Veteran radio hosts Polly Gillespie and Grant Kereama are being replaced by Toni Street and Sam Wallace on the Auckland-based breakfast show slot for The Hits, but will continue to host their show around the country.
Toni and Sam – who already have experience working together in radio thanks to their Saturday morning show on The Hits – will also be joined by Sarah Gandy when their new breakfast show launches in February.
Polly and Grant, who announced their separation on-air last year after 30 years together, have been broadcasting together since the late 1980s, starting out with Wellington-based ZM.
Together, they have hosted the breakfast show for The Hits since 2004.
Toni and Sam will be replacing Polly and Grant on The Hits morning show.
In a statement, NZME group entertainment director Dean Buchanan said the company was “thrilled to announce that Sarah, Sam and Toni will host our new Auckland breakfast show on The Hits”.
“We knew we were on to something good when we started ‘Toni and Sam’ on Saturday mornings on The Hits earlier this year.
Adding to their skills is our very own morning star Sarah Gandy, who has formed a great bond with Toni and Sam,” he said.
Sam, who will be leaving his current role as weatherman for TVNZ’s Breakfast for his new radio gig, said that he was excited to be working with Toni and Sarah.
“They’re both such awesome and talented women and I’m stoked I’ll get to start my day with them both and The Hits listeners,” he said.
Toni, who will be taking on the morning radio gig in addition to her duties as Seven Sharp host, quipped that if her co-presenter Mike Hosking could do it, “how hard can it be?”
“As a mother of-two, my family are always my priority but I have their full support on this and I can’t wait for the adventure ahead.”
Polly and Grant are currrently looking at other opportunities with NZME, which owns The Hits radio station.
