In November 2019, the ABC announced the pair would be replaced by Sammy J, who had effectively auditioned for the job during a week-long fill-in stint that September.
The change was widely interpreted as a response to declining ratings, which had slid below a 7 per cent share of the total Melbourne audience. Symons had consistently been above 10 per cent in his final years on air.
TV news reporter Sharnelle Vella.Credit: Jason South
Sammy J’s ratings have, however, been volatile, though in line with the broader and ongoing struggle the broadcaster has had in the local radio market.
In the most recent radio survey – survey 6 – ABC Melbourne enjoyed a 7 per cent share and an average audience of 55,000 in the breakfast shift (for ratings purposes, deemed to be 5.30am to 9am, though Sammy J is on air from 5.30 to 8).
In survey 6 of 2019, Sami Shah and Jacinta Parsons had a 9.9 per cent share and an average audience of 84,000.
Sammy J’s popularity with listeners peaked during COVID – a time when people tuned in to talk radio stations especially, for news updates and to connect with their community virtually when that was not possible physically. In survey 6 of 2020, he averaged 114,000 listeners and had a massive 14.9 per cent share of the Melbourne breakfast market.
Former Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy.Credit: Eddie Jim
In December 2022, he negotiated a deal with ABC management to scale back to four days a week from the following January, with his long-time friend Charlie Pickering stepping into the chair on Fridays.
“Alongside my radio work, I still have a different career, which is making stuff and putting it on stage or on TV,” McMillan said at the time. “And the tension between the two has grown bigger this year, because the world is opening up again. This is a small change to the weekly schedule, but a massive change for me in terms of what it lets me do.”
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That arrangement lasted through 2023 after which McMillan went back to hosting five days a week.
Now, he will host no more. His final show is on December 13, with his replacement expected to be announced next week.
“I’m stepping away, I’m ending my reign,” he sang in his farewell track. “It’s either this or start using cocaine, but that’s not like me.”
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