Nine has moved to stamp out speculation it is preparing to replace Karl Stefanovic on Today, rejecting claims the network is quietly war-gaming a post-Karl future behind the scenes.

In a statement to Mediaweek, a Nine spokesperson said the broadcaster remains firmly behind its breakfast pairing, citing commitments made publicly months ago.

“We’re incredibly proud of our Today team and the work they’ve been doing in an already busy 2026 and delighted that, as announced at the Nine Upfronts back in October, Sarah and Karl continue to lead the incredible Today team in what will be a big year full of headlines and events that affect the lives of our viewers.”

The intervention comes as internal chatter, external commentary and a swirl of on-air and off-air signals combined to trigger one of the loudest rounds of speculation about Stefanovic’s future in years.

Where the rumours started

The latest flare-up was sparked by Steve Jackson in The Australian, which claimed Nine was already mapping out succession scenarios for its longest-serving breakfast star.

According to the report, discussions were allegedly happening “at the highest levels” of Nine, with Stefanovic and co-host Sarah Abo framed as heading into what could be their final ratings year together.

One senior network source quoted in the piece suggested Nine might need to “blow up” Today’s existing format if it wanted to seriously challenge Sunrise on the Seven Network.

The names doing the rounds

Jackson’s column listed a trio of potential successors already being talked about in media circles:

• Tom Steinfort, Melbourne-based Nine News anchor

• Joel Dry, recently installed in Brisbane’s 6pm bulletin

• Matt Shirvington, the current Sunrise host and a hypothetical poaching target

The speculation went further, with Shirvington even being floated as a possible on-air partner for Samantha Armytage if Nine were to attempt a full breakfast reset.

For a market obsessed with chemistry, contracts and “next-in-line” narratives, it was enough to set off a chain reaction.

A long history of second place

Stefanovic has anchored Today for more than two decades, through multiple reinventions and a revolving door of co-hosts – from Jessica Rowe and Lisa Wilkinson to Allison Langdon and now Abo.

Throughout that run, Today has largely sat behind Sunrise in the ratings, even during its strongest years.

Stefanovic and Abo are currently on 12-month deals – a standard arrangement in breakfast TV, but one that always leaves room for intrigue.

The Armytage detour and Karl’s podcast wildcard

This isn’t the first time Nine’s breakfast strategy has leaked into public view.

After Armytage moved from Farmer Wants A Wife to Nine’s The Golden Bachelor, there was internal consideration of pairing her with Stefanovic. That option was ultimately dropped after Stefanovic pushed to keep working with Abo.

More recently, Stefanovic added another wrinkle by launching The Karl Stefanovic Show podcast independently this month – a move that inevitably raised eyebrows inside a network that guards its breakfast franchise fiercely.

The first episode, featuring Pauline Hanson, pulled 214,000 YouTube views last week. A follow-up with Alexander Volkanovski managed just 14,000.

For a breakfast host whose primary job is to dominate the morning conversation, those numbers quickly became part of the industry sub-plot.

The network has also been here before. In 2019, Nine replaced Stefanovic with an all-female Today line-up led by Georgie Gardner and Deborah Knight – a bold reset that lasted less than a year before Stefanovic was brought back.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

Omnicom Media Australia has appointed Stephanie Douglas-Neal (Stevie) as CEO of media agency UM.

She returns to Omnicom after three years in a senior leadership role outside the network, following seven years at PHD Australia.

Douglas-Neal said stepping into UM at this moment feels like a once-in-a-career opportunity.

“The market is transforming quickly, and with Omnicom Media entering a new phase of scale and capability, this creates real upside for a business like UM,” she said.

“UM has a distinct brand soul, one that champions Full Colour Media, embracing the full spectrum of what a brand can be in market, and my focus is on protecting that while accelerating its impact within a powerful, connected ecosystem.”

“I’m incredibly excited to get started, to listen, learn, and begin building the next chapter of UM with our teams and our clients. I’m grateful for the people I’ve worked with and the experiences I’ve gained over the past few years, which bring a broader perspective as I step into this role.”

Douglas-Neal succeeds Anathea Ruys, who held the role for nearly five years, as the business enters its next phase.

“Anathea has led UM for the past four years with care, commitment, and integrity, and has made a meaningful contribution to the agency, its clients and its people,” said Omnicom Media Australia CEO Kristiaan Kroon.

“As the business evolves, we are making changes to our leadership structure to ensure UM is well-positioned for the future. I want to thank Anathea for her leadership and the impact she has had and wish her every success in what comes next.

“We are pleased to welcome Stephanie Douglas-Neal as CEO of UM and, more broadly, back to Omnicom Media. Stevie has a strong track record of building agency businesses that deliver exceptional outcomes for clients.

“She brings deep experience, clarity of leadership and a genuine commitment to people, and I’m confident she is the right leader for UM as it enters its next chapter.”

