The turmoil at ABC’s 702 local radio in Sydney continues in the wake of
Angela Catterns’ departure to new station Vega. Reporter Ashley Hall
also left and a producer and the two replacements, James Valentine and
Simon Marnie, have been trialled and found wanting. Rugly league
specialist Debbie Spillane takes on the breakfast slot for the next
month, but she isn’t the answer.

Sally Loane, the 702 morning presenter is leaving the station. She
signed a short term, six-month contract at the start of the year and
has confirmed that she’s leaving at the end of the month after six long
years getting up before dawn. Her shift at 702 had the weakest ratings of the announcing team,
although with Catterns going, breakfast will now not be strong for the
station in Sydney.

Loane’s departure was rumoured over the weekend after it became known on
Friday night in Melbourne and Sydney radio circles that Virginia
Trioli, the 774 Drive presenter in Melbourne had resigned to move to
Sydney. Fairfax’s Sydney Sun-Herald put a big picture of Trioli all over page three yesterday.

Trioli was rumoured at one stage to be talking to DMG about Vega
Melbourne, but it’s now understood she’ll replace Sally Loane in the
morning shift on 702. That means she will go up against serial
screamers and moaners Alan Jones/Ray Hadley on 2GB and John Laws on 2UE.

Trioli had wanted to do either breakfasts or mornings on 774, but
Red
Symons and Jon Faine were not shifting. Had Red Symons accepted the
Vega offer, Trioli would probably have followed him into breakfast,
whilst Faine is showing no signs of going anywhere despite eight and
half years of 5am rises.

This, of course, could be a ploy by Trioli to increase her price with
Vega in Melbourne which is struggling to find someone with profile to
give it oomph down south. Breakfast will be the only local segment in
Vega Melbourne and Red Symons would have been ideal.