Ben & Liam‘s shock exit from Triple J airwaves at the start of last November turned out to be the first in a string of high profile departures from the broadcaster, leading to one of the largest shifts in the hosting roster in quite some time. But while the now-former Breakfast lads are already neck-deep in their new role at Nova Adelaide, until now they’re remained tight-lipped on exactly why they chose to make the rather seismic shift.
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In a new interview with News.com.au, Ben & Liam explained that a number of factors lead to them taking up the new gig as the South Australian station’s new breakfast hosts.
Firstly, they both felt they’d accomplished all they could in their three years at Triple J, with Ben Harvey stating “after the three years we kind of felt like we’d ticked all the boxes.” In addition, they were wary of growing stale in the role, with Harvey admitting the duo “definitely got very comfortable,” and that “if you’re too comfortable that can be a bit of a worry because you start to cruise, and we didn’t want to cruise.”
Beyond that, the duo wanted to cut their teeth in the far more ruthless world of commercial radio sooner rather than later, with both of them eyeing a much longer career in broadcast radio than some of their predecessors.
Liam Stapleton asserted that “if you want a long-term career in the game, sooner or later you’re going to have to learn how to do commercial radio and be good at it,” and that they were both at the stage of their careers where they were game to start competing seriously in the ratings game, noting “in community radio, ratings don’t matter. At Triple J, they try to say it matters but no one really cares. I think we were ready, we want to be on the scoreboard and really get a bit more competitive about things.”
Lastly, the pull of their home town of Adelaide proved far too great, with both Ben and Liam growing tired of living in Sydney in recent times. Of this, Liam stated “we loved Sydney but it takes a bit of getting used to. It’s just a lot easier living where you grew up,” and that
“every day I walk home I literally see someone I know. It’s good to be home.”
So there you have it, mates. The boys are happy. Can’t complain with that.
Ben & Liam’s Breakfast replacements, Sally Coleman and Erica Mallet, began their tenure in the coveted Triple J slot at the start of last week.
