The March 23 edition

Video killed the radio star, so the song goes – but it never really did, as we now know. Even in the 2020s, with podcasts one of the most popular media formats, morning talkback hosts are as powerful as ever in setting the news agenda of the day. Evidence for the latter can be found in Neil Mitchell’s send-off after 34 years as host of 3AW’s top-rating Mornings program. As Konrad Marshall writes in today’s magazine, the Melburnian was seated at his farewell lunch between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. A power table if ever there was one. Taking over from Mitchell at 3AW is Tom Elliott, who’s walking a similar path to that Ben Fordham trod in 2020 when he succeeded another media stalwart, Alan Jones, at Sydney’s 2GB. Like Fordham, whose father was a well-known celebrity agent, Elliott is used to walking in the shadow cast by famous men: his father was the late controversial businessman John Elliott. Far from being thrown by the legacy of either his dad or his Mornings predecessor, however, Elliott appears comfortable enough in his own skin to do things his way. Elsewhere in today’s issue: life lessons from the luminescent Julianne Moore who, at 63, is securing some of the acting roles of her career; and behind Saudi Arabia’s fantastical building boom, including how MBS’s commitment to architecture and design beyond the West’s wildest of dreams squares with his country’s problematic human rights record. Don’t miss, too, Celeste Barber’s insightful – and funny – chat with Benjamin Law; and Damien Woolnough’s Autumn Style Edit. Enjoy. Katrina Strickland, editor