Revealed: The star tipped to take over Ray Hadley as 2GB ‘scrambles to fill his morning slot’
The star tipped to replace Ray Hadley on 2GB has been revealed after he announced he would be hanging up his microphone for good in December.
Mark Levy is the most likely candidate to step into the ole as the station races to fill the spot before Christmas, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Levy has replaced Hadley several times and has also been asked to fill in this summer.
“Levy is in the box seat to replace Hadley by acting as an auditionee for him in the summer,” a source told the publication.
Channel Nine’s Chris O’Keefe, radio veteran Jason Morrison and afternoon presenter Michael McLaren are also in the running for the role.
“They’re trying to resolve it this side of Christmas because they want it locked and loaded going into the new year,” the insider said.
A former sports star has been tipped to replace Ray Hadley (pictured) on 2BG after announcing in December that he would be hanging up his mic for good
According to The Daily Telegraph, Mark Levy (pictured) is the most likely candidate for the morning radio role
Hadley will say goodbye to his top-rating morning show for the final time on December 13, despite having around two years left on his multi-million contract with Nine.
He is secretly in talks to move into a full-time television role at a rival network after completing his impressive career at Nine.
Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed the veteran broadcaster met with executives at Sky News Australia within hours of announcing his retirement from Nine’s flagship 2GB station live on air last month.
Sources said Hadley arrived at the news channel’s Sydney headquarters for the secret conversation after most of the broadcaster’s staff had already gone home for the day.
He then spent more than an hour in an in-depth conversation with Paul Whittaker, the CEO of the News Corp network, and Mark Calvert, head of programs.
Sky News Australia insiders said the network was determined to lure the award-winning broadcaster – and its loyal audience – to the political news channel, with Whittaker personally rolling out on the red carpet for the potential signing.
While it is understood Hadley’s contract prohibits him from appearing on a rival radio network, sources said he could be free to join Sky News Australia under the terms of the agreement as the television station does not compete directly with Nine Radio .
Hadley will sign off from his top-rating morning show for the final time on December 13, despite still having around two years left on his multi-million contract with Nine.
Any deal between Hadley and the network would likely see him take a break over the summer to spend time with his family before starting on air in the new year.
Sources said Hadley’s strong political views actually meant he had long been more in tune with Sky News Australia’s sensibilities than those of Nine and would be a natural fit for the network.
On the day Hadley announced his retirement, he broadcast a wide-ranging conversation with Sky News reporter Peter Stefanovic about the US election, ahead of a similar conversation with his Nine colleague and Stefanovic’s brother Karl.
There are suggestions that the potential deal could also see rugby league continue to call great football matches for Fox Sports.