‘Not to be’: ABC Radio veteran sprays management on his way out the door

Popular ABC radio presenter Simon Marnie has slammed radio management on his final day with the broadcaster, after he was not afforded the opportunity to say a proper farewell to his colleagues across four decades.

Finishing up after several months of leave on Friday, Marnie sent a lengthy note to staff titled: “I thought I’d have an official farewell.” It outlined the farewell he imagined he would be given by the broadcaster, with his career spanning 40 years with the ABC, and lamented that it was not to be.

Simon Marnie in 2018.Credit: ABC

“I would have thanked all my on-air guests, my gardeners and other regulars, including Simone Whetton, who has worked on Weekends longer than I. But that farewell is not to be,” Marnie said.

“In this era of hot desking and adaptable environment we don’t want memories, we don’t wish for a corporate culture based on history and people. We just want them to leave quietly, with their tales between their legs.”

Marnie used the word ‘tales’ deliberately, reflecting on people’s ability to share their stories.

Beginning as an intern on Triple J, culminating in his roles as a presenter, Marnie was stood down as host of Sydney Weekend Mornings at the end of 2024.

In the email sent to staff, he included audio boss Ben Latimer and head of the ABC’s capital city network, Mike Fitzpatrick, as recipients, expressing his regret over not being allowed the opportunity to say goodbye to, and thank, the staff who contributed to his 40-year career at the ABC.

“I’m proud of my time at the ABC, I’ve shared many great experiences with many great people … I just thought management would give me the chance to say so. I’m off but leave you with my ABC mantra – ‘seek forgiveness, not permission’.”

Marnie’s axing, alongside the decision to remove weekday Mornings host Sarah Macdonald, led to uproar from the station’s listeners and staff, with some of the latter writing directly to ABC chair Kim Williams to express their concern. Williams subsequently met with staff over the decisions.

Fellow ABC Sydney veteran Richard Glover, who resigned last year, called the decisions to sack both Marnie and Macdonald “baffling”, while staff called it a “public relations disaster”.

Last year, Marnie said the decision came as a “shock, and I am still processing what it means for me”. Macdonald is now doing regular radio slots for Nine-owned talkback network 2GB.

“Over the years, I’ve been to many farewells, some on the Dot Strong Terrace, some in Studio 22 and some just held in the kitchen or office space of the person leaving … I always wondered what mine would be like,” Marnie’s note said on Friday.

ABC chair Kim Williams (second right) with departed ABC veterans (from left) Sarah Macdonald, Richard Glover and Simon Marnie.Credit: Monique Westermann

“I was certain my immediate boss or (if lucky) the head of my division would stand up and recount a career spanning 40 years from an unpaid ‘intern’ at JJJ to Presenter Weekends on ABC Radio Sydney and ABC NSW.

“I doubt they’d remember my 36-hour stint with the late journo Trent O’Keefe at Triple J covering the fall of the Berlin Wall, or that notorious JJJ breakfast shift that earned me two weeks’ leave on full pay.”

The ABC did issue a press release in November, farewelling Marnie, accompanied by a short statement from Latimer. Marnie invited former colleagues, friends and past guests to attend his final show, an outside broadcast at Government House in December.

Marnie was approached for further comment.

An ABC spokesperson said: “Simon was a long-serving and valued contributor at ABC. His contract came to an end recently, and we acknowledge the impact he had on audiences and colleagues over many years. We wish him all the best.”

ABC Radio Sydney has undergone significant change over the past 12 months, as have many of the broadcaster’s different radio outfits.

It appointed a new station manager, Katrina Palmer, to lead the network after the exit of Steve Ahern, who was station manager at the time of Antoinette Lattouf’s dismissal, three days into a casual five-day contract in December 2023, which erupted into an organisation-wide scandal.

Palmer, a former producer for several high-profile ABC Radio Melbourne shows, including Jon Faine, began this year.

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