NZME radio changes: Jono and Ben's new show to be broadcast to Canterbury listeners

Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce will host The Hits Breakfast. Photo / New Zealand Herald Greg Bowker.

Popular comedy duo Jono and Ben will also be heard in Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region when the pair make the move to The Hits Breakfast Show.

The two funny men are poised to join The Hits Breakfast in April, when the network show will also be broadcast to Christchurch, Kaikoura, Ashburton and Timaru.

Their appointment comes as part of NZME's major radio line-up changes, with current Breakfast hosts Toni Street and Sam Wallace moving to Coast to front a new breakfast show together with Jason Reeves. Laura McGoldrick will present her own afternoon show on The Hits.
 
The decision to broadcast The Hits Breakfast Show into Canterbury also brings to an end the Christchurch-based Brodie & Fitzy Breakfast Show which is due to finish in March.

Brodie and Fitzy today shared a message to their fans but it is understood the pair remain in talks to explore other potential opportunities with NZME.

"Fitzy and I have loved waking up with the people of Christchurch every morning for the past two years, and while we will miss the yarns, laughs and banter, we have absolutely no doubt that will continue with two incredibly talented broadcasters in Jono and Ben," the pair said.

We love waking up with you guys, we love Hawke’s Bay, and we are not going anywhere! So settle in and enjoy the ride - 💕 Adam & Megan xx

Posted by The Hits on Wednesday, 26 February 2020

Despite reports to the contrary, The Hits' Hawke's Bay Breakfast hosts,  Adam and Megan, along with Dunedin's Callum and P, and Queenstown's Ferg, will continue in their roles. The rest of The Hits local day shows across the country will also remain unchanged.

Adam and Megan reassured listeners they weren't going anywhere by posting a message to Facebook saying: "We love waking up with you guys, we love Hawke's Bay, and we are not going anywhere! So Settle in and enjoy the ride."

The changes are the result of an extensive review of NZME's radio strategy.

"We've taken a close look at where our audiences are and ensured our hosts are on the networks that deliver our audiences more of what they want," explained NZME chief radio and commercial officer Wendy Palmer.

The changes follow on from the creation last year of the successful The Hits Drive Show with Stacey Morrison, Mike Puru and Anika Moa. NZME CEO Michael Boggs said the New Zealand radio industry is one of the most competitive in the world.

"One of the keys to winning or losing comes down to talented entertainers being given the best opportunity to deliver the great content they love producing - so they can grow their audiences," Boggs said.

"The changes we've announced today reflect our ongoing strategic commitment to growing radio revenue and capability. This is exciting news for our advertisers and commercial partners as we ensure our brands evolve with audience and customer expectations."