Media salaries: What SA’s top TV and radio stars could be earning
They’re the big names that keep you informed and entertained in the mornings and on the nightly news. So how much can SA’s top media stars command for their talent and experience?
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Working in TV and radio can mean long hours and plenty of pressure – so it’s only fair Adelaide’s top media presenters get handsomely compensated.
We’ve asked around, and surveyed former members of the industry – both behind and in front of the microphone/camera – to find out what the city’s best and brightest media stars can command annually.
Of course, salaries are a closely guarded secret in the industry, so the below numbers are merely a guide based on our experience and media contacts.
Actual individual wages and salary agreements may differ.
To make things easier, we’ve broken down the predicted salaries into brackets to illustrate who’s rumoured to be top of the tree and where everyone sits in SA’s media landscape.
TIER ONE – THERE’S A NEW KING IN TOWN
Estimated salary range: $500,000 – $600,000 a year
Will Goodings – FIVEaa breakfast and Seven weekday newsreader
Goodings has moved to the top of this list, with his already tidy salary receiving a nice boost courtesy of his new role as one of Seven’s weekday newsreaders.
The son of longtime presenter Graeme, Goodings and colleague Rosanna Mangiarelli were appointed to the coveted newsdesk in January and have continued Seven’s domination of the nightly news ratings.
His respected voice is also one-half of FIVEaa’s popular breakfast show, which shared the no. 1 spot in Adelaide’s latest radio ratings, alongside Triple M.
As the high-profile face of news programs on both major platforms, Goodings has more than earned his hefty pay packet.
TIER TWO – ROO, ROSANNA AND SODA
Estimated salary range: $350,000 up to $500,000 a year
Mark ‘Roo’ Ricciuto – Triple M breakfast and Fox Footy
Fifteen years after he retired from footy, the former Crow continues to kick huge goals.
The biggest name on the top-rating breakfast radio show in Adelaide, the Roo, Ditts and Loz early morning program has secured five straight survey wins in the all-important timeslot, plus he’s also a valuable member of Fox Footy’s SA commentary team.
When lured over from the drivetime shift in 2014, Ricciuto was rumoured to be paid more than anyone in the radio market – and he’s proven to be worth every penny, and then some.
Rosanna Mangiarelli – Seven weekday newsreader
Long tipped to be Jane Doyle’s successor, Mangiarelli’s elevation to Seven’s weekday newsreading post, alongside Goodings, would have come with a handy pay rise.
A beloved personality around town and charitable ambassador, Mangiarelli previously hosted the station’s long-running news and current affairs program, Today Tonight.
Mark Soderstrom – Seven’s weekday sports presenter, SAFM breakfast co-host and SANFL commentator
The hardworking Soderstrom took a break from breakfast radio in 2022 but has returned to the lucrative timeslot this year alongside Rebecca Morse on SAFM.
He’s also been the face of Seven’s sports bulletin for many years, and a key part of the station’s SANFL coverage, which he combines with several regular MC gigs around town.
TIER THREE – THE BIG NAMES
Estimated salary range: $300,000 – $350,000 a year
Ali Clarke – Mix 102.3 breakfast
It’s been a difficult 18 months for Clarke since her big move to commercial station Mix – following a very successful stint at ABC891 – but it’s understood she came across on a tidy wicket, and that wouldn’t have changed.
While ratings have been up and down this year, there’s been enough improvement to suggest she’ll remain at Mix into 2024.
David ‘Penbo’ Penberthy – FIVEaa breakfast
A former Daily Telegraph and Sunday Mail editor, the man known as Penbo has dominated the airwaves since he joined FIVEaa’s early morning team in 2015.
Highly-respected for his news sense and outspoken opinions, Penberthy’s authoritative voice and impressive news connections from over 30 years in the business have made him an invaluable part of the breakfast show.
He supplements radio with work for The Australian newspaper and as a must-read weekly columnist with News Corp, sharing his thoughts across various mastheads nationally.
