Radio icon Leon Byner announces surprise FIVEaa departure

The Adelaide icon says he now plans to catch up with some very famous mates after announcing his shock retirement.

SA radio icon Leon Byner, November 1999.

Adelaide radio icon Leon Byner plans to catch up with Hollywood mates including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Brooks when he hangs up the headphones for the last time on his regular weekday show.

In a surprise announcement, the 74-year-old veteran broadcaster who has hosted the FIVEaa mornings program for 22 years, has confirmed he will host his last shift at the station on December 2, after FIVEaa decided not to renew his contract when it expires at the end of the year.

Byner, whose illustrious on-air career spans five decades and every state, is adamant he wasn’t “sacked” and that the decision not to renew his contract didn’t come from left field, adding the plan was for him to still “make some pretty major contributions”.

“No, I wasn’t surprised … management and I had been having a couple of discussions – I am going to be working pretty closely with 5AA on a couple of things (that) we are still working out,” he said.

Leon Byner at his home in Adelaide.

“When you do a show like mine, Monday to Friday, you are up a 6 in the morning and it really kicks it out of you … you’ve really got to be on your mettle and it is not just the time you are on the air.

“The normal retirement age has traditionally been 65 and I am well beyond that … (but) I have an insatiable appetite to find stuff out and that ain’t going to change, I am just a restless and inquisitive person.”

Top of his list when he has more time is again visiting Hollywood where he has many friends.

“I’ve been able to make some good friends on that side of the world, some of my favourites are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Brooks … but there are a stack of others,” he told the Sunday Mail.

“I have been to America about 30 times but it is very hard to make the time (to visit) … there are a number of people, agents and celebrities, who I haven’t seen for a while, finally I will be able to get there to see them.”

While he now calls Adelaide home, the former Victorian says he is also looking forward to spending more time with family and friends interstate, including his sister Gail in Melbourne.

FIVEaa station manager Craig Munn confirmed the station was exploring how it could keep Byner involved.

“Leon and FIVEaa are extremely enthusiastic about continuing our relationship in 2023 and beyond,” he said.

“The remarkable career by Leon as a broadcaster will possibly never be matched and he and all of us at FIVEaa look forward to celebrating his wonderful career as a station both on air and off air.”

Byner started his radio career in 1966 in Shepparton, Victoria, and has worked in every major Australian city.

A former music presenter, he hosted shows in California, LA, before making the move to talk radio in 1996. He’s been nominated 13 times for an Australian Commercial Radio Award.

Earlier this year, he spent several months off-air due to ill health, eventually returning to the show in June.

Byner says being able to help “hundreds of people” stands out as his career highlight.

“Often I’ve become the place of last resort for people … people will ring me with an issue when they’ve tried everything and don’t know where else to go (and) it is very satisfying to know I can, in a small way, change their world,” he said.

Byner was caught up in the controversial cash-for-comment probe in early 2004, standing down while the matter was investigated.

“I really think that whole thing was overplayed … those things are always challenging but you have to stare them down the eye and just deal with them,” he said.