ABC political reporter Rory McClaren will host ABC Radio Adelaide’s Mornings program in 2025.
Spence Denny will present the Evenings program, with Jason Chong to present Sunday mornings.
Afternoons’ Nikolai Beilharz and Drive’s Jo Laverty will exchange roles and their programs will start a little earlier.
Also retiring in December is ABC Radio Adelaide newsreader Wendy Glamocak, who started at the ABC in the same week as David Bevan.
Interesting bit in that arlicle:
Also new in 2025 will be the ABC Sport Daily, a weekday 15-minute wrap of all things sport-related between 6:30pm and 6:45pm.
The Evenings program will be presented by ABC stalwart Spence Denny from 6:45pm
PM will now start at 6pm and run until 6:30pm.
I wonder if that will be the case for all metropolitan radio stations…
ABC Sport Daily has been available as a podcast for a few years, but next year it will be the first time it is heard on analogue radio. It kind of replaces Grandstand Wrap, which was broadcast at 6pm AEST on Saturdays and Sundays, but was axed earlier this year after the departure of host Karen Tighe.
Yes, but isn’t it like news daily which is focused on one topic a day and not a wrap-up of sports news?
Could always change the format
Chris Bath will be taking over form Richard Glover next year.
For fans of Thank God It’s Friday:
The popular TGIF show created and hosted by Glover, which has become a weekly staple of Drive, will continue on with comedian Charlie Pickering taking over as host.
Changes to ABC Local Radio:
Taking the wheel on 702 ABC Radio Sydney Drive is Chris Bath. In Melbourne, our new Breakfast duo of Bob Murphy and Sharnelle Vella are ready to hit the ground running and Brigitte Duclos is joining us to host Afternoons. Ellen Fanning will host Drive in Brisbane with legend of the airwaves Gary Adshead taking Drive in Perth. In Adelaide the beloved Spence Denny will return to host Evenings with Rory McLaren the new host of Mornings.
I wonder if Ellen is leaving ABC News Queensland Weekends then?
What is happening to current host Trevor Chappell?
Would be likely - Drive would be a higher profile role than weekends. If she does leave, then it’s likely that Lexy Hamilton-Smith will take over.
No mention from the ABC
Current presenter Kelly Higgins-Devine will be moving back to Evenings, with Rebecca Levingston also leaving.
ABC Press Release:
Ellen Fanning joins ABC Radio Brisbane
Award winning broadcaster and journalist Ellen Fanning will host ABC Radio Brisbane Drive in 2025.
A Brisbane native, Ellen started her career in commercial radio in 1988.
At 24, she broke new ground, becoming the first woman to host one of ABC’s prestigious national current affairs radio programs, PM.
After two years at the helm of PM she spent several years anchoring AM and serving as occasional host of ABC TV’s 7.30 Report.
Ellen has also served as the ABC’s Washington correspondent and was co-host of The Drum on ABC TV from 2017 until 2023.
“I’m delighted to be joining ABC Radio Brisbane in 2025,” Ellen said.
“After years reporting big national and international stories, I’m thrilled to be back home in Brisbane. I grew up in Brisbane and Logan and made my start in journalism in this city.
“Over the past 25 years, Brisbane has grown and changed. Since moving back here in 2023, I’ve quickly remembered what makes this city and its people tick. I cannot wait to be telling their stories and sharing the news highlights of the day in Drive. Plus, to hear from you on the daily drive home.”
Current Drive host Kelly Higgins-Devine will move back to Evenings in 2025 and Evenings presenter Rebecca Levingston will finish at the end of the year.
Rebecca said: “20 years of ABC radio has been a million different experiences for me. My time on air has been surprising, lifechanging and hilarious.
“I’m so grateful to my listeners and my colleagues for sharing stories that will stay with me forever.
“I’m thrilled to head off on my next adventure.”
ABC Radio Brisbane Local Manager Anthony Frangi said: “We are delighted to welcome Ellen to ABC Radio Brisbane. A formidable journalist and experienced presenter with a resolute passion for what makes Brisbane tick, she will add considerable weight to our line up in 2025.
“I would like to thank Rebecca Levingston for her work on Evenings this year.”