TIER FOUR – VETERANS, TRUSTED NEWSREADERS AND RISING STARS
Estimated salary range: $200,000 – $300,000 a year
Kane Cornes – SEN radio, Sunday Footy Show
Cornes’s evolution into one of AFL media’s biggest brands shows no signs of slowing down.
The 300-game Power star and son of SA legend Graham has found his niche as an outspoken analyst and expert commentator on a variety of platforms.
Cornes has built his profile across the country through sheer hard work with starring roles on SEN’s national breakfast show, Nine’s Sunday Footy Show, plus a newspaper column and a regular appearance on AFL.com.au.
Sure, he’s controversial at times, but when Cornes speaks, people listen. It’s a powerful combination.
Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello – South Aussie with Cosi and part-time Mix 102.3
While his earnings would have taken a hit following his axing from SAFM’s breakfast show, Cosi’s brand remains strong and financially viable.
An established media star, the fun-loving Costello is one of the state’s most renowned characters through his TV travel and lifestyle program, Seven’s South Aussie with Cosi, and he’s cultivated a huge social media following over many years.
He’s also found himself back on radio in 2023 with a regular guest role on the Ali Clarke Breakfast Show on Mix.
Laura O’Callaghan – Triple M breakfast radio
She’d never take full credit but is it any coincidence that Triple M’s breakfast radio show hit no. 1 after O’Callaghan joined the team?
Maybe, maybe not, but the popular presenter is surely in for a pay rise following a banner year which has seen the Roo, Ditts and Loz early morning program top the radio ratings – almost unheard of for an FM station.
Industry sources say O’Callaghan is the secret to Triple M’s success, and ARN bosses will be keen to lock in their talis-woman going forward.
Max Burford – Ten sports presenter and Mix 102.3 breakfast
It’s been a rapid rise for the clean-cut Burford, who within a month was appointed Ten News Adelaide’s new weeknight sports presenter and joined the Ali Clarke Breakfast Show on Mix 102.3.
It’s still early days for him as he adjusts to life as a media personality – as well as the long days – but the signs are promising and a successful career beckons.
Jodie Oddy – Nova 919 breakfast show and Channel 10 journalist/presenter
After two years away from breakfast radio, the former top-rating personality was back on the weekly airwaves in January, as part of a new Nova 919 breakfast show with Andrew Hayes.
It’s been a steady if unspectacular return, with solid ratings keeping the station within touching distance of the top.
It was always going to be difficult following the popular Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton – who moved to Nova Melbourne – but the new duo has laid the foundation for bigger and better things in 2024.
Andrew Hayes – Nova 919 breakfast show and Channel 7 presenter/journalist
A four-time premiership player with Central Districts, the likeable lad from NSW has turned his football skills into a profitable media career in SA.
Previously on SEN breakfast with Kane Cornes, he joined Oddy on Nova’s early morning program this year – always a well-paid role – while also working as a sports reporter for Channel 7 and as a regular on the station’s lifestyle TV show Discover with RAA.
Rebecca Morse – SAFM breakfast
Chris Dittmar – Triple M breakfast
These two veterans remain among the best-known – and well-paid – names in SA media.
Former Channel 10 newsreader Morse survived the axe at SAFM at the end of last year and has helped to secure steady ratings for the station as part of a new breakfast show alongside Soderstrom. She’s also a regular face around town, working as a charitable ambassador and promoter of all things South Australian.
Her brekkie radio counterpart Dittmar has gone from strength-to-strength at Triple M in recent years, finding his niche with Ricciuto and O’Callaghan on their popular early morning show.
Brenton Ragless, Kate Collins – Nine newsreaders
Collins and Ragless have spent almost a decade together on the Nine newsdesk as they’ve tried valiantly to end Seven’s stranglehold on the timeslot in Adelaide.
Collins replaced the legendary Rob Kelvin in 2011, before former CFS volunteer and weather presenter Ragless joined her in 2014.
