Sleeping in won't be easy for Simon Barnett, says veteran morning broadcaster

NZME has signed broadcaster Simon Barnett as a host for Newstalk ZB. Photo / Supplied

Sleeping in is set to be a luxury experience for radio broadcaster Simon Barnett, who is due to leave morning radio for good.

But switching the body clock will prove more difficult than a switch of the alarm clock.

Former Morning Report broadcaster Sean Plunket worked on morning radio for 14 years. He finished at Radio New Zealand in 2010.

But years later, he still wakes up in the early hours of the morning.

"It's now six, almost seven years, since I left Morning Report and I still wake up at 3.30 every morning and have to go back to sleep.

"His whole body clock biorhythms are going to go through some sort of revolution when he stops doing that."

Barnett will join the NZME team as a host at Newstalk ZB in early 2019. He said earlier he had done breakfast radio for 26 years and waking up at 4.30am was getting "less palatable''.

"I completely and utterly sympathise with him,'' Plunket said.

"So I think for his family and for his life, moving somewhere where the hours are more normal is just a fantastic move.

"He's also a really good broadcaster and I think he'll probably be even better once he's not so sleep-deprived."

Former broadcaster Sean Plunket. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Plunket, who now works as a freelance communications consultant, said it was possible listeners who had followed Barnett over the years would move with him.

He acknowledged that Christchurch listeners were particularly loyal - especially if Barnett would still be based in Canterbury.

"I guess that's up to the audience, but I wish him well because he's a hell of a nice fella."

Plunket had one bit of advice for his old mate: "Have a good break between jobs.''