EXCLUSIVE: Mitch Churi opens up about how his radio career had to end so his dream could begin.

Mitch Churi / Brittany Hockley, Mitch Churi, Laura Byrne.

Mitch Churi has announced his exciting new venture after being fired by KIIS FM. Photos: Instagram/mitchchuri

It’s been almost 10 months since Australian radio presenter Mitch Churi tearfully announced that he had been fired by KIIS FM. The award-winning broadcaster had been with the network since he was 19, working his way up from being ‘The Cash Cock’ on The Kyle and Jackie O Show to hosting both The Night Show with Mitch Churi and pre-drive show The Pick Up alongside Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne.

While loyal listeners expected him to quickly land another radio gig — especially after a few guest stints on Nova hinted at a permanent spot with the network — Mitch recently revealed his next move in an entirely new format. The popular media personality is launching The Mitch Churi Chat Show, a twice-weekly video podcast that brings a fresh twist to the traditional late-night talk show.

“This idea has been in my head since I was 13,” he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “I have wanted to do a chat show, genuinely, since I was a kid. It’s what I told all my family and friends.”

Originally conceived as a TV talk show, The Mitch Churi Chat Show quickly pivoted into a digital-first project when TV networks requested a pilot before committing.

“I thought, instead of funding a $100,000 one-episode pilot, flying talent in and building a set for one show, I may as well build it and create a video podcast,” he details. “And then in a year’s time, not only will I have 50 different episodes, but I will have an audience, and I will have a track record and be commercially viable.

“There are already some big production companies in Australia who have reached out and I’ve had meetings with who are waiting and watching to see, which is really exciting.”

Mitch Churi / Brittany Hockley, Mitch Churi, Laura Byrne.

The Mitch Churi Chat Show brings a fresh twist to the traditional late-night talk show. Photo: Supplied

‘I would never have left’

Reflecting on his sudden departure from radio almost a year ago, Mitch admits he “genuinely didn’t see it coming”. In fact, he walked into the meeting expecting a promotion and a bigger show.

“The moment itself was a gut punch, [but] I harbour no hard feelings, it is what it is,” he says. “Kyle and Jackie O had signed a 10-year contract, I wasn’t getting that slot anytime soon, so in a sense, it was continue on that trajectory or break out and do something new.

“So really, if I wasn’t pushed, I would never have left.”

The future of the radio industry

Now with one foot firmly in the digital world, Mitch is open about the challenges facing traditional media. He believes the radio industry is in “a really tricky place” and needs to adjust to a world where people are flocking to podcasts and YouTube to consume formats such as Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy and Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date.

“Australia has always been a little brother in the entertainment industry that kind of jumps on trends three or four years behind the US and the UK,” he remarks. “We’re still kind of beholden to these big networks, which works, but I’m trying to get a jump start on that in this country.

“I’m excited to be doing something which genuinely feels new and different to radio, but I’m also not going to rule out a return to radio.”

With industry eyes already on The Mitch Churi Chat Show, and Mitch firmly in the driver’s seat, this is more than just a comeback — it could be a blueprint for the next chapter in Australian entertainment.