Suddenly it’s blokes akimbo on ABC radio. Loyal female listeners are noticing

There’s a nickname for the man who runs ABC radio these days. Some jokingly call him a Black Thunder bro – a nod to the time when Ben Latimer, now the director of audio at our national broadcaster, worked at commercial radio stations. Those Black Thunders (SUVs) were all over Sydney, handing out Coke and chips.

Is that unfair? Since he took over, ABC local radio has lingered in the doldrums. We need neither Coke nor chips nor the kind of staccato delivery which has come to personify the sound of ABC Sydney. Blokes barking at me. Reminds me of work. Geez, those booming low voices are triggering.

We are a day after the release of disappointing radio ratings and two days after we heard Chris Bath chose to leave the crucial Drive slot. She won’t have even reached a year in the gig. Is it resourcing? God knows but when I ask some staffers if they are getting the kind of money needed to do local radio well, they laugh at me. Unkind.

Some of the folks still at the ABC tell me it’s hard to get a clear message through to Latimer. As a leader, he is steeped in commercial radio, the sound of it. Commercial radio growls. Not sure about you, but I loathe that sound. Yes, yes, 2GB. The ABC audience and the 2GB audience could not be more different.

Bath took over from Richard Glover not even a year ago and is leaving her slot to go to a shorter, less high-profile program on Sunday mornings. To replace her? Thomas Oriti, who for quite some time has been the presenting backbone of NewsRadio. He’s fabulous and I’m devoted to him because I adore high-profile ABC reporter Nas Campanella, a sensational and stubborn former student of mine and wife to Thomas.

Latimer has managed to oversee (and survive) the Antoinette Lattouf catastrophe and the shift of ABC Sydney from a station that had lots of women, with programs that sung to their listeners, to one which is quite different. We must note that Bath’s ratings were far from sizzling. But from next year, sunrise to sunset, it will be blokes akimbo. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if the audience was also just blokes akimbo. After sunset, women are let off the leash. Thank heavens for Renee Krosch, who does evenings.

I asked Jacqui Ewart, a Griffith University professor who’s been researching talkback radio for decades, what she thought about the male-to-male shifts.

“I’m a bit shocked to tell you the truth ... I mean you might expect something like this from commercial radio with their shock-jockery,” Ewart says. “There’s a risk of alienating a section of the audience, particularly with the ABC, if all you have are male presenters ... I’m not suggesting that all men have a limited world-view, but if you do have a line-up of men, there could be a perception among some listeners that women’s interests are not being catered for.”

Bingo. We are all still recovering from the station’s appalling treatment of the widely adored Sarah Macdonald who, by the way, is now a guest on Mark Levy’s 2GB show every week. The listeners love her, 2GB insiders tell me. And guess which show had a huge bump in the most recent radio ratings? Yes, yes, I know Nine – owner of this masthead – owns 2GB, but if you think I’d be nice about them for that reason, you’re cooked.

One ABC insider confides: “[We are all about] weathering the storm with this current senior leadership … stick your head down, make good programs and stay out of the firing lines. Numbers and quality protect you.”

Hmmm. I look at the ratings for ABC Sydney and wonder if that’s true. Particularly about the ratings. Latimer signs off on decision-making. Is ABC managing director Hugh Marks paying attention?

This latest upheaval comes at a time when ABC local radio’s ratings are in the basement. Not the basement occupied at the end of last year, but still very low. It’s dispiriting for staff who survived the debacle at the end of 2024. “We felt that halfway through 2025 we finally got some kind of bearing about where we were headed,” one staffer told me. “The dust had settled.”

Who is making these judgments and why? The ABC lost its director of local radio, Katrina Palmer, a hot minute ago. She wasn’t there for long either and has returned to Melbourne for family reasons. She’s been replaced by Nick Lowther, from Dubbo. Now, I hesitate to say this in case it invites dissenters, but Lowther appears to be universally adored. The ABC’s Jess McGuire mentioned him in a podcast last week, saying how kind he’d been when her mum was sick. Another said: “Level-headed ... best boss ... knows how to get the best out of his employees.” Sorry about the punctuation but this person went on and on.

And Lowther’s dead keen on the ABC. Been there forever. A self-described “lifelong radio fanatic”.

The ABC needs a few more of those. But for now, some top tips from a lifelong listener. Move Hamish Macdonald to Breakfast. Sure, the hours are worse but the man is a natural newshound and news breaker. Ditch whatshisface from the Chaser (believe me, you need an actual journalist at that hour of the day) – or move him to a time where he can make jokes and take time. Give Oriti plenty of support. This is not NewsRadio; this is a flagship program.

And please, get some women in permanent gigs. I can think of the perfect person to present Mornings. Mark Levy mightn’t be too pleased.

Jenna Price is a regular columnist.

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