About Ellen Fanning
Ellen Fanning started a career in commercial radio in 1988, after graduating with a communications degree from the Queensland University of Technology. At 24, she broke new ground, becoming the first woman to host one of ABC prestigious national current affairs radio programs. Two years at the helm of PM were followed by several years anchoring AM and serving as occasional host of ABC TV’s 7.30 Report.
Ellen served as the ABC’s Washington correspondent, returning to Australia in 2000 to report for the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes. She was the last presenter of the Nine Network’s prestigious Sunday program and a columnist on legendary The Bulletin magazine.
She has reported from locations as diverse as Transylvania and the North Pole, under the Indian Ocean aboard an Australian Navy submarine and 30,000 feet over Serbia from a US Airforce refuelling jet. She has interviewed every current and former Australian Prime Minister, and has met and interviewed world leaders from France, Britain, Ireland, Israel and the United States.
Fanning wrote and directed a six-part documentary series titled Fine Line for SBS TV in 2002, and in 2013, returned to SBS to host the 20-episode series, The Observer Effect.
In 2014, she returned to the ABC where she has worked for the past decade, presenting Life Matters on ABC Radio National and more recently hosting ABC TV’s national current affairs program, The Drum, a role shared with Julia Baird.
Fanning returned to her home town of Brisbane in 2023. In 2024, she was a recipient of QUT’s Outstanding Alumni Award.
Press Release for Sydney Drive
Chris Bath and Charlie Pickering join ABC Radio Sydney in 2025
Experienced journalist and broadcaster Chris Bath and presenter and comedian Charlie Pickering will be an integral part of the ABC Radio Sydney line-up in 2025.
Bath is set to take over as Drive presenter in the new year, while Charlie Pickering will present Thank God It’s Friday! it was announced at the ABC Upfronts presentation in Sydney today.
Bath was host of Evenings on ABC Radio Sydney from 2016 to 2019. She has periodically filled in for long-term Drive incumbent Richard Glover, who is departing the role after 26 years, and fittingly was introduced by him at the event.
Bath said she was feeling “excited, daunted, a little bit scared and nervous” about taking over as the Drive presenter.
"I’m still in a bit of disbelief. I always thought that Richard was going to be there forever.
“Every time I sit in that chair, I have a pretty healthy dose of imposter syndrome because I don’t know how anyone could be as good a broadcaster as Richard Glover.”
Bath has spent the majority of her career in television but is looking forward to being on radio full time.
“The thing I love about radio is something that I just don’t think you can create in television and that’s a sense of community that you can actually have live on air.”
Pickering said of his appointment as host of Thank God It’s Friday! “It’s an honour to be trusted with a beloved ABC Radio Sydney program and introduce it to the Melbourne audience on 774 and Australia wide on Radio National.
He reflected on Richard’s legacy “Richard was kind enough to have me as a guest on TGIF many times over the years and I have always been an enormous fan of his show. It is a testament to his stature as one of Australia’s leading broadcasters, that it took me years of secretly undermining him at the ABC to finally to get this job”.
ABC Radio Sydney acting Manager Pat Emmett said: “This is a real coup for ABC Radio Sydney and bolsters our already strong roster of presenters.
“Audiences will delight in the return of Chris Bath to Sydney airwaves with her warm and relaxed style resonating easily with listeners.
“Charlie Pickering is set to continue the incredible Thank God it’s Friday! legacy by rounding out the week with his trademark wit and enthusiasm to ease listeners in Sydney, Melbourne and on ABC Radio National into the weekend.”
About Chris Bath
Chris Bath is an Australian journalist, news anchor and radio and television presenter. Born and raised in Sydney’s west, she has been a journalist and news reporter/anchor since 1988. She began her career at Sydney’s Radio 2UE then moved to newsreader and reporting roles at Prime TV in Albury and NBN Television in Newcastle before spending two decades at the Seven network based in Sydney. She presented Evenings on ABC Radio Sydney from 2016 until 2019.
About Charlie Pickering
Charlie is an award-winning comic and TV and Radio presenter who has hosted on radio and TV. He was one of the founding hosts of The Project where he was a presenter for 5 years, has presented The Weekly with Charlie Pickering since 2015 and has been a regular host for ABC TV’s New Year’s Eve coverage. Charlie previously hosted ABC Radio Melbourne Breakfast on Friday’s.
