Radio veteran Ray Hadley retires on a high as he dominates his final radio ratings in comeback from shock loss

Talkback titan Ray Hadley has ended his 42-year radio career on a high as he dominated Australian radio ratings.

The 70-year-old 2GB favorite beat the competition to finish in the coveted number one spot in the final radio ratings of the year.

It was a particularly sweet win for the media veteran after falling to third place for the morning slot in the November poll.

In a disappointing blow, it was the first time he had been defeated in two decades, ending his record-long reign of 160 polls.

However, Hadley regained his crown in December when he clawed his way back into the number one spot with an impressive 13.7 percent. public share.

It was a 2.5 percent jump from the November survey and marked a huge win for Hadley, whose last show before his retirement aired on December 13.

Yet Hadley’s victory was close with Smooth FM following close behind with a 13.1 percent share.

After the huge win, Hadley thanked his listeners as he shared his pride in ending his career on such a high.

‘It’s a fantastic way to end my career and the year, and I was in a fairly, I think, down mood when we got beaten, and after I’d had time to think about it I thought it wasn’t a was a bad run. , 20 years at number one, and we got beat,” Hadley said Thursday.

“And what we must do is pay tribute to them and we must be gracious losers as well as gracious winners. It means we won 161 out of 162 (surveys) and that’s how I end my career as a winner.”

Hadley hung up his headphones for good on Friday after four decades on the air, just as reports surfaced about his retirement plans.

It appears Hadley and his wife Sophie Baird will soon be heading to the NSW central coast to settle into a waterfront property they bought last year.

The couple, who currently live in the Dural area of ​​Sydney’s northwest, plan to put their mansion up for sale.

However, according to the Daily Telegraphthe couple will not be leaving the region, but will instead be purchasing a new property near Castle Hill Country Club.

The 70-year-old 2GB favorite beat the competition to take the coveted number one spot in the final radio ratings of the year with an impressive 13.7 percent audience share

Following his retirement, it looks like Hadley and his wife Sophie Baird will soon be heading to NSW’s Central Coast after putting their northwest Sydney mansion up for sale (pictured)

Last year the couple sold a flashy Gold Coast apartment for $2.05 million after a June getaway in Brisbane Waters.

There is speculation that Hadley had been eyeing a move to the Central Coast for the past three years prior to his retirement.

Hadley has hung up his headphones and retired after four decades of dominance behind the microphone.

The award-winning 2GB host broke the unexpected news live to listeners last month, saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife Sophie, children and grandchildren.

The industry legend rose from humble beginnings as a taxi driver in Sydney – where he once gave a lift to then 2UE news director Mark Collier – to become one of the biggest names in Australian broadcasting.

Hadley has ruled the radio in the fiercely competitive morning timeslot for the Sydney-based station since his debut in April 2002, after more than two decades at rival outlet 2UE, where he had started his radio career as a casual traffic reporter.

The tireless broadcaster, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, is also known to sports fans across the country for his unbeaten reign in rugby league State of Origin matches and the NRL Grand Final.

Hadley’s record-breaking career has won him 35 Australian Commercial Radio Awards for his work in news, current affairs and sport – more than any other broadcaster – and he was inducted into the ACRA Hall of Fame in 2017.

2GB’s Mark Levy (left with Hadley), known to listeners as host of the channel’s Wide World of Sports, was announced this week as Hadley’s replacement

In addition, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2002 for his services to rugby league and in recognition of his charity work, along with an induction into the Sydney Cricket Ground’s Media Hall of Honor in 2021.

“I have achieved much more than I expected,” he told listeners on Thursday.

He told how his children Dan, Laura, Emma and Sarah “made a lot of sacrifices over the years” as he pursued his career and that it was time to give something back.

2GB’s Mark Levy, known to listeners as the host of the channel’s Wide World of Sports, was announced as Hadley’s replacement this week.