Kyle Sandilands told Australian Idol viewers he’s “flogging” local artists on his show but national airplay data tells a different story.

When he’s not dropping the names of pop superstars he has on speed dial all over the floor, Australian Idol judge Kyle Sandilands has been making some spectacularly wild claims during this year’s season.

During the grand final show on Sunday night, he told special guest performer Tina Arena, an outspoken advocate for more Australian music to be played on commercial radio, that “we are flogging that stuff.”

Arena famously called out Australian radio stations a decade ago in her 2015 ARIA Hall of Fame induction speech for not supporting older female pop artists.

After the pop star performed her hit Heaven Help My Heart with finalist Gisella Colletti at the finale, Sandilands told her he had “listened” to her entreaty to support homegrown artists.

Tina Arena with 2025 Australian Idol grand finalist Gisella Colletti. Picture: Supplied / Seven.
“I heard you a few years ago saying Australian radio should play more Australian music. And I listened to you; we are flogging the stuff,” he said on Sunday.

“You were right. Everyone should be supporting Australia.”

But data obtained by news.com.au shows his station KIIS, and breakfast show,” are hardly “flogging” local artists.

The Australian music industry is failing to get local fans engaged with homegrown artists and their new tunes via radio, streaming or social media.

KIIS has a 20 per cent minimum local content quota to be played between 6am and midnight.

The Kyle and Jackie O show’s playlist for March shows them airing 16.46 per cent Australian music between 6am and 10am. That’s 26 plays out of a total of 158 spins during their timeslot

The 6am to 6pm playlist across the KIIS station in Sydney in March featured 13.29 per cent homegrown content, with Australian songs given 448 spins out of 3371 plays over the month.

By comparison, 2DAY reached 17.38 per cent local content, and Nova had 12.52 per cent of its playlist featuring Aussie songs between 6am and 6pm in the month.

Hits from DJ star CYRIL gets a light “flogging” on KIIS. Picture: Tim Hunter.
The stations meet their respective minimum quotas by playing more Aussie tracks in off-peak hours.

And that is one of the changes music industry body ARIA has called for in the Commercial Radio Australia’s (CRA) draft Code of Practice.

“The bigger unasked question is why is Australian music so on the nose that it needs to be structurally buried in the first place?” an industry source said of the lack of new local songs on radio station playlists.

Australian pop star Kita Alexander’s new single Press Pause got a couple of plays last month. Picture: Supplied.
In their submission, ARIA wants the commercial stations to reach their quotas during peak hours when “people are actually listening.”

The industry body wants the minimum quota raised to 25 per cent and for CRA to change the definition of “new music” under the quotas so “fresh Aussie sounds get a spin. More new tracks mean the Code will better serve young and diverse local audiences.”

British-based Australian house DJ Sonny Fodera’s hit Someday, from last year, was the most spun Aussie track while rising DJ CYRIL had three songs played during the Kyle and Jackie O show last month.

Troye Sivan and his mate Dua Lipa get decent spins on commercial radio. Picture: Naomi Rahim/Getty.

In total, they played nine Aussie songs over the month by six male artists, including Troye Sivan, Dom Dolla, the Kid Laroi and Peking Duk.

As for new releases KIIS played during 6am and 6pm last month, Racer, the hot new single from girl pop trio Blusher got three spins and they gave two plays to Press Pause, the new single from Kita Alexander who just opened for Dua Lipa on her triumphant Aussie tour.

The 2025 Australian Idol winner is announced on Monday.