Main Image: Stephanie Douglas-Neal

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

A veteran Seven producer has launched a Fair Work claim after a fall from his wheelchair in 2023 left him seriously injured, arguing the network worsened the situation by reducing his duties and leaving him “distressed, upset and humiliated”.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Kishor Napier-Raman reports that Seven’s defence flips the script, accusing former Sunrise producer Matthew McGrane of aggressive and misogynistic behaviour toward female colleagues, including profane and sexist emails.

A Seven spokesperson said in a statement: “As this matter is before the court, Seven is unable to comment. Seven will defend its position.”

Matthew McGrane sues Seven

The SMH reports that McGrane, a wheelchair user with a medical condition, claims he was seriously injured when he fell while commuting home from Seven’s Eveleigh studios in Sydney in 2023.

McGrane claims the incident resulted in pain and necessitated surgery.

The producer has been with Seven for more than two decades and remains an employee while on personal leave.

In legal documents filed with the Federal Court in April 2025, McGrane said that in the course of his employment, he worked part of his shift from home while rostered on night shifts so he could catch wheelchair-accessible buses before they stopped for the night.

The claim says McGrane’s injuries occurred one day while returning home to complete a shift. Seven denied his workers’ compensation claim after the network told the insurer GIO that there was no formal agreement for split shifts.

The SMH reports that McGrane alleges that when he returned to work six months later, his duties at Sunrise were reduced, and he was denied a promotion to executive producer.

The producer also claims that he was discriminated against because of his physical disability, and for filing the workplace claim, which then caused him anxiety, distress and “feelings of hopelessness”.

McGrane is represented by Maurice Blackburn’s principal lawyer, Josh Bornstein.

McGrane’s interview with the ABC

McGrane was interviewed by ABC reporter Louise Milligan in a 2024 Four Corners episode on sexism and cultural problems at Seven.

He revealed he felt “abandoned, hurt [and] completely in disbelief that this would happen”.

Seven’s subsequent defence includes a complaint about the Four Corners interview: “The applicant [McGrane] stated that he considered the Four Corners interview as an ‘insurance policy’, a way to ‘blow things up’ with the respondent and in turn an opportunity to ‘get millions’ from the respondent.”

Seven further claims that, amongst other factors, the interview led to him not being considered for the Sunrise executive producer job.

Seven’s defence against McGrane

As reported by the SMH, Seven’s defence states that while the producer was on leave, it received multiple complaints from junior employees about “aggressive, inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour.”

Seven said it had been told by staff that McGrane was “aggressive all the time, whether that be swearing, shouting, it is all the time” and “was so volatile … would yell, scream, freeze”.

It is reported that he also allegedly used misogynistic language in emails, which included liberal use of profanity, including “c—”.

Mediation between the parties failed in 2025, and the matter is ongoing.

Main Image: Matthew McGrane via the ABC.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

QMS has delivered one of its strongest proofs, yet that dynamic digital out-of-home isn’t just eye-catching – it actually rewires memory.

The outdoor media company has released the results of a new neuroscience study showing its dynamic, editorial-aligned content format drove a 20% uplift in long-term memory encoding, alongside +11% higher engagement and +21% stronger emotional intensity, following a live campaign with GIO and The Sydney Morning Herald during the British & Irish Lions rugby tour

The campaign ran across QMS’s City of Sydney digital street furniture network, pairing GIO brand creative with real-time SMH rugby editorial – a contextual advertising model that QMS is now positioning as a cornerstone of its next phase of growth.

And the timing is deliberate.

The study lands just as QMS prepares to roll out its 100% digital Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games Network, a national footprint designed to deliver live news, sport and branded content to up to 80% of metropolitan Australians

A commercial weapon

At the centre of the study is a simple but powerful shift: ads perform better when they behave like content.

Rather than running GIO Creative in isolation, QMS placed it adjacent to GIO-branded, real-time SMH rugby coverage, effectively embedding the insurer within the live news cycle.

The result was a material lift against Neuro-Insight’s global benchmarks.

The study found the format delivered “significantly greater effectiveness, with a 20% greater long-term memory encoding response” than benchmark DOOH advertising, alongside higher engagement (+11%) and emotional intensity (+21%)

For QMS, that’s not just a performance stat – it’s a product strategy.

QMS Chief Strategy Officer Christian Zavecz said the findings validate the company’s bet on editorial-led outdoor environments.

“Our dynamic content Neuro-Insight study clearly highlights the fact that when brands align themselves within culturally relevant moments and quality editorial, the impact is significant,” Zavecz said.

“We saw this to great success with our Paris 2024 Olympics coverage for sponsors’ brands – and now with the combination of GIO’s message with the trusted sports coverage from the SMH, it’s driven some very impressive results.

“Our City of Sydney network is designed for this kind of dynamic storytelling, and these results show how advertisers can use data, content and environment together to drive genuine attention and long-term memory recollection.”

A warm-up for Milano Cortina 2026

The timing of the study is no accident.

