The Cage (radio show)
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The Cage is the breakfast show of Australian radio network Triple M. Melbourne and Sydney, Australia's two largest cities, receive the same version, but Brisbane receives its own local version; Adelaide, the other city in which Triple M operates, does not have The Cage but rather its own specific breakfast show.
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[edit] The Cage (Melbourne and Sydney)
For the Melbourne-Sydney version, the hosts are Peter Berner, Brigitte Duclos, James Brayshaw, Matt Parkinson and Mike Fitzpatrick. Each host has a nicknames which they use as their on-air moniker, although they also use their real names. Peter Berner is known as 'Pete'; Brigitte Duclos is often known as 'Bridge' or 'Top Flight' (by James), James Brayshaw is usually known as 'JB' or occasionally 'Jimmy B' (and also 'Top Flight' by Brigitte), Matt Parkinson is sometimes known as 'Parko', and Mike Fitzpatrick is sometimes known as 'Fitzy'.
The show runs from 6 am to 9 am weekdays (AEDST), and contains such regular segments as Can O' Worms, Parko's Idiot Box, JB's Spin On Sport, Old Man Berner, Bridge's Mags, The Duclos Report (featuring cutting and insightful political commentary), JB's Internet Joke, Pete's letter to Kapu (His sponsor child in Papua New Guinea) and the Scared Weird Little Guys doing "Stump the Scaredys" and "Song of the Week", Progressive Story, the Great Cage Debate as well as celebrity interviews, snap "cage" phone polls (or 'schnappies'), music and comical chatter.
It features characters created by Matt Parkinson including, Doctor GI Low, Keith McKorken (the man who does the talkin), Nicky Nuckles, Hugh Jorgen (West-Indian cricket commentator), Gene Creamer, Randy Buff, Antonio Banderas and Becks. Duclos also contributed her own character in one episode, to gender-balance the characters on the show. Her character was known as 'Pretty McClitty' and Duclos basically talked in a drawn-out bogan style voice.
Regular celebrity guests include Paul 'Fatty' Vautin, Michael Slater, Liz Ellis, Scott Cam, Jules Lund and Tamsyn Lewis.
Previous regular Cage members include Tim Smith ('Timbo'), Matthew Quartermaine ('Quarters'), Russell Gilbert ('Gilbo'), and Trevor Marmalade ('Trev').
During the period of 16-20 October 2006, The Cage ran a competition where listeners had to travel across Australia to Escape the Cage - this meant that teams of people had to get as far away from either Sydney or Melbourne within 5 days and whoever went the furthest distance would win $5000 cash.
Triple M Adelaide have replaced The Cage with a local show, The New Zoo.
[edit] Future
It has been reported [1] that in 2007, drive-time program The Shebang may replace The Cage in the breakfast shift, due to poor ratings, particularly in Sydney. The Cage, or at least several of its members, may end up in the drive shift if this happens.
In October 2006, Sydney radio ratings [2] had 2Day FM winning the FM market and Triple M, with the Cage breakfast team slipping to 6.8 per cent, down 1.2 points, and reigniting speculation over whether the show will continue next year.
On 6 December 2006, The Daily Telegraph reported that Wil Anderson is poised to replace The Shebang for the drive time slot in 2007. The Shebang will look to move to the breakfast slot in Sydney to replace The Cage which will be retained in the breakfast slot in Melbourne only. Austereo and Triple M will announce the official 2007 line-up within the next few days.[1]
[edit] The Cage (Brisbane)
The breakfast show on Triple M Brisbane shares the name and timeslot of its interstate counterpart using a roughly similar format, but is hosted locally by Ian 'Skip' Skippen, Greg 'Marto' Martin, Greg 'Sully' Sullivan and Georgina 'George' McEncroe. The transfer of Skippen by Austereo from the immensely popular B105 Morning Crew to rival Triple M in 2004 caused a stir and shifted the ratings balance away from B105, with The Cage now winning the timeslot and serving as a lynchpin for the station. [citation needed]
