Media Street: Nick Quinn to depart TAB for Ladbrokes and Neds as mighty era ends

For years, the media team at TAB was a mighty thing, but now with the departure of spokesman Nick Quinn, that era has been brought to a close.

Gerard Healy’s 28-year stint with 3AW is coming to an end.

The iconic broadcaster is taking his Sportsday program over to SEN where he will be joined by Kane Cornes.

Healy’s current co-host, Sam McClure, will take over the 6pm time slot on 3AW which is being rebranded as Wide World of Sports.

The seismic shake-up of Melbourne’s radio scene will happen from November.

Pairing Cornes with Healy promises to be an “explosive” combination according to SEN boss Craig Hutchison.

“There would be no more respected voice in the radio drive time slot than Gerard,” Hutchison said.

“He has helped pioneer and lead the way on sports radio coverage in Australia as a top rating fixture every night since the early 1990s.

“To have the show and Gerard moving to 1116 SEN and our broader SEN network is an honour.”

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Gerard Healy is set to join SEN. Picture: AAP Images

The new Sportsday will start at 5.30pm and go for two hours to try and lure some of Healy’s loyal followers across from 3AW.

Healy has been heard on 3AW since starting the nightly sports show with cricket legend David Hookes in 1994. After his tragic death former Geelong and Port Adelaide player Dwayne Russell took on the role with the pair forming a formidable partnership over 16 years.

Russell defected to SEN in 2020 with McClure then proving to be an excellent fit as the show continued its strong ratings.

Healy, 61, is no stranger to the SEN audience given he has been a regular in the special comments chair on the station’s Friday night football coverage.

That came about after Hutchison took over the production of Sportsday as part of a syndication deal involving the AFL radio rights but that arrangement finishes at the end of this season.

The problem for Healy was a change of direction at 3AW through its new owners Channel Nine who have instigated a national rebranding of the 6pm-7pm time slot as Wide World of Sports with different hosts in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

One key part of the new strategy is having just a single host in each state, which Healy was vehemently against. He has operated as a two-man show for almost three decades and wasn’t prepared to change.

Kane Cornes will partner Healy. Picture: Sarah Reed

Last month Nine’s heavy hitters Tom Malone and Greg Byrnes travelled down from Sydney to meet with Healy in an attempt to get clarity about his future.

The appointment of McClure in the coveted seat has ruffled feathers at 3AW given he defected to SEN in 2017.

There were several other strong candidates with Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel highly rated at the station while Carlton AFLW coach Daniel Harford, who works on 3AW’s football coverage as well as hosting RSN’s Breakfast Show, was strongly favoured but had time constraints because of his AFLW commitments.

Long-time 3AW commentators Shane McInnes and Bruce Eva had put their hats in the ring while former Channel 7 host Jacqui Felgate was sounded out.

FACE OF TAB DEPARTS

The man with the best hair in media, Nick Quinn, is leaving the TAB for rival British wagering giant Entain.

Quinn has been the face of Tabcorp for the past nine years with his expertise and ease in front of the camera making him a popular figure throughout the sports betting industry.

His departure is the end of an era at TAB who have dismantled their once mighty media team which was led by former Herald Sun journalist Adam Hamilton.

Quinn will be joining his former boss at Entain who are behind the Ladbrokes and Neds gambling brands.

They have recently signed on with racing industry channel Racing.com where Quinn is likely to feature prominently.

Originally published as Media Street: Nick Quinn to depart TAB for Ladbrokes and Neds as mighty era ends