Award-winning journalist Neil Breen to host 4BC breakfast radio

He’s a Brisbane boy made good, and he’s coming home for his next role: hosting 4BC’s first local breakfast show in five years.

HE’S a local boy made good, and he’s coming back home to host 4BC’s new breakfast show in Brisbane.

Neil Breen is taking over the timeslot previously occupied by legendary radio broadcaster Alan Jones, who announced his retirement this week.

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Breen, a former Brisbane State High School sports star who ended up editing the sports section of The Courier-Mail in his 20s, will get behind the microphone on June 1 for what will be the first locally produced breakfast program on 4BC in five years.

Widely known as simply “Breeny’’, the multi-award-winning journalist, who rose to become Sunday Telegraph editor in Sydney from 2006-12, has also been a senior sports reporter and presenter with Nine News for many years.

He said he was “beyond excited’’ about an appointment that allowed him to finally come home.

“We (he and wife Elizabeth Meryment) have a place on the Sunshine Coast and we almost always holiday in Queensland, so it has never stopped being home,’’ he said.

Listeners to his show can expect plenty of news, sport, politics and reflections of life in the Sunshine State.

“I just want to talk to Queenslanders about Queensland,’’ Breen said.

“I am really driven to hear from Queenslanders — particularly how we come out of the coronavirus lockdown and our approach to the road to recovery.’’

Neil Breen, pictured with son Harry, is ‘beyond excited’ to be returning to Brisbane. Picture: Chris Pavlich

As Sunday Telegraph editor, Breen drove the agenda for Sydney and the country, often breaking exclusive political and general news stories: the perfect complement for talkback radio.

His main competition on the AM airwaves will be ABC Breakfast hosts Craig Zonca and Loretta Ryan.

Nine managing director (radio) Tom Malone sees the appointment as the perfect fit for the state.

“We are thrilled Breeny is returning to his hometown with a dedicated local breakfast show for Brisbane on 4BC,” he said

“Local radio is an important part of any community, and we know Neil is the perfect choice to provide Brisbane listeners with the very latest news and information.’’

The last time 4BC produced a local breakfast radio show was when it featured Ryan and Ian Skippen from 2014-15.