Radio veteran Ray Hadley retires on a high as he dominates his final radio ratings in comeback from shock loss

Talkback titan Ray Hadley has ended his 42-year radio career on a high as he dominated the Australian radio ratings.

The 70-year-old 2GB favourite beat the competition to finish in the coveted number one spot in the last radio ratings of the year.

It was a particularly sweet victory for the media veteran after he dropped down to third place for the morning slot in the November survey.

In a disappointing blow, it was the first time he had been beaten in twenty years, bringing to an end his record-setting 160-survey long reign.

However, Hadley regained his crown in December as he clawed his way back to the number one spot with an impressive 13.7 per cent audience share.

It was a jump of 2.5 per cent from the November survey and marked a huge win for Hadley, whose last show before his retirement aired on December 13.

Still, Hadley's victory was close with Smooth FM, who followed very close behind with a 13.1 per cent share.

After the huge win, Hadley thanked his listeners as he shared his pride over finishing his career on such a high. 

'It is a fantastic way to finish my career and the year, and I was in a fairly, I guess, sombre mood when we were beaten, and then after I had time to think about it, I thought it was not a bad run, 20 years at number one, and we got beaten,' Hadley said on Thursday.

'And what we have to do is pay tribute to those and we've got to be gracious losers as well as gracious winners. It means we've won 161 out of 162 (surveys) and that's how I'll finish my career as a winner.'

Hadley hung up his headphones for good on Friday after forty years on air, just as reports surfaced about his retirement plans.

It appears that Hadley and his wife Sophie Baird will soon be headed for the Central Coast of NSW to settle into a waterside property they bought last year.

The couple, who currently reside in the Dural area in Sydney's northwest, are planning to list their townhouse for sale.

However, according to the Daily Telegraph, the pair won't be leaving the region but are instead set to purchase a new property near the Castle Hill Country Club.

Last year, the couple sold off a flashy Gold Coast apartment for $2.05million after they had splashed out on a 'getaway' pad at Brisbane Waters in June.

It has been speculated that Hadley has been eyeing up a move to the Central Coast for the last three years ahead of his retirement.

Hadley has hung up his headphones and retired after a dominating four decades behind the microphone.

The award-winning 2GB host broke the unexpected news to listeners live on-air last month, saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife Sophie, children and grandchildren.

The industry legend rose from humble beginnings as a taxi driver in Sydney - where he once gave a lift to then-2UE news director Mark Collier - to become one of the biggest names in Australian broadcasting.

Hadley has ruled the airwaves in the fiercely competitive mornings timeslot for the Sydney-based station since his debut in April 2002 after more than two decades at rival outlet 2UE, where he had started his radio career as a casual traffic reporter.

The tireless broadcaster, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, is also known to sports fans across the country for his unbeaten reign calling rugby league State of Origin matches and the NRL Grand Final.

Hadley's record-breaking career has seen him recognised with 35 Australian Commercial Radio Awards for his work in news, current affairs and sport - more than any other broadcaster - and he was inducted into the ACRA Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Additionally, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2002 for his services to rugby league and in recognition of his charity work along with an addition to the Sydney Cricket Ground's Media Hall of Honour in 2021.

'I achieved far more than I have thought I would,' he told listeners on Thursday.

He told how his children Dan, Laura, Emma and Sarah, made 'many sacrifices over the years' as he pursued his career and it was time to return the favour.

2GB's Mark Levy, known to listeners as the host of the station's Wide World of Sports, was announced this week as Hadley's replacement.