Three of the ABC’s highest-profile broadcasting jobs are soon to be vacant, and filling them will be the first big test for new chair Ita Buttrose and the yet-to-be named managing director.
Barrie Cassidy, founding host of Insiders, announced last week that he will retire after the federal election in May; founding Q&A host Tony Jones will leave his program at the end of the year; and ABC Melbourne radio mornings presenter Jon Faine has also announced his retirement.
Q&A is seen to be fading, and a new host (and maybe a new executive producer) could revitalise it. But Faine was one of the few presenters to keep their job without changes in the ABC’s local radio’s presenter shake up, and it’s hard to imagine Insiders without Cassidy. The replacements will mark a changing of the guard at the public broadcaster and getting them right is important, so it’s time to open a book on who will step into the roles.
Virginia Trioli
The current co-host of ABC News Breakfast is back in the chair this week after some time off, and has been tipped for the Q&A gig or the radio job, or even both. She is based in Melbourne but is a regular fill-in host for Q&A. The ABC might be keen to get a woman into the Insiders chair but Trioli is unlikely to be the one — it needs someone with solid connections in Canberra. She’s known to longtime ABC Melbourne radio listeners — she did five years presenting the Drive program (and two years on Mornings in Sydney), and has previously filled in for Faine.
Michael Rowland
Trioli’s co-host on News Breakfast does plenty of heavy-lifting at the ABC. He’s a go-to for special events like Saturday night’s NSW election television coverage and filled in for ABC Melbourne’s Drive host Raf Epstein last year. So he may be considered for the Insiders or radio jobs — they are both Melbourne-based, as is he.
Fran Kelly
Radio National’s Breakfast host Fran Kelly is another heavy hitter at the broadcaster, and a favourite for the Insiders job. She’s a regular panellist on the program, but there are doubts that she will be strong enough on the economy for the hosting role.
Patricia Karvelas
A hot favourite at the ABC, Karvelas’ star is rising. This year she won a new afternoon program on ABC News, in addition to her Radio National program and podcast hosted with Fran Kelly. Karvelas has filled in as a Q&A host, and is also an Insiders panellist. The Australian has tipped her to replace Jones and Faine.
Ellen Fanning and Julia Baird
The hosts of The Drum this year have proved themselves in the new, longer-format program. Fanning’s extensive presenting experience could make her a contender for the Insiders role, while Baird has filled in as host on Q&A.
Laura Tingle
Another regular Insiders panellist, 7.30 political editor Laura Tingle’s political knowledge and grasp of the issues are second-to-none. She’s a newbie to television, but has improved as she settles into the television role.
David Speers
A true upset would be for Sky News’ David Speers to come in to replace Cassidy. Appointing an outsider would rock the boat at the ABC, but Speers’ is both well respected and well connected in Canberra.
Baird, Feathers, Karvelas – no Crabb? No worries. Just what we need, more Limited News Party apologist mitigationists on our Limited News Lite ABC – too afraid and immersed in their own conservative politics to subject their party to their scepticism reserved for Labor and the left.
Not that Trioli and Speers are that much different.
Bugger any pretence, just let Rupert have it.
Whenever their Coal-ition is caught out, doing something wrong, they jump to attention with historical examples of “Labor doing just as bad” : but when Labor is caught out embarrassing themselves, they have no such mitigation, no such reciprocation pointing to similar Coal-ition malfeasance – they’re hung out to dry.
“The hypocrisy of the left” Baird?
Ye gods, pray it’s not Patricia Karvelas – hopeless.
bjb – I agree. Of all those listed, she is the weakest and I find her “interviews” annoyingly dull.
Which will probably make her the front-runner for all three jobs.
Patricia Karvelas should take over the ABC and do all the programs.
QandA has become soft and “middle of the road” and humdrum for the middle class. Tony Jones is not as had hitting as he once was as an interviewer on Lateline. Back then he stayed stern and went for the juggler. Now on QandA he smiles a lot as the pace of the program gets slower and slower and more jovial and “nudge nudge, wink wink” kind of pally broadcasting. Ratings is looked at for the ABC on QandA as the government looks down so QandA therefore is gauged as not hardcore journalism. When it began we could rely of headlines in the papers the next day from the program about the politicians being caught out and “suckered”as that is where the title came from, parliament. Now it is more social for the social pages. Patricia Karvelas could also take on Insiders because she is hard hitting and does not pull back from attack that is not seen as an attack. She fries them slowly. She asks the right question at the right time to hit the interviewee in the back of the breadbasket so they have to think before answering. There is always a follow-up question. Her brain is always moving, dodging and weaving to catch her quarry out. She presents great viewing.
There are always highs ands lows with Patricia. She can excite with a fast attack and the words come flying out so fast you can hardly keep up, or she can stop and halt and hold the attention with silence and be very deliberate in her choosing of words, that can come very slowly and hard and meaningful through the airwaves, and that to the soul is very moving. Patricia is an expert.
The Karvelas with whom I was familiar, before I couldn’t listen anymore, is an absolute lightweight whose ceiling should really be a spot on 702 if she is to has to be on the ABC at all. Hard hitting? A “brain always dodging and weaving” ? What I heard on just about every Drive program was a procession of right wing nut jobs blathering on without examination especially when the topic was China. There seldom seemed to be any research whatsoever which is understandable seeing that News Ltd likes to recruit fresh from the School Certificate and train ’em up. She’s from that club alright, crosses to other journos (usually News) for their perspective on whatever usually ended with a blokey “Thanks Robbo/Jacko/Jenko”. I reckon Klewso’s got it dead right.
Thank you for your application Patricia – we’ll let you know. I’m damned if I know why Karvelas is not nominated when Kenny, Bolt, Credlin etc ask where are the conservatives on the ABC. Right there where Karvelas is sitting, is my answer.
All that has been said by MMarshall about Karvelas applies so much more appropriately to La Trioli, whose i/view of Reith re Children Overboard won my respect.
My ideal would be for Kerry O’Brien to replace Cassidy but it’s never going to happen.
David Speers would be a reasonable choice despite his current Sky connections.
Even better would be John Megalogenis who used to be a regular panelist on Insiders & who has an excellent political reporting background. Megalogenis understands the workings of Canberra & has solid economic credentials.
He’s been away so long you’ve forgotten his name is George.
Thanks for the correction, Woopwoop. It didn’t feel right as I typed it.
Sorry, George.
Agree – MegaGeorge would ideal, strong on economics and politically incisive.
Mark Riley before David Speers, please!