Karl Stefanovic says he may do radio after Today at Channel 9
Karl Stefanovic says he probably will do radio if he leaves channel 9’s Today for good, giving his first clear public signal about life after the breakfast show. He made the comments at the Cairns Crocodiles summit on Wednesday, where he also said mainstream media faces “diminishing returns of talent.”
Cairns Crocodiles summit
“No matter how big a personality or paid employee I am, I think all employees in mainstream media should be very aware and have a realisation that they’re going to be diminishing returns of talent, and that is sad, but it’s a fact of life,” Stefanovic said. He framed the problem around advertisers using TV networks, magazines, radio stations and other traditional formats, adding: “I don’t think they’re seeing it,” when asked about return on investment.
That is the pressure point behind his remarks. Stefanovic has been on the Channel 9 program for decades, his contract ends at the conclusion of 2026, and months of rumours have swirled around his future. Instead of waiting for the speculation to run its course, he gave a practical answer about what comes after TV: radio first, and only after a test run.
$100,000 versus $4,000
Stefanovic said the economics are stark. A special episode of Today in a regional Australian town could cost Channel 9 up to $100,000, while the same thing for his podcast would cost $4,000. He said there is “less money to circle around, less money for production and less money for talent,” which is the sort of arithmetic that pushes presenters toward cheaper, more flexible formats.
He said podcasting offers “much more freedom” than traditional media, and pointed to The Karl Stefanovic Show as his biggest priority right now outside his Channel 9 commitments. The podcast has nearly 50 million views and listens across YouTube and Spotify, a scale that makes it a real business asset rather than a side project.
Radio before breakfast slots
“I probably will do radio, and I will more than likely just dip my toe in the water to see if I like it before I even [think] about going to do breakfast radio,” Stefanovic said. He also said he will continue doing TV, which leaves him with a narrower but still active lane as his contract clock keeps running toward 2026.
For Channel 9, the message is plain: Stefanovic is not announcing an exit, but he is publicly mapping one. For listeners and viewers, the next move looks less like a leap and more like a gradual shift from an expensive live TV machine to formats that cost less and leave him more room to work on his own terms.