Current presenter Jo Trilling is moving to Afternoons - Michael Tetlow is heading back to the late news and the news channel.
Press Release:
Gary Adshead in the driver’s seat on ABC Radio Perth
Award-winning broadcaster and one of Perth’s most accomplished journalists, Gary Adshead will join ABC Radio Perth from January 2025.
Adshead will host ABC Radio Perth’s Drive program in the new year.
Of the new role, Adshead said: “No matter how long you spend in the media business, there’s always a surprise around the corner.”
"For me to have the chance to speak with, inform and entertain an ABC audience was an opportunity too good to refuse.
“From January, I am determined to bring energy, experience, curiosity, a nose for news and plenty of laughter to the Drive program.”
ABC Radio Perth Manager Danielle Benda said she was absolutely delighted that Gary had decided to join the ABC team.
“Gary has been breaking news stories and asking the hard questions in Perth for more than 35 years. Few people know this city like Gary,” she said.
“He has a formidable reputation as a reporter, with a great ear for a good story, a genuine interest in people as well as a warmth and humour that make him essential listening.
“He will be a brilliant addition to our ABC Radio team as we start the new year.”
Afternoons host Michael Tetlow is returning to the ABC News Channel to present the evening and late national TV bulletins.
“Doing Afternoons has been an absolute blast,” he said.
“But I’ve only ever been on loan to radio and television is my first love. I have missed TV and as decision time drew nearer, I had to make a call.”
Current ABC Radio Perth Drive host Jo Trilling will move to the Afternoons program.
Trilling said she was thrilled to be presenting Afternoons.
“Hosting the Drive program for the past two years has been a great joy and I have loved every minute.
“But Drive is all consuming and I have two young kids who are very excited to have me back at after school sport and I suspect helping cook dinner in the kitchen.
“My driving force has always been to try to help people understand the world a little better and give voice to those without one. I will continue to do that on Afternoons as well as having a heck of a lot of fun! There will be a little more of the thrilling Jo Trilling I dare say.
“I do hope you’ll turn the dial on a little earlier in the arvo, I so look forward to having a chat in 2025.”
About Gary Adshead
The career of investigative journalist, political reporter and broadcaster Gary Adshead has spanned four decades, having started when he was an 18-year-old cadet working for a regional newspaper in New Zealand.
The now 58-year old’s dedication to journalism and storytelling has seen him win more than 20 awards across television, radio and print.
He has been the WA Journalist of the Year on four occasions and in October, added a prestigious Australian Commercial Radio Award to the list for Best Podcast by a Radio Show, which was in recognition of his podcast series The Reporter: True Stories.
Some of Adshead’s most memorable reporting was into the fake medals scandal surrounding fallen politician Barry Urban, which resulted in a police investigation and inquiry by the WA Parliament.
In 1997, he covered the rescue of stricken sailor Tony Bullimore from aboard HMAS Adelaide more than 2000 kilometres south of Albany in the Southern Ocean.
He spent more than two weeks on Christmas Island in 2020, when the first pandemic evacuees arrived from Wuhan, China to be quarantined.
His skillset has developed during newsroom management roles at Channel Seven, as the political editor for The West Australian newspaper and Channel Nine - and as a police and investigative reporter reporting on organised crime.
Adshead has also hosted both the morning and drive-time programs for 6PR as far back as 2003.
He is married to Helen, is the father of two boys, aged 20 and 24, loves sport and non-fiction crime books.
Going back to Overnights from late January according to the Overnights Facebook page. Michael Pavlich will go back to producing with Trevor I think, Pav has been hosting some nights while Trev was doing afternoons so it will be going back to the way it was for however many years. Will be nice, I did enjoy listening to Trevor on Overnights.
Correct - Thank God It’s Friday will also now be heard in Melbourne.
Brian Nankervis will be doing Saturday Breakfast, and Jacinta Parsons will be doing Saturday Mornings, with Alice Zaslavsky and Matt Preston leaving their roles. The Saturday Sport show will not be returning, but Catherine Murphy will be appearing on the station during the year.
