Red Symons announces dumping live on air: 'Why am I going? They haven't said'

ABC Radio Melbourne’s breakfast host Red Symons shocked listeners by announcing live on air on Friday that he had been dumped from the job after 15 years. “News break,” Symons said. “This will be my last year doing this program on the ABC. Why am I going? They haven’t said and I haven’t asked. Other things have been offered here, but I think it’s better to make a clean break.”

It’s been a rocky year for the former Skyhooks band member. In June he was criticised for asking “what’s the deal with Asians?” in a combative, awkward interview with a fellow ABC broadcaster, Beverly Wang. Then he took two months off to recover from a brain injury after a fall. “I’ve spent five years in a band, and 10 in television and 15 on the radio,” he said. “Clearly whatever is next will keep me occupied for 20 years. I like to work. It gives life will and purpose.”

The ABC’s Melbourne local radio manager, Warwick Tiernan, said Symons, who starred in the hit variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday on Nine, would be “hugely missed both on-air by his legion of fans and off-air by all his ABC colleagues”.
Here Ta Da, gone tomorrow

The Play School presenter, singer and actor Justine Clarke broke preschooler hearts across the country last month when she disappeared from TV screens without explanation. Clarke’s new ABC show, Ta Da!, was heavily promoted and scheduled to run at 5.50pm from Monday to Friday from 6 November on ABC Kids. But after just a few episodes it was pulled. Ta Da! took preschool children behind the scenes in the world of a theatre where Justine and her stage manager friend, Dash the dog, are getting ready to perform. The ABC told parents on Facebook and Twitter it was a “technical issue”. Weekly Beast asked ABC publicity what happened and they said the same thing: it was a “technical issue”. The iview links were taken down, social media and ABC website information disappeared. Considering this was a major commission for ABC Kids and it was funded by Screen Australia, we kept trying to find out what “technical” was code for.


Source: theguardian