4BC Mornings presenter Bill McDonald dropped a bombshell on air this morning.
He is leaving the station immediately, saying he’s going to “follow my Olympic dream”.
He didn’t say exactly what he would be doing, but he seemed to be hinting at a job involved with Brisbane 2032.
There’s also no announcement yet as to his replacement, although insiders suggest existing shifts may be adjusted, as happened at 6PR in Perth.
I was Bill’s producer when he joined 4BC on Weekend Breakfast. He’s a good bloke and a pro, and I wish him all the best.
Update; This comes as 4BC owner Nine Entertainment confirmed to The Guardian the media’s worst-kept secret: that it is exploring the sale of its audio division. Maybe Bill’s getting out at the right time.
Mister Brisbane is free to read, but if you appreciate what I’m doing here, and/or
at The Wrinkle and Radio Bert, you can buy me a coffee.
Do you need a VPN? Following this link to get Surfshark helps me too!
Her funny Valentine
Shirley Valentine and the Twelfth Night Theatre are old friends. Brisbane’s original Shirley, Amanda Muggleton, performed there to enormous acclaim under unusual circumstances. From memory, her then partner had previously lost a bid to buy the property in a deal that would have closed the theatre before the curtain went up.
Well, the theatre is still there, and Willy Russell’s play Shirley Valentine is back, this time with Natalie Bassingthwaighte in the title (and only) role, directed by Lee Lewis.
Details and bookings here.
P.S.
Thought for the day: Do surfers sit around to the end of the 6 o’clock news on a Friday to find out what the waves will be like, or do they contact their like-minded mates for the latest info? If the latter, and bearing in mind that relatively few people actually do surf, why do we get a surf report? Is it just an excuse to show gnarly footage?
all the best wishes to you Bill. Hope the opportunities are rewarding.
Hello Brett,
Being a 4BC listener, albeit, not always live; but podcast when time permits, I was surprised to see your post that Bill had quit his show and program on 4BC.
Time permitting today, I played back a badly composed and mediocre highlights presentation of Bill McDonald's final Friday program, which, if you hadn't told we listeners, we wouldn't have a had a clue it had happened… there was no mention anywhere.
To be fair, it may have been announced on Facebook, but I don't use it.
As a communications business, I say, shame on 4BC management for failing to explain to their audience via the podcast..
What's more, Mornings is now just that, a blank Mornings on their program list.
I wish Bill good health and god speed in whatever he is undertaking next.