ARN has announced the appointment of Fiona Ellis-Jones to the role of head of news and information.
Ellis-Jones will reporting to ARN’s chief content officer Duncan Campbell. In the role Ellis-Jones lead the strategy and execution of the news function for ARN across both Metro and Regional markets, in line with the overall content strategy.
Ellis-Jones is an experienced broadcast journalist, newsreader and editorial leader, she joins ARN from ABC where she was the editor of audio news, leading a large team of journalists across multiple linear and digital broadcast streams.
Ellis-Jones was responsible for the NewsRadio network, national radio bulletins across every ABC station, and all of the ABC’s On-Demand audio news platforms, which has a unique audience of 2.7 million listeners per day.
Campbell said of her appointment: “Fiona is a strategic thinker who brings with her a wealth of experience that will help deliver ARN’s vision to produce industry leading audio news in short and long form across broadcast and digital platforms.
“With local newspapers vanishing from many of our regional markets, audiences are increasingly looking to radio as their key source of local news and information.
“I am looking forward to working with Fiona to uncover new ways for our news teams in our Metro and Regional markets to more effectively highlight the issues that are affecting audiences locally,” Campbell added.
Ellis-Jones said of her new role: “I’m excited about joining an organisation where news is seen as a key part of content. While the future of news media is in audio on-demand, the craft of storytelling remains as important as ever.
“I can’t wait to work with so many high performing ARN teams to create quality news interactions for audiences,” she added.
Ellis-Jones has led several news teams and hosted many shows across the ABC’s television and radio platforms, including the flagship ABC NewsRadio Breakfast and rolling coverage on the ABC News Channel.
Ellis-Jones began her career as a general reporter for WIN News before moving to Nine News Sydney as a news journalist. She has worked in Tanzania, India and Fiji and is a former ambassador for World Vision Australia.
Ellis-Jones officially commences her role at ARN on Monday November 14 and will be based in Sydney.
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Top image: Fiona Ellis-Jones