ABC Mornings host David Bevan to announce retirement from media, insiders say

Media insiders say a veteran Adelaide radio broadcaster is planning to hang up the headphones by the end of the year.

Veteran ABC radio host David Bevan will announce his retirement from media in the coming weeks, according to well-placed sources within the industry.

The Advertiser understands that the Adelaide Mornings presenter, who has hosted various breakfast radio programs since 2001, has been consulting colleagues about stepping down from the airwaves.

Best known for his 15-year on-air partnership with Matthew Abraham on 891AM, Bevan was also the network’s state political reporter for South Australia and previously covered the court beat for The Advertiser.

ABC Breakfast duo David Bevan and Matthew Abraham pictured at their studio in 2012. Picture: James Elsby

One industry insider said the announcement was coming by the end of the month, while another reported that Bevan floated the possibility of a 2025 send-off.

Several other sources said they were not surprised to hear the rumours and that whispers have been circulating among media’s A-list.

As a senior staff member, he will be eligible for a generous payout, but an ABC spokeswoman said she could not comment on individual employees’ entitlements.

On Monday, speculation about Bevan’s retirement was the talk of state parliament, with many long-serving MPs having been at the pointy end of his tough one-on-one interviewing style.

Bevan started his career in the late 1980s and his retirement would cap off a generation of ABC presenters who have slowly made way for a new guard.

They include Philip Satchell and Jann Springett, who both died in 2021, as well as Carole Whitelock, Rex Leverington and Bevan’s former co-host Abraham, who himself retired in 2017.

Bevan has been contacted for comment.

Originally published as ABC Mornings host David Bevan to announce retirement from media, insiders say