The drive slot is considered to be one of the most important shifts during the day so it’s no surprise Nova wants to take listeners away from Fox Fm’s Hamish & Andy.
The year got off slowly for Nova with the alleged case involving Matthew Newton. Nova signed him along with Akmal Salah but then sacked him before appearing on-air. Nova then had the hard task for finding a replacement, so it signed up Kate Ritchie aka Sally from Home & Away.
Whilst listening to Hamish & Andy there’s something unique about them, they don’t interrupt each other, and you get the feeling that not only are they co-hosts but are good mates as they have that energy about them. The drive slot suits them well as they will get you home laughing after a long day at work. The segments are also good with “Get us an Autograph”, and their celebrity interviews are fun to listen to also. The program is well scripted and they do rely on listeners to call.
On Nova you can’t get the feeling if Kate is better suited to TV. Because of Kate’s commitments to H & A, she is on-air 3-4 days a week so listeners may feel they they are being ripped if they are only getting a part-time co-host. There is no doubt that Akmal can make you laugh, after all he is a stand-up comedian. The show makes you wander how much time these two spend time away from the radio show with Kate away due to H & A. Even though the two are still new to radio they have a long way to go to match the likes of Hamish & Andy.
