Jayce Hawkins and Lauren Phillips got a chance to make a stunning comeback at this year's Radio Awards.
Nova 100 presenters have been nominated for the coveted Best On Air Team award, the equivalent of radio's Gold Logie, at ACRA in 2024.
Jace and Lauren will go up against WSFM's Jonesy and Amanda, Gold FM's Christian O'Connell, Heat Network's Carrie and Tommy, Nova 96.9's Pete G, Wipa and Kate Ritchie, and their bitter rivals Kyle and Jackie Oh from KIIS FM.
The appointment is a remarkable achievement for Jayce and Lauren, who were sacked from KIIS 101.1 FM in November last year to make way for Kyle and Jackie O’s expansion into the Melbourne market.
They were given a lifeline by Nova 100 earlier this year and have been going from strength to strength ever since.
Jace and Lauren, along with co-host Clint Stanaway, have risen through the ranks and are now the second-ranked FM morning show in Melbourne, behind The Christian O'Connell Show.
Although still in its early days, Kyle and Jackie O are well ahead of the curve in Melbourne. They are currently the city's sixth-highest-rated FM morning show.
Who is most likely to win?
Jace and Lauren might be the emotional favorites to win Best Broadcast Team, but history tells us that their chances of beating either show in particular are very slim.
WSFM's Jonesy and Amanda have won four times, while KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie Oh have won eight times.
More candidates
Another major category at the ACRAs, which will be held in Sydney on October 12, is the Individual Talent of the Year award.
This year’s finalists are Christian O’Connell (Gold FM), Ray Hadley (2GB), “Ugly” Phil O’Neil (WSFM), Jackie O (KIIS 105), Fifi Box (Fox FM), Kate Ritchie (Nova 96.9), Ricki-Lee Coulter (Nova Network) and Ben Fordham (2GB).
The award also goes to podcasts, with the nominees for Podcast Host of the Year being Hamish & Andy (The Hamish & Andy Podcast), Amelia Oberhardt (Secrets We Keep: Shame, Lies and Family), Amanda Keller (Double A Chattery), Christian McEwan (The Dragons Den), Ant Middleton (Head Game), and Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne (Life Uncut).
Jace and Lauren's Amazing Comeback
The Nova 100 presenters recently opened up to news.com.au about their incredible turn of fortunes over the past seven months, with Lauren revealing she was ready to flee overseas after being sacked from KIIS FM last year.
“I was devastated,” she told news.com.au. “I thought that was the end of my radio career.
“At the end of last year, I was ready to leave the country and move abroad. I thought, ‘I have to get out of here.’
“I felt completely lost in the world,” she said.
The pair also told news.com.au they were left in tears after a recent radio ratings survey revealed they had been ranked as the second-ranked FM morning show in Melbourne.
“After everything we’ve been through, it’s a huge and personal thing for the audience to actually follow us from one station to the next,” Jace said.
“Honestly, for the first time, we felt like we belonged.”
When asked why the radio show resonates with listeners, Jase told news.com.au: “There are a lot of shows out there trying to compete with each other, but I don't think they're really showing what's real.”
“There's no bullshit on our show,” he said. “Everything is honest. Everything is true.
“Melbourne is a smart city. Personally, I think other broadcasters take it for granted or don’t really understand what people really want here.
“It’s not just about stunts and throwing money in the air,” he added. “People want to know what’s really going on in the city and talk about what’s really affecting them as they walk to school.”
