Alan Jones announces retirement from 2GB radio, Fordham beats Hadley to coveted breakfast slot
Alan Jones has described hanging up the radio headphones as a “bit like grieving” while offering support to his successor Ben Fordham who admits he is “frightened and intimidated” to take over from Australia’s most powerful broadcaster.
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Retiring broadcaster Alan Jones has described hanging up the headphones as a “bit like grieving” while handing the breakfast radio torch to 2GB stablemate Ben Fordham.
Jones appeared on 2GB Drive host and successor Fordham’s radio show this afternoon to discuss his impending departure on May 29 due to health reasons.
Jones, 79, told Fordham his packed schedule of radio, television and print media commitments had “exhausted” him, with warnings from doctors to “stop or drop” last week the final straw.
“In a sense I’ve only got myself to blame, I took on extra work via TV and the articles I write when that started last year,” Jones said.
“(Doctors) said to me over and over, you’ve got to stop or you’ll drop … in wake of it all, I’m now exhausted.”
With 226 radio survey wins and a “distinguished” 35-year career in his wake, Jones said it was a “reasonable time” to pass on the breakfast show mantle to someone else and Fordham will have his support “whenever it’s needed”.
He will continue his television appearances and to contribute to newspapers including The Daily Telegraph and The Australian.
Fordham was appointed by Nine Radio executives to replace Jones from June 1 but admitted on air to fellow 2GB host Deborah Knight he was “frightened and intimidated” by the coveted position.
“I feel a great sense of responsibility,” Fordham said.
“To think I’m stepping into his considerably large shoes is an honour. I’ll have to wear 10 pairs of socks.”
During their chat on Tuesday afternoon Jones pledged his support to his younger successor, providing advice and promising to give support to Fordham “in any way I can provide it.”
“If listeners think you’re interested in them, they’ll be interested in you. If you’re interested, you’ll be interesting,” he said.
This morning, Jones told stunned listeners that medical experts had told him “the present workload is seriously detrimental to your health.”
However Jones reassured listeners “healthwise I am okay” raising the question of why Nine bosses would agree to pay their top star more than $4 million to go off air.
He will continue to be paid until the end of his two year, $8 million contract which ends in June 2021.
Despite his high ratings Jones lost a fortune in advertising revenue after his comments about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern drove away advertisers who never returned.
Jones is at the top of his game, having just delivered a record 226th ratings win, and the extent of his power and influence could be measured from the surprised well wishers who called in including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
“I’ve listened to the experts and I’m taking this opportunity to indicate to my radio family that I will be retiring from radio at the end of this month, May 29,” Jones told his listeners, who represent almost 18 per cent of the Sydney breakfast radio market.
He said he was also working in television and in newspapers, where he writes a column for The Daily Telegraph.
“I’ve decided the bulk of my workload is dominated by radio. After 35 years the full stop has to go somewhere,” he said. “I’m not retiring, I’m just retiring from radio.”
Bosses at Macquarie Media had stalled the resigning of his contract after he and the station lost a defamation action against the Wagner family that cost $3.75 million in damages at the end of 2018.
The contract was eventually signed last year at the intervention of Nine chairman Peter Costello who today said: “His ratings record makes him the outstanding broadcaster of his generation. His ratings record will never be matched.”
Mornings host Ray Hadley, who had originally been earmarked for the breakfast slot before Nine axed the old Macquarie Media management team, said he was “entirely comfortable with it and I am happy to stay where I am.
“I have been kept fully informed about Alan’s retirement and Ben’s replacement of him,” he said.
“They are talking about a 10 year plan and I am 65 so I think this contract will see me out,” he said of his current contract that expires in 2024.”
But Jones told his listeners that he had not been kept in the loop about his replacement and only found out it was Fordham when he was given the announcement this morning.
“I wasn’t aware of that,” he said. “Because I’m on air, someone plonked a press release in front of me,” Jones said.
“I have had nothing to do with the appointment of my successor, nor should I … an appointment has been made and it’s one that I endorse, Ben Fordham.
“He’s got a lot of ability, a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of ideas and willingness to succeed, those are appropriate ingredients for success. I’m sure he’ll do a wonderful job, I wish him well,” he said.
Fordham told friends he felt like he was going into bat for Australia after Donald Bradman had been dismissed.
Jones last month saw ratings jump 3.1 per cent to secure him a massive 17.9 per cent share of the Sydney breakfast market with the nearest rival, ABC Sydney, trailing behind with a 10.9 per cent share.
Fordham said: “I feel a sense of both responsibility and opportunity. There’s a huge responsibility in taking over from Alan and the opportunity to bring my own flavour to breakfast.
“Alan is the most successful broadcaster in the history of Australian radio. There will only ever be one Alan Jones. My first taste of radio was as a 15-year-old work experience kid on the Alan Jones breakfast show. I can’t quite believe that all these years on I’m taking over the position he’s made his own,” he said.
Wide World of Sports breakfast presenter Mark Levy has been asked to step into Ben Fordham’s shoes on 2GB’s afternoon Drive program.
The Daily Telegraph understands Nine bosses have asked Levy to fill-in when Fordham moves into Jones’ breakfast slot in June while they work out a permanent replacement.