ABC’s James Valentine swapped microphones — and found a new audience who loved him
When the exhaustion of life as a touring musician took hold in the late 1980s, James Valentine sought an alternative career.
He hit the jackpot with his second career behind the microphone. His 30 years at ABC allowed him to develop his distinctive radio style and connect effortlessly with listeners.
Valentine reflected on his retirement in February: “I think I’m blessed.”
“The chances of finding me such a suitable job were slim to none.”
Valentine, 64, who died via voluntary assisted dying at his home two years after being diagnosed with cancer, was known for his creative and humorous approach to daytime radio.
The beloved host hosted radio and television programs on ABC for 30 years; most notably he presented the radio program 702 ABC Sydney Afternoons for over 20 years.
He developed a different style of talkback radio by inviting his listeners to discuss social dilemmas and share ordinary life dramas rather than traditional talkback topics such as politics and news of the day. Listeners’ favorite episodes included “The Thing That’s Done,” “What I Live By” and “Rant.”
702 ABC Sydney presenter James Valentine has died two years after being diagnosed with cancer. (Provided)
Although he made brief appearances on more news-oriented programs such as Breakfast and Mornings, it was his afternoon speaking spells with audiences in Sydney and regional New South Wales that defined his career.
“I always wanted to do a very interactive style of radio. I fell in love with talkback very early,” Valentine said during a February special.
“I was surrounded by rules of etiquette, manners, form and protocol. So this was a pretty natural area for me to want to explore.“
“But I also wanted to do research by getting people to call about their own problems.”
Valentine retired from 702 ABC Sydney in February after 25 years at the station, citing the need to focus on his cancer treatment.
He first announced his esophageal cancer diagnosis in March 2024 before taking leave for treatment. He returned to the airwaves later in the year, before more tumors were discovered in his omentum in June 2025.
The host returned to the airwaves for one last special in February, reviewing career highlights with longtime producer and friend Jen Fleming.
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Writer, performer, general ‘show’
Born in Ballarat in 1961, Valentine was the third son of his family. Her mother was also an ABC graduate and broadcast part-time on the local ABC radio station.
From an early age, radio was a part of Valentine’s life and ABC Local was always on in his childhood home.
“So really my whole life, 64 years of my life, is buried in ABC,” he told listeners during his farewell special in February.
James Valentine loved jazz from the moment he heard it as a youth in Ballarat. (ABCTV)
He learned the saxophone at school and later left his hometown of Ballarat to study jazz at Melbourne State College.
James Valentine on saxophone, Peter Kohloff on bass. (Provided by: James Valentine)
She found success with rock band Models in her early 20s and toured with leading Australian artists including Jo Camilleri, Kate Ceberano and Absent Friends.
Jazz remained a lifelong Valentine’s love, with him picking up his saxophone most days.
Valentine first joined ABC in 1987 as host of ABC children’s television. (ABC)
In 1987, Valentine returned to television, taking on the role of afternoon host on ABC children’s TV, but felt the fit wasn’t quite right.
He decided to approach Peter Wall, manager of 702 ABC Sydney, for a few temporary shifts.
He was given the chance to fill in for John Doyle in the afternoons and immediately connected with the audience.
“He was smart, he was funny, he was pretty unique,” Wall told Tom Oriti on 702 ABC Drive in February.
After several years at Canberra Radio and a spell on 702 Mornings, Valentine found his home in Afternoons.
‘Bungee cord’ in the afternoon
In the early afternoon hours, Valentine accompanied listeners for more than 20 years.
“It’s like there’s a rope attached to this shift. I can’t escape it,” he joked with the audience.
Valentine presented on 702 ABC Sydney for over 25 years. (702 ABC Sydney: Declan Bowring)
The relaxed pace of the timeslot gave Valentine the space to express his creativity and encourage listeners to join him.
“The audience has always been very happy to let me experiment, try something, fail and come back with something else.”
he said.
Through segments that explored social dilemmas or allowed seekers to vent their frustrations, Valentine shared a strong connection with his audience.
Valentine was best known for his work on the show Afternoon. (702 ABC Sydney: Declan Bowring)
Wall told 702 listeners in February that Valentine was a “one-off” when it came to radio.
“He knew how to make complex things simpler,” Wall said.
The uniqueness of Valentine’s broadcasting has been recognized internationally, receiving the Bronze Award for Best Two-Way Phone Call/Interview Program at the 2020 New York Festival Radio Awards.
Valentine’s Day’s talented storytelling wasn’t limited to the radio broadcast. He also wrote six books, ranging from science fiction for young readers to nonfiction for adults based on his radio show.
A show of its own
Friend and former 702 ABC Drive host Richard Glover said Valentine was a person who said “yes and” rather than “no but.”
“I can walk there [the studio] “If you brought up any topic with any attitude, in any spirit, he would always find a way to be funny or insightful,” Glover said when he retired on Valentine’s Day.
Glover said he and Valentine have the “weirdest” friendship. (702 ABC Sydney: Declan Bowring)
The couple had the “weirdest friendship.”
For more than 20 years, Valentine wrapped up his Afternoon program with a 10-minute chat with Glover as he handed over the microphone.
“I always knew I could start in the strangest places and had full confidence that he would find us somewhere fun to go.“
John Doyle, his predecessor on Valentine’s Afternoon, praised Valentine for making the show his own.
“You’ve managed a staff of thousands of people who understand what you do, and for a quarter of a century you’ve designed countless genres of radio that have never been heard before. Not many people do that,” Doyle said during a special broadcast.
Shortly after announcing his retirement in February, Valentine told the Sydney Morning Herald he wanted a “joyful funeral”.
“I want every saxophonist in Sydney to fire me. I want everyone to sing the great pop songs we love. I want to raise the roof,” he told columnist Peter FitzSimons.
“I want us all to look at the great unknown and not be afraid of it.”
Valentine is survived by his wife Joanne and their two children Ruby and Roy.
