‘Why am I going? They haven’t said’: ABC Radio’s Red Symons to exit after 15 years

Appalling decision ABC. Treating listeners and Red with contempt.

Here here ABC goes from gripe to tripe

A very disappointing decision by the ABC. Red Symons is a rare talent. The subtlety of his humour was beautifully reflected back by his loyal listeners and callers. Radio of that quality is hard to come by. Let’s hope Red pops up somewhere else on radio and all we will have to do is switch over.

What will we do what will I do we will all miss that gorgeous sardonic humor informative guests regular listeners/contributors 15 years well done Red I am sure you will be snapped up as was Doctor Blake not all of us like or appreciate the crap the Commercial Stations serve up I will be interested to see what the ratings are Toodles

Just substitute rubbish for crap

I guess there is a back story. There usually is.

Unfortunately ABC Melbourne has lost me, the only announcer who brightened our mornings. Red will miss you so much!

Make that three. It won’t only be Red who leaves!

Make that 4
The ABC has lost me

What a shame – Red brought a little fun into our day – while most of the other ABC presenters don’t seem to know what the word means let alone indulge in it. We will miss him!

Sadly he doesn’t fit into the prescribed model of an ABC person, so he’s discriminated on the basis that he’s (i) white (ii) male (iii) born here (iv) over 50 (v) not a shouty apologist for Left-wing faddish issues (vi) not female (vii) speaks his mind with a disregard for censorship – and another ten or so criteria for discrimination masquerading as “diversity and inclusion”. The only people the ABC are kidding, is themselves. That’s life in the echo-chamber.

Red was born in the UK

Absolutely agree with your well expresses sentiments.Brickbats to the ABC

Your argument doesn’t hold water.
Faine is and does all of those things, and he’s king over there.
OK, he was born in NZ, not Oz, but that’s the only difference.

I still do not get the issue with the blackface Hey Hey segment. Completely irrelevant in Australia. Only people that had an issue with it were white social media justice warriors.

So sad – his loyal listeners I am one will miss him.
Please get him back offer Anything and everything he is worth it.
Hopefully one of the commercials will snap him up.
He is an Icon.

Thanks Red. You made the trip to work interesting and fun. A victim of political correctness from those without a sense of humor and a quota to fill. Enjoy whatever comes next.

For once please ABC listen to your listeners, we love waking up to Red Symons, he is a breath of fresh air in this boringly pc world, if anyone wants my signature on a petition to keep him I’m right here and you have my email

Goodbye Red. Goodbye ABC. You’ve lost me. Stupid decision.

Agree. Will now wake up to my alarm instead of Red.

Well ABC, I didn’t listen to you. I listened to Red.

Poor decision ABC. Many of your listeners including me love Red’s style – intelligent, non – political, funny at times, unique and refreshing. No-one else compares in the 5. 30 am slot. No substitute will compare well. We will follow you Red, on another station

ABC has just lost a loyal listener between 5.30 & 7.45 am Monday to Friday.
Wherever Red goes I will follow or just turn the radio OFF!!!
Obviously to classy for the ABC hierarchy.
From the treasurer of the “goat track”

Abc has lost me also. No one is like red and thats what makes mornings so refreshing. Ross & john on 3aw can breathe even easier now, not that they really did anyway. But i bet they admire & respect red also? 774, cricket, tennis and thats about it now.
Get out john fein, before they screw you over too.

The ABC terminating Red Symons 15 year stint on the Breakfast show proves how out of touch the current management are. His humour is a rare commodity these days and brings diversity to the earnestness of many ABC broadcasters. As evidenced by his listener loyalty his will be difficult shoes to fill. In the same way Peter Evans loss left a gaping hole in the broadcast schedule, so will the departure of Red Symons. Personally I find Jon Faine’s increasing smugness and tendency to resort to repetitive and predictable puns during ‘serious’ interviews annoying and lacking in professionalism, I would have preferred saying goodbye to him. His program is tired and predictable, one criticism that could never be levelled at Red’s program.

I totally Agree with this view

Agree also. Symons is clearly a thinker. Faine is full of himself.

Look, I thought Red was fresh and new when he first started, and I was a listener for years.
But I think recently his schtick has grown tired, and most of what he says just sounds uninformed, self-indulgent and often rather stupid.
Think we need a bit more detailed new coverage in the early mornings, so I’ve now switched to News radio in the morning.
It probably is the right time for him to go.

“a bit more detailed new[s] coverage”? The ABC is DROWNING in news. The Charter requires it to “inform AND ENTERTAIN”. A bit MORE, not less, entertainment is what the ABC needs!

I am sorry to see Red go he is funny, educational,(some times irritating) but his interviews so often got something unusual, unexpected and interesting from those people he was interviewing. The Joans will really miss him. The ABC have lost the plot keeping someone like Macca around (well past his use by date) and moving others on. I only hope the replacement is Dave O’Neill.

The lunatics continue to run the ABC asylum. Another win for the Green-Left-PC. Ross and John here I come.

Farewell to the funnyman….who will be my main reason to listen to ABC now? No-one can replace Red Funnyman!

Goodbye Red.. Goodbye 3LO/774/Melbourne Radio .Here’s an idea.. change your name to Radio STUPID Who are the anonymous “Management” who make this sort of decision.. And today you announced the replacement. ! You are surely joking??? Didn’t you get it during Red’s absence.. . We all switched to Ross and John (ghastly- but at least unforced and without any “cutesy ” bits that you expect your once loyal listeners to now start their day with)..
Red is a truly a unique talent.. honest ,amusing, with a natural delivery and a keen intelligence.

I’m devesated. Red is one of a kind. I will follow him to wherever he goes. ABC, how can you axe Red and keep Macca on? Seriously? If anyone needs to move on it’s Macca not Red. Macca is PAINFUL. Put Hilary Harper on instead of Macca, her show needs far more time as her segments are really valid and interesting. Also her delivery is great. Does anyone know how Richard Stubbs is doing? I know he suffered a terrible loss, but perhaps now is a good time to entice him back to his old slot? I still miss Richard. I haven’t listened during the afternoons since he left, early mornings are now also banned now that Reds gone. It’ll just be a lot of giggling and poorly executed questions with the new two. Sigh…

Red 15 years is enough. Looking fwd to new. Macca 15 minutes sees me out every Sunday

Red, I no longer listen to the ABC, the station I pay for. I paid to listen to you. I have listened to the ABC and the ABC only for more than 50 years. No longer. I want disrespectful but “considered” humour to lighten my day. I wonder where it will end, trying to crush the Australian humour which people flock to this country to live with and enjoy, trying to crush freedom to listen or not to listen. Shame ABC shame.

Faine should go on a permanent break and take Michelle Guthrie with him. I’m finished with Tax Payer funded (i’m better and more intelligent than you) ABC.

Michelle Guthrie clearly wants to destroy Auntie. How could you voluntarily alienate such a large demographic unless you were stupid or meaning to end the ABC funding model. Red we miss you terribly. The new dumbnamic duo just don’t belong. We loved waking up to your calm intelligent voice.