Tearful RNZ host Charlotte Ryan has signed off from her weekend music show with immediate effect – a surprise for many of her listeners.
Ryan’s biography page has been removed from the broadcaster’s website and RNZ sent out a brief internal email
Media Insider: Tearful RNZ host Charlotte Ryan signs off from show with immediate effect
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The now former RNZ presenter Charlotte Ryan.
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Ryan has hosted the 1pm-5pm Saturday show on RNZ National for more than five years, since August 2019.
“Today is my last day of hosting Music 101. It’s been a total pleasure to be with you,” she said, pausing as her voice broke.
“Sorry. It’s been an absolute dream job for me, this one. I actually dreamed of doing this job, hosting Music 101, when I was about 15 years old, and I followed my dreams.
“Thank you so much to everyone here at RNZ who supported me. I’m so excited to, yeah, get out there, explore new opportunities and spend my Saturday afternoons with my beautiful daughter and work on some new creative projects. So thank you. This job has been an awesome one.”
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Ryan is a well-known voice and face in the music industry and has been a broadcaster for a good two decades. She has previously hosted shows on Radio Live, Kiwi FM and 95bFM. She has also been a co-host on TV shows Back Benches and The Paul Henry Show.
Her LinkedIn page says: “Beyond broadcasting, Charlotte has been deeply involved in the music industry – working for five years as assistant to Neil Finn, managing artists like Ladi6 and Shapeshifter, running her own publicity company and contributing to festivals such as Laneway.”
In her email today, obtained by Media Insider, Whelan told RNZ staff that Ryan wanted to pass on “the below message to kaimahi [employees]”.
She quoted Ryan as saying: “I am ready for my next adventure and need a reset as it has been full-on in my personal life the last two years.
“I want to take a breather before jumping into the next thing. Thank you to everyone who has supported me within my role over the last few years.”
Ryan’s departure follows an internal staff announcement on Friday afternoon that Music 101 producer Nicky Jonas was also leaving, on April 10, “to pursue another of her passions – teaching English”.
Whelan passed on comments from another RNZ leader, Lucy Corry, praising Jonas: “I am really sad to see Nicky go, she has been a fantastic asset to Music 101 and the wider lifestyle & entertainment team. I know that her Auckland colleagues particularly will miss her calm and cheerful way.”
RNZ declined to answer specific questions about Ryan’s departure.
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“Charlotte Ryan hosted her last Music 101 show on Saturday,” RNZ spokeswoman Kim Grade said in a statement. “As Charlotte said at the end of that show, she is excited to explore new opportunities, spend her Saturday afternoons with family and work on some new creative projects. RNZ will now start the process of finding a new host for Music 101.”
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.
