EXCLUSIVE: ARN cuts Head of Content Operations after 23% EBITDA fall

Just 24 hours after posting a sharp earnings decline, ARN Media has reportedly made a senior redundancy, with its Head of Content Operations, Daniel Underhill, understood to have exited the business.

Sources told Mediaweek that Underhill, who was based in Western Australia, has been 'let go'.

It’s understood he played a key role in completing the national KIIS and GOLD network builds, regularly travelling between markets as ARN stitched together its east–west strategy.

According to one source, the restructure is not limited to a single role.

“There’s more to come,” they told Mediaweek. “And it’s going to be across a number of departments.”

Mediaweek has contacted both ARN and Underhill for comment.

Daniel Underhill. Source: file

A reset under pressure

The move follows ARN Media’s FY25 result, which laid bare the scale of the challenge facing the audio group.

Underlying EBITDA fell 23% year-on-year, sliding from $61.8 million to $47.5 million. Total revenue declined 10% to $285.2 million, while statutory EBITDA dropped 27% to $45.7 million.

The numbers reflect sustained pressure in metro radio, with softer advertising demand weighing on earnings. Management has pointed to cost discipline, debt reduction and a renewed digital focus as offsets, but the topline contraction underscores the urgency of the reset.

CEO Michael Stephenson described FY25 as the execution phase of a broader strategic shift - a pivot from expansion and network consolidation to tighter operating settings and digital growth.

Underhill’s reported departure is notable given his involvement in completing ARN’s national KIIS and GOLD networks - a project that has reshaped the group’s metro footprint and content alignment.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.