It’s that time of year, when media-watchers start speculating about which radio hosts will be cut and who will return next year.

The ABC has already announced that rap-duo and triple j regulars Sally Coleman and Erica Mallett will take over the station’s breakfast slot, with current hosts Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton leaving the public broadcaster for a commercial gig with Nova 91.9 FM in their hometown of Adelaide.

And in Melbourne, those in the know are speculating about the ABC’s local radio line-up for next year. One Crikey tipster was milling about after broadcaster Jon Faine’s final show last week and was surprised to overhear some bigwigs talking about their plans for breakfast.

“You’d think at the post-event drinkies upstairs in the supper room the two executives might have resisted openly talking about how comedian Sammy J will replace Sami Shah and Jacinta Parsons in breakfast next year,” the tipster told us. “Because you can never be sure that just because you don’t recognise the person standing behind you at a soirée [they don’t] in fact know who you are.”

Crikey put the suggestion to the ABC, but a spokesman told us no decisions had been made yet: “An announcement on all our line-ups nationally (and including Melbourne) will be made in early December — as we do each year.”