Kyle Sandilands has made his much-hyped return to broadcasting with a brand-new show, a brand-new studio and a brand-new subscription model.
There was just one small problem: for considerable stretches of the opening show, listeners could barely hear him.
Kyle Sandilands Live launched on Monday morning promising an uncensored, independent version of the controversial broadcaster, but the first episode quickly descended into a catalogue of technical problems involving microphones, audio levels, cameras and phone lines.
Things began going wrong almost immediately.
After an elaborate opening sequence marking Sandilands’ return to the microphone following the end of The Kyle and Jackie O Show earlier this year, viewers were treated to echoing and muffled audio, microphones that appeared unwilling to cooperate and camera feeds that froze at inconvenient moments.
“We’re off to a clunky start,” Sandilands conceded as the problems mounted.
It was an admirably diplomatic assessment from a man not generally known for diplomatic assessments.
The trouble continued throughout the first hour, with members of the team at times unable to hear one another and volume levels bouncing around sufficiently to make following the conversation something of an interactive experience.
At one stage, the phone system also went down, while the technical problems became serious enough for the team to stop and reset the show.
Sandilands, unsurprisingly, was not delighted.
Executive producer Bruno Bouchet acknowledged the problems on air, while Sandilands grew increasingly frustrated with the technical team as the glitches continued.
“This is like regional radio,” he complained at one point.
Even the arrival of NSW Premier Chris Minns could not entirely restore order.
Minns was on hand to officially open the new studio, complete with a pair of gold scissors for the occasion, but viewers largely missed the ceremonial moment because the cameras were still misbehaving.
The Premier nevertheless managed to get in on the joke, attempting to keep proceedings moving while the technology apparently considered its options.
The chaotic opening was particularly awkward given the considerable publicity surrounding Sandilands’ return.
Kyle Sandilands Live is a subscriber-based venture created following the spectacular collapse of his long-running partnership with Jackie “O” Henderson and departure from ARN earlier this year.
Former KIIS FM newsreader Brooklyn Ross made a late move to join Sandilands on the new program, alongside journalist and commentator Mary Madigan.
Sandilands had declared Ross “the missing piece to the puzzle” just days before the launch.
As it turned out, there may have been a few pieces missing behind the control desk as well.
Once the technical problems began settling down, the show started resembling something closer to the unfiltered program Sandilands had promised, with the broadcaster enjoying the freedom of operating outside traditional commercial radio.
There were also some familiar Sandilands flourishes, including colourful language, provocative conversation and AI-generated versions of 1980s songs.
The new venture marks Sandilands’ attempt to build a direct relationship with his audience after more than two decades as one of Australian commercial radio’s biggest names.
Whether listeners will follow him behind a subscription paywall remains the larger question.
But after Monday’s debut, the more immediate priority may be slightly simpler.
Make sure the microphones work.
Image: Kyle Sandliands Live
