This story was published on the morning of April Fool’s Day

The ABC is to swoop for Kyle Sandilands as its new face of news and current affairs coverage in a bid to shore up its fading youth ratings, Mumbrella can reveal.

An insider told Mumbrella: “We believe he’s ideal. He’s a lot more savvy about current affairs than people give him credit for. We believe that in time he will be an excellent replacement for Tony Jones on Q&A.  

“To start off with though, he’ll front the 7.30 Report while Kerry O’Brien takes a couple of weeks off. “But we believe that where he’ll really come into his own is in interviewing young people. In his time at 2Day FM he’s demonstrated that he’s created a tough but fair style for interviewing teenagers.”

Mumbrella understands that in order to buy Sandilands out of his contract as a judge on Seven’s Australia’s Got Talent, the national broadcaster will need to find additional funds. As a result, the ABC is contemplating accepting advertising on certain shows.

The insider told Mumbrella: “We think that The Gruen Transfer would be the perfect fit. It already talks about ads, so the public might not even notice. It’s also an easier sell to advertisers as it’s the only ABC show that anybody from media agencies actually watches.”

Sandilands was unavailable for comment because he was busy reading the Australian Financial Review and watching dateline. The ABC insider told Mumbrella: “This kind of move is something we talk about at this time every year.”

• Other stories you may have missed from a year ago today: Secret Government plan to tax Twitter

Other stories you may have missed from today:

• Property site Domain is offering a new service allowing owners to search for homes based on their pets’ lifestyle. According to Domain, the service is initially available only for dogs and cats but they “plan to make it available to hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits”.

• Google to leave Australia over “evil” filter – ZDNet

• Maps just got OCCA – Official Google Australia Blog

• Jager bombs banned as authorities clamp down on binge-drinking, bonking backpackers – Thumbrella
• Google to create nuclear power – TechCrunch:

“There is real evidence here that Google may be working on something much more sinister to counter the China threat.”

• Introducing The Decision Maker – Zeald.com:

“This new state-of-the-art product from Zeald.com is designed to help your users make a purchase decision by incorporating a completely legal form of subliminal messaging.”

• New iPhone app to help PRs track journalists – Access PR:

1/4/10: Access Public Relations has launched its own iPhone app called the “Journo Locator” which uses GPS mobile technology to predict the probable whereabouts of Sydney-based journalists. The app is based on more than 18 months of data collection from mobile phone, Blackberry and wi-fi data and features the same technology used by The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (http://www.obmh.nhs.uk/) in the UK which has conducted a two-year project to evaluate the use of GPS devices to track dementia patients. “Whether journalists are at work, at a café or at an AA meeting, we are accurately able to pinpoint their location more often than not and then, if relevant, ‘accidentally’ run into them to make contact,” Access PR managing partner Andrea Kerekes said. “It is particularly useful to reach those journos who ignore emails or phone calls.” The most accurate readings from the Journo Locator app so far were for marketing and media journalists who could be found loitering outside Fusion Strategy waiting to speak to Steve Allen.

• Seven signs Jana Wendt to host Today Tonight – TV Tonight
• Kirribilli House available to rent – Mr & Mrs Smith
• Avatar II to be shot in Queensland – Tweed Daily News
• BMW to provide its drivers with access to secret tunnels:

• David Beckham to join the Socceroos – ABC 702
• Artline’s new pen that remembers everything you write:

• Toll plan for Kurilpa Bridge – Brisbane Times
• Drunken louts to be shamed in Melbourne – Herald Sun
• Google UK to launch pet translator: