Nova radio accidentally revealed that Kate Ritchie is moving to Fitzy & Wippa in a dishonest announcement released to the public on Thursday afternoon.
In a major PR flop, new billboards for the radio show were seen in the Sydney CBD.
Nova is set to officially announce the news on the air Friday morning.
The ad looks a bit strange and shows Kate’s face as well as Fitzy and Wippa’s faces almost transformed into one.
“Coming soon,” the sign said.
Nova radio accidentally revealed that Kate Ritchie is moving to Fitzy & Wippa in a dishonest announcement released to the public on Thursday afternoon.
It comes amid the former Home and Away star’s replacement with singer Ricki-Lee Coulter, 37, on Nova FM’s driving show Kate, Tim and Joel.
Kate had left the show after a long absence and a stint in rehab for alcohol dependency.
One of Australia’s biggest music stars, Ricki, 37, said he was “very happy” to be taking over the segment along with co-hosts Tim Blackwell and Joel Creasey, now going by Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel.
Nova is set to officially announce the news on the air Friday morning.
The ad looks a bit strange and shows Kate’s face as well as Fitzy and Wippa’s faces almost transformed into one.
“I love Tim and Joel like the brothers I never had but always wanted, and I’ve had so much fun in the studio with them, they’re the best in the business!” he said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.
“I have a lot of love for Kate and I am so happy that I was able to help out in the Drive program over the last year. I am excited to officially join the Nova family!
Tim and Joel added that they are equally excited to have Ricki-Lee on board, saying that her “energy lifts us all up every day.”
Meanwhile, Kate said she wishes her successor the best of luck in his new role and was “excited” to move on to something new.
It comes amid the former Home and Away star’s replacement with singer Ricki-Lee Coulter, 37, on Nova FM’s host show Kate, Tim and Joel.
“I’ve had an incredible eight years as part of the Nova’s Drive team, and I wish Ricki-Lee all the luck in the world,” he said.
“I’m thrilled to take on an exciting new challenge and can’t wait to share what I’m up to next.”
Last week, it was rumored that Kate was planning to jump from Nova’s national driving show to the network’s Sydney breakfast show.
She announced last year that she would be taking a break from the Kate, Tim & Joel show to focus on her health, but network sources said she would not return.
“I’ve had an incredible eight years as part of the Nova’s Drive team, and I wish Ricki-Lee all the luck in the world,” Kate said in a statement.
It was later revealed that she was seeking treatment for alcohol dependency, after photos of her outside a rehab center were obtained by Daily Mail Australia.
The former Home and Away actress later said in a statement that the challenges of the past year had led to an “unhealthy dependency on alcohol”.
On January 20, the media personality assured listeners that he was “fine” and would be returning to his Nova FM show soon.
Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli’s co-host, Sarah McGilvray, meanwhile, faced a ‘brutal’ exit from the show.
Nova FM staff have spoken of their ‘shock’ and ‘confusion’ at the sudden departure of Fitzy and Wippa’s longtime co-host.
Meanwhile, Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli’s co-host Sarah McGilvray faced a ‘brutal’ exit from the show.
Current and former employees of the radio station told Daily Mail Australia they were shocked by the news that Sarah was being pushed aside to make way for incoming co-host Kate, with some only finding out through the press last week. .
A staff member said her departure was “brutal” for someone who had “gave a decade of her life” to a radio show and was popular with listeners, adding that she was “put aside without even a proper goodbye.” .
The Nova boys are baffled. Most people didn’t even know about it until the stories broke. Everyone had been asking, “Where’s Sarah?” and they were confused,’ said another.
Sarah worked on Fitzy and Wippa for 12 years, eight of which she co-hosted with Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli. Prior to that, she was a Senior Producer for the Sydney Breakfast Show.
His departure has not been acknowledged on the air since he disappeared from the show nearly three weeks ago after an outburst with management about his role at the network.
A source with knowledge of the discussion said Sarah was “upset and angry” at her bosses for effectively taking her job by bringing in Kate as a third host.
Nova executives apparently tried to offer her a “comfort deal” that would see her take on a “management-type role” within the company, but she turned it down and left.
The Fitzy and Wippa show takes a “business as usual” approach by not mentioning Sarah’s absence, despite listeners flooding their social media pages with questions about when she will return.
A source said that it “feels like she never existed, even though she was the heart and soul of the show.”
The Fitzy and Wippa show is taking a “business as usual” approach by not mentioning Sarah’s absence, despite listeners flooding their social media pages with questions about when she will return.