News

ABC hires The Australian’s Patricia Karvelas as RN Drive host replacing Waleed Aly

Patricia KarvelasThe ABC has appointed Patricia Karvelas as the new host of Radio National’s drive program replacing Waleed Aly.

The well respected Karvelas is the Victorian editor and Melbourne bureau chief of national broadsheet The Australian and has been a regular fill-in for Rafael Epstein on ABC 774 for much of 2014.

A formal announcement is expected later today, but it is understood that Karvelas’s strong news breaking background and expertise in federal political reporting, social and indigenous affairs were a key factor in the appointment. 

In a note to RN staff this morning Michael Mason, acting manager of RN, noted: “Patricia has been a prominent senior journalist in the Australian media for 15 years, beginning her professional career in broadcast journalism at the ABC and SBS as both a producer and presenter.”

The drive post became vacant earlier this month after Waleed Aly announced he was moving over to Ten to host The Project.

Karvelas had been touted as a future editor of The Australian. Her departure comes after the Melbourne bureau of The Australian recently also lost Ewin Hannan its industrial relations editor to the Australian Financial Review.

She will take up the role from late January.

Nic Christensen 

Update 8.30am – The ABC has just issued the following statement:

ABC RN today announced Patricia Karvelas will be the new presenter of  RN Drive, the network’s popular flagship evening program, broadcast Monday—Friday, 6.00–7:30pm.

Patricia has been a prominent senior journalist in the Australian media for 15 years, beginning her professional career in broadcast journalism at the ABC and SBS as both a producer and presenter.

She has worked for The Australian newspaper since 2002 covering federal politics, most recently working as the Victorian Bureau Chief and Editor and Senior National Affairs Journalist.

Patricia is a regular fill-in presenter on 774 ABC Melbourne, and frequently appears on a range of television and

radio programs including RN’s Sunday Extra and ABC TV’s The Drum.

“RN is the network of ideas – and there are few people better placed in the Australian Media than Patricia to take up the role of RN Drive presenter,” said Deborah Leavitt, Manager, ABC RN.

“She brings to the role a strong track record in breaking stories, a highly-tuned analytical mind and an interest in Indigenous affairs, as well as a natural curiosity about what matters most in the lives of Australians.”

Patricia will commence on air on Monday 26 January 2015.

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