Christian O’Connell has already done plenty of iconic Melbourne things to endear him to his new audience on Gold 104.3, including taking his dog for a run on a Port Melbourne beach and catching an AFL match at the MCG.
And after weeks of hype, hoopla, and declarations of ‘Melbourne’s biggest ever Radio revolution’, the UK radio star has this morning taken to the Gold 104.3 studios for his first official morning as the station’s new breakfast host.
(Technically, O’Connell kicked things off last Friday after going rogue and taking over the mic at 7.30am.)
Six AM came and went, with the show actually airing a few minutes late due to some tech issues, which were all blamed on O’Connell by ‘Head of jingles, strategy and finding stuff in newspapers’ Jack Post, and news editor and presenter Patrina Jones.
‘Jack, can you make a note to fire Pat after this, and find another news reader?’ said O’Connell.
O’Connell swiftly moved onto the morning’s first track. ‘The last song I played in the UK was Echo and the Bunnymen ‘Nothing Lasts Forever.’ And the first song I’m going to play in Australia is ….’ before blasting ACDC‘s ‘Long Way to the Top.’
O’Connell reported that listeners messaging the show’s text line (Post has helpfully written a jingle featuring the phone number) were tuning in from all over, including Scotland and aboard a yacht in Mexico.
Later in the morning, the playing of Lionel Richie’s ‘Dancin’ on the ceiling’ elicited cringeing and eye-rolling from those at the KIIS FM studio.
‘In this builiding,’ said O’Connell, ‘there is another radio station, KIIS FM. They think they’re better than us because they play younger music. They feel sorry for us like it’s an old people’s home in here.’
O’Connell declared it was important to not merely feature guests plugging their wares, before taking a call from Hamish Blake (referred to as ‘Jack’s carer’) who immediately plugged his upcoming appearance on Channel 9’s ‘Talkin’ Bout Your Generation’.
‘Boys, I just want to say it’s great to hear the dulcet tones of Christian O’Connell. Day one of history, congrats guys. No pressure,’ said Blake.
After promising to personally call every listener who contacted the text line, and following hundreds of messages of support and congratulations from Gold listeners, it looks to be a long day coming up for O’Connell.