ABC Radio Sydney breakfast hosts, Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck, have announced this will be the last year they will present their show.
The Breakfast co-hosts told their listeners this morning they had made the decision to ‘go out on a high’ with their last show scheduled for Friday 10 December 2021.
Listen to Robbie and Wendy on the Mediaweek podcast here.
The pair said the decision was entirely theirs and that the time ‘felt right’ for a change.
Harmer said: “I was thrilled to be invited to join the station in 2015 and have loved my time on the Morning and Breakfast shifts for the past six years.
“I hadn’t worked with Robbie, but the decision to put us together on Brekkie turned out to be inspired. For the past four years we’ve got to know each other at the same time as the audience and it has blossomed into a fabulous on-air partnership and a wonderful friendship too. Lots of laughs, great music and, hopefully, keeping our Sydney audience informed.
“I’m in awe of Robbie’s radio craft – such an accomplished broadcaster. He’s been a truly generous co-host. Thank you, Robbie, for everything. And what a team of talented producers I’ve been lucky enough to work with every day! Their support, knowledge and dedication has been outstanding. I could not have wished for more.
“I will also very much miss our passionate, clever, loyal listeners from here and all over the world. Thank you, one and all, for tuning in! Hopefully it’s not ‘goodbye’ forever and Robbie and I will turn up together on a future project.”
Buck said: “I’ve been with the ABC for 25 years and in the Breakfast chair for the past eight years and the time just feels right for me to take a break. I’ve enjoyed every minute of this job and sharing the gig with Wendy over the past three years has been an absolute joy.
“We’ve been through a lot together. We always enjoyed each other’s company and I think that’s what’s made the partnership so good. I now plan to take a year away from the mic and see the world. It’s not goodbye to the ABC. You’ll see me back in some capacity in 2023.”
On air this morning, the pair laughed about what it was like when the show first began.
“Remember when management first thought it was a good idea to put us together, and we’d never really worked together before?” asked Harmer. “There was quite a lot of bumping into the furniture in the first few months!”
“I think there’s still plenty of bumping in, it’s just that we’ve got callouses all over our legs!” laughed Buck.
The pair also made it clear that there was “no mystique, no intrigue, and no conspiracy” about their departure, they were just simply ready to move on.
Robbie Buck and Wendy Harmer
Just this week in a discussion about ideal jobs, Robbie Buck told listeners he was doing his.
One of many similar comments on Facebook after the announcement read: “This is such devastating news. I was really skeptical of the partnership at first and I do think it took some time to settle in, but wow did it work. Such a great combination of wit, empathy, intelligence and integrity!”
In Radio Ratings Survey 5 2021, ABC Sydney had the #2 overall breakfast show with a share of 14.0%.
ABC Radio Sydney manager, Melanie Withnall said: “ We knew this day would come but I respect their decision to call it when it feels right for both of them.
“Obviously their decision is a huge loss for the station. We’ve just achieved record audience numbers and Wendy and Robbie are in a strong second spot in the Sydney market. They’ll be an incredibly hard act to follow, but we are well progressed on who will replace them next year. An announcement on the 2022 lineup will be made in the next fortnight.
“In the meantime, Robbie and Wendy still have more than two months on air together. We plan to farewell them in style leading up to their last broadcast on 10 December.”
You can listen to the on-air announcement here.