Sydney Radio: Kyle Sandilands 'Poor Health Caused Ratings Slide'

Kyle Sandilands

He's one of the highest paid voices on Australian radio, but his lack of air time this year due to poor health has had a detrimental affect on the ratings.

And now, Kyle Sandilands has admitted that he and co-host Jackie O's fall from top spot can be blamed on his growing number of sick days.

Talking to the Sunday Telegraph, the shock jock said listeners were tuning out of the Kyle and Jackie O Show when he was off ill.

Sandilands has taken “100 per cent” blame for KIIS 106-5 losing the no. 1 spot in the FM radio breakfast ratings, saying he was off sick too often and “relying heavily” on a mixture of medication.

In the latest survey Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson were beaten by Australian Radio Network (ARN) stable mates, WSFM’s Brendan “Jonesy” Jones and Amanda Keller.

The margin was just by 0.1 per cent, but was the result of Kyle & Jackie O Show shedding 0.7 percentage points to 9.8 per cent.

Sandilands told The Sunday Telegraph: “I had high blood pressure and sleep apnoea — some days I would wake up and I’d been starving myself of oxygen by not breathing throughout my sleep.”

He said he has a sleep apnoea mask to help. But he refuses to wear it because he thinks his partner Imogen Anthony will find it off-putting.

Sandilands said he had put on weight due to his illness, which made matters worse. He said his absence from the show had caused the slide in share.

“If I’m not there, people do flick around. So it’s all about me.

“If I’m not there then it’s sh*t. Jackie does half a good job on there,” he said, laughing.

“She is great though. I do admire her and enjoy working with her very much.”

Sandilands with Jackie-O

Sandilands said he has since returned to good health.

“I’m back now. I’m not dying of sleep deprivation,” he said, adding: “There’s no excuse” for not being no. 1.

Sandilands also revealed he had risked the duo’s entire move from 2DAY by telling ARN management the deal was off unless the MIX name was dumped and replaced by KIIS.

“I was the one who said ‘I want the station’s name changed and this is what I want it called’,” Sandilands said.

“They’d given us everything that we wanted. And they said ‘is it a deal breaker if we don’t change the name?’ I thought, ‘they’ve given me everything that I want’. I closed my eyes and cross my fingers and said ‘yes’. I was risking everything on the name.