While the ratings have fallen away in recent months, the duo’s experience and name recognition in the tough world of broadcast news remains highly sought-after.
Kate Freebairn – Ten newsreader
Weather presenter Freebairn returned from maternity leave this year into a plum role as Channel 10’s new Adelaide newsreader – following two years of bulletins anchored by Jennifer Keyte and Steven Quartermain in Melbourne. While she presents the news from Ten’s Sydney studio, the network decided it was important to have a South Australian face reading the weekday news, earning Freebairn a tidy pay packet for her promotion into the hot seat.
TIER FIVE – SPORTY TYPES AND LIFESTYLE QUEENS
Estimated salary range: $150,000 – $200,000 a year
Tom Rehn – Nine’s weekday sports presenter and Hello SA, FIVEaa sports commentator
One of Adelaide’s busiest media performers, Rehn’s career has taken off in recent years, after replacing outgoing weekday sports presenter Warren Tredrea in January 2022.
Based on court documents, it’s believed that Tredrea was paid just under $200,000 a year for the same role.
A key cog in FIVEaa’s footy commentary team, Rehn’s also a presenter on the station’s travel and lifestyle show, Hello SA, which launched last year to fill the void left by South Aussie with Cosi’s move to Seven. Coupled with his numerous MC gigs around town and it’s safe to say Rehn’s hard work is paying off in spades.
Will McDonald – Nine’s weekend and afternoon news presenter
The versatile McDonald anchors the station’s weekend and afternoon’s news bulletins. The veteran presenter, who joined Nine Adelaide in 2004, stepped up to the news team following Georgina McGuinness’s departure in 2011.
He’s bravely battled prostate cancer in the last two years and endeared himself to the audience as he’s continued to work while championing awareness and fundraising efforts for the devastating disease.
Hayley Pearson and Lauren De Cesare
This bubbly duo – formerly in brekkie radio – created powerful lifestyle brand Adelady in 2015 to promote the best of South Australian fashion, food, art, health, fitness and fun.
Starting online and on social media, it’s branched out into a magazine and a Nine TV show, Hello SA, while the booming Adelady team has expanded to ten members.
TIER SIX – ABC AND THE WEATHER GURUS
Estimated salary range: $90,000 – $150,000 a year
Stacey Lee – ABC breakfast
Nikolai Beilharz – ABC breakfast
After a positive start, ratings have slipped for Lee and Beilharz – but they’re not alone at the ABC.
Despite a rough 2023, the breakfast show continues to draw the big names on-air and there’s hope for improvement going forward.
As for their salary, it’s understood Aunty pays significantly less than commercial radio stations, as evidenced by a 2013 leak of high-profile ABC journalists and managers.
At the time, it showed Adelaide’s top-rating breakfast duo, 891’s Matthew Abraham ($149,354) and David Bevan ($134,223), were the national broadcaster’s top on-air earners in SA.
Tiffany Warne – Ten weather presenter
Part of Ten’s new local news bulletin in 2023, Warne is an emerging on-air talent, and has been tipped for a bright future by industry insiders.
Initially starting as a reporter at Seven in 2017, she moved onto Today Tonight, before being was snapped up by Ten in late 2019.
Showcasing her many skills, Warne also worked as part of a weekend breakfast radio at Nova, alongside Jodie Oddy and Max Burford.
Amelia Mulcahy – Seven weather presenter
Jessica Braithwaite – Nine weather presenter
This experienced pair have been the face of weather in SA for almost a decade.
Currently on maternity leave, Mulcahy’s trusted long-range forecasts have bookended Seven’s top-rating news bulletin since 2014, and she’s the station’s weather, climate and environment reporter.
Mulcahy’s counterpart at Nine, Braithwaite has held the role since 2016, thanks to a certificate in meteorology as well as a double degree in Journalism and International Studies (as does Mulcahy, for the record).
It’s often a thankless job, with various live crosses from all parts of the state, but it’s also one of the most critical, given the important role weather plays in all our lives.
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