Kyle Sandilands has gotten “excited” and his future plans after his contract being terminated have been made clear.
The Kyle Sandilands show is officially in development as the shock jock cannot stand being off-air after his $100 million contract was terminated.
Kyle has been forced into radio silence (bar the odd chat with the press outside of court) since the cancellation of The Kyle and Jackie O Show in March, and now without a radio contract he’s taken matters into his own hands.
A video of the longtime radio host appeared on a fan page Wednesday, filmed in his own McMahon Point studios with a “Kyle Sandilands Live” sign in the background.
“I’m working on a new project, and all will be revealed soon,” he promised, clapping his hands together.
“I’m coming back guys!”
News.com.au can confirm the project is a Howard Stern-style solo show that could become either a radio program or podcast, live-streamed first before being edited down into a podcast episode.
The Joe Rogan-inspired show is still a little while off, with a source telling news.com.au that while Kyle is “excited” about the project starting, details still need to be ironed out.
“Kyle’s very idle, and that is never great for him. He loves doing things and keeping busy,” the source said.
Kyle is creating the show alongside his long-term manager and radio veteran Bruno Bouchet.
Kyle’s made it no secret that he wants to be back on-air, and he hasn’t been broadcasting since March. Picture: MediaMode
The shock jock is now working on a solo show that will have a Howard Stern style. Picture: MediaMode
Since being taken off the airwaves in March, Kyle has been focused on contesting the termination of his $100 million contract — launching legal action against ARN — and has made no secret of his eagerness to get back behind the mic.
News.com.au understands talks with the broadcaster remain ongoing, while moving slowly, and the development of Kyle’s solo show is not necessarily a sign those talks to settle or even return have stalled.
What it does indicate is that Kyle has plans to pivot if things don’t work out with his former employer, and that he is determined to return to broadcasting one way or another.
At the moment, the idea is that if a radio deal doesn’t work out, Kyle will livestream the show and is keen to incorporate an interactive element.
The show would be a solo venture with no co-host, but the plan would be to broadcast with a few supporting background characters, “not dissimilar to Howard Stern” or The Kyle and Jackie O Show, which always featured its producers on-air.
The source explained that nothing “prohibits” Kyle from starting his own show amid his legal dispute with ARN.
Kyle’s main goal is to return to the radio or at the very least broadcasting in some way. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short
Kyle and Jackie’s show was axed after their on-air argument in Feb. Picture: KIIS
Kyle has now been off-air unhappily for over a month after he was suspended and then terminated for “serious misconduct” following an on-air argument with his co-host, Jackie O Henderson, on February 20.
Jackie’s contract was also terminated, and The Kyle and Jackie O Show, which was number one in Sydney FM breakfast but struggling in Melbourne, was scrapped.
Days after Kyle’s contract was terminated, he launched legal action against ARN, claiming the termination was “invalid”.
Jackie has since also launched a separate lawsuit against ARN, and it is still being decided if the cases will be run separately or concurrently.
Kyle’s keen to get back to working amid the legal case. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short
Tentative court dates have been set for October, but if the dispute goes to trial, that means Kyle has five months to kill before anything can be sorted.
Since his termination, Kyle’s made it clear he is prepared to honour his torn-up contract and just wants to return to the airwaves.
Outside court last Friday, where the shock jock turned up for a procedural hearing, he shared a message for ARN.
“Put me back on the radio and let’s get the share price back up,” he said.
ARN’s share price halved after the star hosts’ contracts were terminated in March.