Press Release:
Radio veteran Brigitte Duclos will spearhead Afternoons on 774 ABC Melbourne in 2025 while Charlie Pickering will help us celebrate the end of the week with a new show on Fridays.
Brigitte promises to bring great interviews and engaging conversations to your afternoon, having had a successful radio career spanning three decades.
“Radio has been a 30-year passion of mine and I am so looking forward to getting back behind the microphone to deliver a show that informs, excites and, most of all, focuses on the topics important to Melbourne,” Brigitte said.
“The ABC listeners are the soul of this city and I look forward to them sharing their stories, struggles and triumphs.”
Current Afternoons presenter Trevor Chappell will return to his role as Overnights presenter in 2025.
Trevor said he had enjoyed presenting Afternoons but was looking forward to reconnecting with his Overnights audience.
“Trev is one of the nicest men in radio and it’s been a pleasure to have him around during the day,” Acting Local Manager Shelley Hadfield said. “His national Overnights audience will be delighted to welcome him back into their nights. We are grateful to Michael Pavlich for being such good company to them during the past 18 months.”
To wrap up the week and celebrate the start of the weekend, Charlie Pickering returns to 774 to host a new show on Fridays from 5-6pm. Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF) will follow Ali Moore’s Drive program, bringing together comedy, music and the week’s news in front of a live audience from our Southbank studios.
In other news, station favourites Jacinta Parsons and Brian Nankervis will get your weekend off to a great start, taking over Saturday morning programs.
Brian will present Saturday Breakfast, with Alice Zaslavsky making the decision to step away from the show next year so she can spend weekends with her daughter.
And, Jacinta will take over Saturday Mornings. Current presenter Matt Preston has announced he will step away from show next month after three years.
“I’ve loved doing what is one of the best jobs in radio, so it has been a tough decision,” Matt said. “I’m so grateful to the people I’ve worked with on the show and the top-level co-hosts that have taught me so much.
“I’ve been lucky enough to interview so many of my heroes both old and new over the journey. And it has been priceless spending time with such an intelligent, passionate and often very funny audience.”
Saturday’s Cat and Matt show, with Matt and Catherine Murphy, will wind up. Catherine will still appear on programs across the station.
Alice Zaslavsky said helping Melbourne wake up every Saturday had been a privilege.
“Though I’ll be stepping away from the show, I won’t be leaving the 774 family,” Alice said. “You can look forward to hearing my voice as ABC’s food guru, as well as the odd cameo back behind the mic.
“Thank you to the Saturday Breakfast regulars – both our guests and our listeners, who have enriched our weekends with worthwhile tidbits. It’s these voices and views that make a show like ours vibrate with vitality.”
Jacinta and Brian will continue presenting The Friday Revue.
Last week, Sammy J revealed he will finish up as Breakfast host next month, with award-winning journalist Sharnelle Vella and Western Bulldogs’ great Bob Murphy set to wake up Melburnians in 2025 with a mix of news, sport, weather and fun.
774 ABC Melbourne is excited by the new line up, which also includes Raf Epstein on Mornings (8.30am-11am), Richelle Hunt on The Conversation Hour (11am-noon), Ali Moore on Drive (3pm-6pm), David Astle on Evenings (6.45pm-10pm) and Lisa Leong on Sundays (10am-noon).
Acting Local Manager Shelley Hadfield said it was hard to say goodbye to much loved presenters and colleagues and she had no doubt they would continue to be regulars on the station.
“We are excited to shake things up with this new line-up and we are confident that it will hold us in good stead to make sure that we remain the voice of Melbourne,” Shelley said.
Brigitte will start presenting Afternoons over the summer break.
Such a Daily Telegraph was to report this
ABC’s Western Sydney move up in smoke as popular presenter sacked
One of the only ABC radio presenters broadcasting a show from the new multi-million dollar studios in Parramatta has announced that she’s been let go by management.
The new facility is for the local news and radio teams - national teams will remain at Ultimo, with space available at Paramatta when covering stories in the Western Sydney Region - will also the a small number of local news staff at Ultimo for state politics, courts, etc.