Zan Rowe won’t be on ABC News Breakfast in 2025
Zan Rowe is the latest high-profile talent to be stepping back from ABC News Breakfast.
On Wednesday, Rowe announced she will be “winding up” the weekly music news segment she has hosted on ABC News Breakfast for ten years.
“It’s an idea I pitched a decade ago,” Rowe recalled, “and I’ve had such a good time doing it, both in Sydney remotely, then on the [ABC News] couch in Melbourne when I moved back home.
“It’s been amazing to bring music news, but also music analysis, and discussions around what’s happening with artists these days, who are having the hardest time, I think, in my living memory.”
“It’s been a real pleasure and a privilege to do that.”
Rowe ended her announcement on an optimistic note, saying of the removal of her weekly TV appearance, “take away one thing, and you can make space for other things, right? 2025, the land of opportunity.”
Last month, Rowe announced her popular Bang On podcast, which she co-hosts with Myf Warhurst and has produced for double j since 2017, will be going on hiatus.
Earlier this week, Robbie Buck announced he wouldn’t be on-air in 2025, following “over 28 years as a constant employee” at the ABC.
This followed the twin axings of ABC Radio Sydney weekend host, Simon Marnie, and Mornings presenter, Sarah Macdonald.
The blowback — within the media industry, from the public, and at the ABC itself — forced head of audio Ben Latimer to send an all-staff email, which the ABC later made available in full on its website, where he explained to staffers: “Our decisions reflect the need to revitalise our programming and bring a renewed mix of voices and perspectives”, claiming that “relying solely on what we’ve always done won’t help us connect with the new audiences we need.”
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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Have the geniuses that are ABC management realise that the demographic that they are trying to chase are too busy working to listen to daytime radio?
We should know – they’re our kids. We’re busy baby-sitting their children (if they’re lucky enough to have them) so they can work to put a roof over their heads.
Any younger than 30 and they’re listening to triple J.
Has any actual research been done before they carpet-bombed ABC radio? Or are we being done over by corporate f*#kwits?
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Let’s see if the hack from Nova walk his talk.
Gotta wonder which idiots in Management helped him draw up the hit list.
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There would not be anything worth watching soon on abc you areamaking aright dog’s breakfast of it, i used to watch every day but not any more some on the couch are trying too hard to be funny but very sorry not funny
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