Nova reshuffles Sydney breakfast and national Drive line-ups

NOVA Entertainment has unveiled new line-ups for its Sydney Breakfast and national Drive shows, with both changes set to take effect from Monday, February 9.

Ricki-Lee Coulter and Tim Blackwell will move into the Sydney Breakfast slot on Nova 96.9, bringing their currently top-rating Drive pairing to mornings in a live, local show airing from 6am to 9am.

The duo will build on the legacy of Nova’s long-running Sydney breakfast franchises, following strong audience performance in their existing Drive timeslot.

At the same time, Nova will launch a new national Drive show, Fitzy, Wippa & Kate, hosted by Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli and Kate Ritchie. The program will air live from 4pm to 6pm each weekday across the Nova FM Network.

Following Drive, Ricki-Lee & Tim will also host a one-hour national evening show from 6pm, extending their on-air presence and reinforcing Nova’s push for consistent, premium content across the day.

Nova Network Group Programming Director Brendan Taylor said the changes were designed to evolve the network’s sound while building on proven combinations.

“Ricki-Lee and Tim are perfectly positioned to bring something exciting to Sydney Breakfast. They’re two of the best in the business and will continue to build on the incredible legacy of previous Nova Sydney breakfast line-ups, while delivering an exciting new show for Sydneysiders that’s live and local, every day,” Taylor said.

On the new national Drive show, Taylor added: “Fitzy, Wippa and Kate are a powerhouse combination and their chemistry, humour and heart resonate deeply with audiences. This move to Drive allows us to share their magic with all of Australia.”

NOVA Entertainment CEO Peter Charlton said the reshuffle reflects a long-term view on talent and programming.

“A key ingredient of Nova’s success has been consistency, so we’ve made these changes with consideration. This evolution is about giving our talent the right platforms to deliver great content, market-leading audiences and trusted environments for advertisers,” Charlton said.

An additional project involving Drive co-host and comedian Joel Creasey will be revealed on-air later today.