Her camp confirmed this week they will continue with the court case, despite Sandilands recently settling with ARN for $12.09 million.
Henderson's bid for an $82 million payout is now facing renewed scrutiny, with insiders suggesting she could walk away with less than Sandilands if she settles.
Sandilands' reduced settlement, which includes $1.5 million in advertising contra, has reset expectations around what ARN may be willing to pay as Henderson continues her Federal Court fight.
The shock jock's payout is understood to reflect roughly a year's salary under his contract, which reportedly included a multimillion-dollar base fee plus a $1 million sign-on bonus and a $3 million one-off fee.
Is France the Best Team at This World Cup or Is It Yet to Be Properly Tested?
Is France the Best Team at This World Cup or Is It Yet to Be Properly Tested?
France has blown opponents away at this tournament, becoming the first team to score three or more goals in five straight World Cup matches.Conor Orr|
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Truly the stuff of fever dreams over here in section 225 along the stadium’s north side. Pass the man in the tight striped shirt wearing a red beret and holding a fake plastic baguette and you turn the corner to find a pair of men dressed as mimes. They are waving a French flag to fan a young supporter of Les Bleus who has overheated and is slumped down in a chair as security forms a wall around him to cool down.
Around the corner comes Max, an athletically built male of about 5’10” who is dripping sweat beneath what looks like a heavy, non-breathable blonde wig decorated in a kind of braided pigtail. He’s wearing a traditional Swedish dress for Midsommar atop shin guards, soccer socks and tennis shoes. Follow him through the concourse and onto the patio, and you’ve arrived at Camp Sweden.
The fan section of Swedish football—which also cleverly featured fans wearing yellow shirts with the word IKEA written on them—was paltry in size to the overwhelming number of French supporters here among the 83,000 attendants in New Jersey, but for the first 40 minutes, the chants of ‘Allez, Allez, Allez’ (‘Onward Sweden’) did not relent.
Max said Swedish fans took pride in their FIFA ranking for kindness, but when informed that France were heavy favorites, his eyes narrowed and he assumed a joking fighter’s posture. When asked if he believed, as Sweden seemed to escape one piercing attempt on goal after another (including a 19th-minute goal by Kylian Mbappe that was called back upon review) by the blistering French attack over the course of the first 40 minutes, he smiled.
“Of course I do,” he says. “I f—- flew here.”
France and Kylian Mbappé Take Charge
Of course, in rapid succession just before halftime, just after halftime and a third time at the 73rd minute, France eventually honed its eye for the goal and obliterated any chance of a stunning upset. Gone were the scattershot follows, the moments where Les Bleus’ incredible strikers were slapping their heads in frustration.
Kylian Mbappé sliced between two defenders and pounded the ball in the far side of the net. Bradley Barcola slipped between a pair of Swedish defenders, took a quick touch and scored again. Then Mbappé, one last time, punched the ball to the far corner of the net, just off the outstretched hand of Sweden's keeper, Jacob Widell Zetterström. After the last one Mbappé found an open swath of space and skied into the air, a bit like a toddler pretending he was a rocket ship blasting off to the moon.
Outside of the confidence that momentarily reverberated from Camp Sweden, though, the eventual 3-0 result was heavily expected. France became the first team in World Cup history to score three or more goals in five straight matches, though those matches were against some of the Cup’s lowliest opponents: A lukewarm Senegal, Iraq and a second-string Norway, none of which are in the FIFA top 15 World Rankings (Iraq hovers in the mid 60s). Sweden was in organizational tatters leading into the World Cup as well.
WIN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ FINAL TICKETS & OTHER PRIZES
Just How Good is This France Team?
It brings up the important question, as France advances to play Paraguay (another team outside of the Top 30 in FIFA World Rankings, though riding high after a stunning upset over Germany in the opening round) in the second stage of the knockout tournament: Are we responsible for believing what our eyes tell us to believe? Or, is it merely another victory over a small, bright-eyed, understaffed army like we saw in Camp Sweden?
“We knew we had to be perfect,” Graham Potter, Sweden’s manager said afterward, noting that, even if Sweden was perfect, it may not have been enough. “We needed a couple of miracles.”
When asked if he thought any team could beat France, he said: “Of course, it’s football, anything is possible, but I haven’t personally seen a better team.”
As Mbappé was subbed off in the 86th minute, France manager Didier Deschamps stretched out his arms and bowed several times, welcoming the 27-year-old star to the bench. Mbappé has now played in 18 World Cup games and has scored 18 goals. He is now the lone record holder, passing Ronaldo and Leonidas, for the most goals ever scored in the knockout stage of the World Cup (10).
What France Does to Opponents
French soccer, at this very moment, is the picture of versatility, with an amoebic attack that is grounded in a concept that is simple theoretically but almost impossible to achieve in real time: Make yourselves fluid enough to empower your goalscorers. France has dominated by mastering width, drawing double teams at both ends of the pitch and thinning out defenses that still cannot manage to bracket the team’s fleet of strikers. Even with quarterly hydration breaks, the tiring effect this has on defenders is debilitating.
They are also appropriately dominant. Before Mbappé’s first goal, he made a backward no-look pass to Ousmane Dembélé that looked more like a dance step (the pair have more mutual assists for one another than any tandem dating back more than 50 years). Every part of his facial expression suggested that he planned for the moment to go viral. France possessed the ball more than 60% of the game and had a shot advantage of 12-3.
Les Bleus appear comfortable enough, then, to sidestep the question of opponent quality. Deschamps admitted that “for us, it wasn’t that difficult” to reach the round of 16 but cautioned a reporter who mentioned the cementing confidence among French fans and journalists.
“Slow down, please,” he said. “There are issues, there’s always room for improvement.”
READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
Published 2 hours ago | Modified 17 minutes ago
CONOR ORRConor Orr is a Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated with more than 15 years of experience covering the NFL. His work has been cited in Best American Sportswriting and has won a PFWAA award. Prior to Sports Illustrated, he covered both the Giants and Jets for The Star-Ledger. Conor lives in New Jersey with his amazing wife and three children.
Home/Soccer
