Adelaide radio presenter Jarrod Walsh says goodbye to his listeners as he departs Nova and FIVEaa
Adelaide radio presenter Jarrod Walsh has delivered an emotional goodbye to his listeners after revealing why he is departing Nova and FIVEaa.
Entertainment
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Adelaide radio presenter Jarrod Walsh has bid an emotional goodbye to his listeners after revealing he will leave Nova and FIVEaa.
The popular afternoons presenter and sports show anchor announced on YouTube this afternoon that he was recently made redundant and had his last day on-air today.
“I did have a hunch that it was a going to happen that I was going to get the tap on the shoulder like so many people in 2020. I was preparing myself mentally but I think all the preparing you do, nothing can prepare you to hear those words,” he said, fighting back tears at times.
“There’s a range of emotions: fear, sadness, anxiety… my hands have been randomly shaking for the past couple of days.
“I haven’t really been given the opportunity to say farewell and thank you on the air so I’m going to do that here and I’m going to try and hold it together.”
Walsh was one of several redundancies around the network with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the media industry hard.
“I’ve done every shift, I’ve done every on the air in that building and a lot of the jobs off air as well and I couldn’t have given any more to Nova Entertainment,” he said.
“I’m a very humble person and I try not to make things about me, I try to make it about other people and this is a time when I’m saying I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. I want to make sure I hold my head high.”
A radio veteran of 16 years, Walsh is also well-known around town as a sports MC with Port Adelaide, the Adelaide 36ers, Adelaide United, Adelaide Thunderbirds and the Adelaide Strikers. He said he will continue working as the voice of SA’s sporting teams.
Walsh paid tribute to his wife Gabrielle and daughter, describing them as the “most beautiful family in the whole world” and then thanked his listeners for their support over the years.
“Finally thank you to the listeners… you kept me going, whether it’s someone calling up to say hello, someone who thought I was another announcer or someone who called up to abuse me,” he said.
“Thank you for riding this journey with me and if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here today, and that’s a fact.
“I’m so grateful for you giving me a chance, and thank you for appreciating me and thank you for accepting who I am.”
Walsh said he was also grateful for the support of Nova, where he started as a Casanova street team member in 2004.
“Nova has been absolutely brilliant to me and I couldn’t speak more highly of the company,” he said.
“Now I’m going to take a breather, and get to know my family because they seem really nice. I’ve got a daughter on the way in January and I’ve got the most beautiful family… and I’m going to take breath because I f***ing deserve it.”