It was a shock to listeners when the plug was pulled on one of Melbourne’s top breakfast show Chrissie, Sam and Browny, but it turns out Nova hit “the nuclear button” after just one host wanted out.
Comedian Sam Pang reportedly wanted to leave the show after co-hosting the show for seven years, a Daily Mail source revealed.
An insider at the Melbourne station said Sam indicated he wanted to quit which led to Nova’s shock cancellation. Management allegedly argued it would be more beneficial if the show started fresh rather than risk “unbalancing” the program by introducing a replacement.
The Daily Mail revealed co-host Jonathan ‘Browny’ Brown was also ready to call it quits.
Meanwhile Chrissie Swan’s ‘star power’ is too good for Nova give up as it is believed she could be transitioning to a different show.
“The show is finished but she’s staying put at Nova,” a staffer said.
“Chrissie is loved at the station and management consider her top-tier talent, so they are not letting her go. She’ll be at Smooth FM next year.
“The boys [Pang and Brown] wanted out, but she’s staying.”
The publication also alleged Nova CEO Peter Charlton sent an email in the early hours of the morning with an attached press release informing his staff of the show’s cancellation.
The final show will air on December 2nd.
Nova Entertainment has announced the segment will be semi-replaced with the show Ben, Liam and Belle who are moving from Adelaide to Melbourne. The breakfast show will go from 6am to 7am.
However, the Chrissie, Sam and Browny segment went from 6am to 9am. Can listeners expect another breakfast show?
Chrissie gave an emotional goodbye on-air, saying she was “so proud” of what the hosts have achieved since the show began.
“We have relied on each other in this studio and it’s a good idea to put a bow on what has been this entire experience for all of us and bow out gracefully,” she said.
“I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved professionally and personally since we first met in 2015 – especially the last few years as we all kept each other afloat during the pandemic.”
Browny responded: “Geez, we’ve had a good time. The highlight was travelling away, us three knuckleheads all together and we don’t then just walk out, we spend time together. We see each other socially as well.”
Sam also praised his co-hosts, mentioning he had “loved” his time at Nova and it had “been a wonderful experience.”
I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the show over the past seven years. I would especially like to thank the listeners for their support,” Sam said.
“I’ve made some life-long friends and feel very lucky to have worked with such an amazing team.”