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Former politician Scott Emerson to take over 4BC Drive program in Brisbane

Nine has revealed the man who will take over the Drive slot on 4BC in Brisbane.

The hosting duties will be filled by former LNP state politician and minister for transport and main roads, Scott Emerson.

Emerson joins 4BC in August

Emerson, who takes over next month on 10 August, has also been The Australian’s Queensland bureau chief and worked at the ABC. Recently, he’s been a regular contributor to Sky News.

He takes over from Ben Fordham, who occupied the Drive spot across Sydney and Brisbane before moving into Breakfast in Sydney to take over from Alan Jones. The Breakfast show in Brisbane was recently filled by Neil Breen.

Since Nine has taken full ownership of the former Macquarie Media radio brands, including 4BC, 2GB in Sydney and 3AW in Melbourne, it has made a number of talent changes including putting adman Russel Howcroft into the 3AW Breakfast line-up, Fordham into Sydney Breakfast, and Deb Knight into Afternoons in Sydney and Dee Dee Dunleavy in Melbourne.

“We’re delighted Scott is joining 4BC as we return to local programming in drive,” Nine Radio’s head of content, Greg Byrnes, said.

“As a journalist, broadcaster and former Minister he’s well credentialed for news talk, particularly with a state election in October, but Scott is also a proud Queenslander who lives and breathes Brisbane.”

Emerson said it was exciting to be joining 4BC as it increased its local focus.

“I can’t wait to get back behind the microphone and talk about all the issues that really matter to Brisbane,” he said. “We’ll be breaking news and debating the big stories of the day – local politics, local business, local sport – and hopefully having a laugh or two. If you listen to 4BC Drive, you’ll have the edge in Brisbane.”

Radio ratings surveys are currently paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic restricting GfK and Commercial Radio Australia’s in-person research methodology, however in the most recent survey, released in April, 4BC had a 7.6% share. Joint market leaders Hit 105 (a Southern Cross Austereo station) and 97.3 FM (Australian Radio Network) had 10.5% each, while Nova 106.9 was only just behind on 10.4%. In Breakfast, 4BC had a 9.7% share, placing it in fifth position.

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