Broadcaster James Valentine retires from ABC after nearly 40 years due to cancer | Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcaster and saxophonist James Valentine is retiring from the ABC after almost 40 years due to cancer, ending 25 years of hosting Sydney Afternoons on ABC Radio.
Valentine, 64, has been a fixture on the public broadcaster since joining ABC TV’s children’s Afternoon Show in 1987, after a decade playing in bands including The Models.
In 2024, he revealed live on ABC radio that he had esophageal cancer and was taking time off to have surgery, saying he was “equally hopeful and terrified”.
He returned after treatment but left again last June when new tumors were discovered.
Valentine had been thinking for a while about how to tell the audience that he was breaking up again after breaking up. I appeared on the radio twice To reveal the details of his illness.
“It’s sad news, absolutely sad news for me,” Valentine said on ABC Sydney on Monday afternoon.
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“It’s been a tough decision for me to make, but look, I think my health is sending me a pretty clear message that there may still be some time before I can get back and continue broadcasting.
“[It] It may be another year or six months before I have the energy or strength to return. I just think it’s too long. I guess it’s time to say come on someone else [should] Come and take a shot.
“I need to focus on getting better, being with my family and friends, and making sure I’m doing the best I can for my health.”
Listeners called and texted Afternoon host James O’Loghlin to express their grief, and many cried live on air.
Valentine is loved for his creativity and offbeat sense of humor. Listeners who called ABC named their favorite episodes, including the rant, petty crimes, this is what I live for and conversations with comedian HG Nelson, and said they would miss his company.
Valentine said he wanted to step away completely to free up the position.
“Come and take a look at this magnificent transformation and do what you can with it… That’s what’s so beautiful about Afternoons – there are no restrictions. In a way, it’s endless.”
Longtime producer Jennifer Fleming will produce a two-hour retrospective of the show on Friday.
“I wanted to capture what we’ve done over these 25 years, look at how we’re taking feedback into a whole new area,” Valentine said.
Valentine, who also appeared in the Breakfast and Morning programs, announced that cancer was discovered after he “choked and retched” while eating curry at a party.
A short time later, gastroscopy was performed and it was revealed that there was a 4 cm tumor where the esophagus meets the stomach.
He worked extensively as a musician in the 1980s, playing saxophone in bands with Jo Camilleri, Wendy Matthews, Kate Ceberano, Pseudo Echo and Stephen Cummings. He currently plays with the James Valentine Quartet in Sydney.
Drive presenter Thomas Oriti was so impressed with the messages from listeners that he said he could fill the entire show with them.
