UPDATED Tuesday morning:
Southern Cross Austereo revealed on Monday that Lawrence Mooney is not returning to Triple M. Not in breakfast, not in Sydney and not anywhere else on the network. Mediaweek reported also on Monday that workers would start taking down Moonman signage from across the network immediately.
That happened on Monday. Moonman in the Morning has been all but banished from the home page. The Triple M Sydney breakfast show has now been rebranded Triple M Breakfast with MG, Jess and Pagey.
Triple M’s home page with new breakfast show details
Moonman still lives on the Triple M podcast page though with episodes of previous shows and video clips still available.
Late on Monday night a lawyer acting for Lawrence Mooney confirmed Mediaweek’s Monday report that lawyers for both the comedian and the broadcaster were locked in negotiation about contract details. Here is the complete statement:
Statement re Lawrence Mooney
15 November 2021
Employment and media lawyer John Laxon, of Laxon Lex today confirmed he is acting for Lawrence Mooney against Southern Cross Austereo Services Pty Ltd
Mr Laxon said: “My client has a contract which runs through to the end of next year, which SCA has brought to an end. The terms of that contract were drafted by SCA and were bargained for and agreed to by my client. He will hold SCA to those terms. All my client asks is that SCA honour the contract and observe the contractual arrangements which they put in place.”
No further comment will be made.
The breakfast host has been absent from his Sydney breakfast show for much of the past two weeks.
SCA released a short statement Monday morning, but offered no further explanation about why Mooney is no longer on air. There was also no explanation about the future of the Triple M Sydney breakfast show.
This is the complete statement released by a spokesperson:
LAWRENCE ‘MOONMAN’ MOONEY DEPARTS TRIPLE M SYDNEY
SCA announced that Lawrence ‘Moonman’ Mooney leaves the Triple M Sydney Breakfast show today.
Mooney was a regular on Triple M breakfast in Sydney and Melbourne, before officially joining Triple M Brisbane’s breakfast show in 2016. He moved to Sydney breakfast in 2019, joining Jess Eva and Chris Page. SCA thanks Mooney for his contribution to the Triple M Network over the past five years.
In recent days Eva and Page have been hosting the breakfast show together with Mark Geyer as a special guest.
Jess Eva, Moonman and Chris Page
It was only recently that SCA announced the intention to add Geyer to the Moonman in the Morning show for 2022. After that announcement, Geyer appeared very briefly on the show with Mooney. Then just days later Mooney disappeared and has not been seen or heard from since.
There has been speculation that lawyers were involved in sorting out the contractual obligations Mooney had to SCA, and in turn what obligations SCA had to Mooney.
The former Melbourne-based radio broadcaster and comedian relocated his family from Melbourne to Sydney and then to the Southern Highlands during his three years on air at Triple M Sydney.
Mediaweek reported just last week:
Lawrence Mooney has a long history with the Triple M network. Prior to joining the Sydney station 104.9 Triple M in 2019, Moonman was part of the Brisbane Triple M breakfast show. He has also guested across the network on other Triple M breakfast shows.
Rumours about reasons for Mooney’s absence have been flying in the past couple of days. There has been some speculation he has been stood down from the show and that he may not return. There is also speculation he was unhappy about the decision to add Mark Geyer to the breakfast team from 2022.
See also: Why is Moonman MIA from his Triple M Sydney breakfast show?