QMS is weeks away from launching its Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games Network, which will run across its national large-format billboards, City of Sydney street furniture, The Convenience Network, Canberra Airport and Gold Coast assets

The fully digital network will deliver real-time Winter Olympics and Paralympics content, creating a national, always-on editorial layer that brands can buy into.

If the GIO-SMH rugby campaign is the prototype, Milano Cortina is the scaled-up version – live sport, trusted publishing and dynamic creative fused into a single DOOH ecosystem.

With MOVE forecasting the network will reach 80% of metro Australians, QMS is pitching it as one of the largest premium, data-driven outdoor environments ever built in this market

GIO gets a signal for the future

For GIO, the campaign wasn’t just a sponsorship – it was a live test of how the brand can behave in high-velocity cultural moments.

GIO marketing manager Mark Condon said the results validated the strategy.

“This was a smart way for us to connect GIO with culturally relevant moments, and the response proved just how effective that approach can be,” Condon said.

“It’s a great signal for how we activate the brand moving forward.”

Why agencies should be paying attention

Neuro-Insight’s data gives QMS something most outdoor companies struggle to produce: hard proof that context drives cognition.

Neuro-Insight Chief Commercial Officer Peter Pynta said the format delivered far more than attention.

“These results clearly demonstrate the power of contextual alignment,” Pynta said.

“This content and advertising ecosystem not only boosts engagement and emotional intensity but also enhances long-term memory encoding, driving stronger brand impact than standalone ads. For brands in highly competitive categories, this approach delivers meaningful differentiation.”

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

MFA – The Media Federation of Australia has expanded its flagship MFA Foundations program, launching a new MFA Out-of-Home Foundations course in partnership with the Outdoor Media Association (OMA).

The move extends the MFA’s industry-recognised training framework into the out-of-home (OOH) channel, reinforcing its role as a leading powerhouse in media education in Australia.

Extending industry-standard media training into OOH

Trusted by thousands of media professionals, marketers, and media owners, MFA Foundations is widely regarded as the benchmark for foundational media training, setting standards across digital media, television, and now out-of-home.

Created by media experts, the program delivers a practical understanding of the media landscape, covering language and terminology, buying and trading models, and evaluation and measurement.

Participants who complete the courses earn professional certification through examinations.

Since launch, more than 10,000 people have gained certification across MFA Digital Foundations, MFA Television Foundations and MFA How to Buy TV Foundations, with marketers and media owners accounting for around 25% of participants.

New 10-week course launches in March

Launching on March 23, the MFA Out-of-Home Foundations course runs for 10 weeks and has been developed and tested by 25 out-of-home subject matter experts from MFA member agencies, in collaboration with the OMA.

The course covers the full OOH ecosystem, including planning and buying, and is delivered by a panel of 12 expert trainers to ensure participants receive current, practical and channel-specific insight.

Registrations are now open via the MFA website, here.

Industry leaders welcome the initiative

Aidan Ryan, dentsu Queensland’s head of investment and chair of the MFA’s Outdoor Futures Council, said the course addresses the growing complexity of the OOH channel.

“As a complex channel spanning multiple environments and formats – and with rigorous accountability introduced through MOVE launching in March – out-of-home demands a clear understanding,” Ryan said.

“This industry-leading course is designed to deliver exactly that, equipping media professionals, marketers and media owners with the practical knowledge they need to plan and deploy OOH in the most effective way possible.”

Elizabeth McIntyre, chief executive officer of the Outdoor Media Association, said the timing of the course was significant.

“It’s fantastic to partner again with the MFA on growing the industry and supporting the development of our incredible talent through the MFA Out of Home Foundations course,” McIntyre said.

“The course is an invaluable experience, and it comes at the perfect time with OMA’s MOVE audience measurement tool going live on 9 March.”

More updates

Registrations for the new course close on March 6.

In addition, MFA Digital Foundations will kick off the year with a major refresh, including fully updated content and a new AI-focused course to reflect the pace of change in the digital media landscape.

Industry panel

Morag Cahill – Avenue C
Aidan Ryan – dentsu
Rebecca Ho – Starcom
Tom Carlon – Initiative
Aaron Hampson – WPP Media
Jun Sayabath – UM
Bec Mitchell – Accenture
Sean Eustace – iProspect
Matt Fiorenza – WPP Media
Daniel O’Callaghan – Publicis
Anastasia Nicholas – OMD
Michael Emmerson – WPP Media

Top Image: the industry panel

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

Donald Trump has threatened legal action against host Trevor Noah after a Grammy Awards joke linked him to  Jeffrey Epstein.

Noah said, “Song of the Year – that is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

Trump responded on Truth Social, calling the joke false and defamatory, denying any attendance to Epstein’s notorious island and promising he’s “sending my lawyers to sue!”

He wrote: “Noah said, INCORRECTLY, about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!!

“I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media.

“Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast.”

He added: “Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you!”

Trevor Noah’s joke about Trump at the Grammys

Epstein was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, more than a decade after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor.

He had purchased his private island, Little St James, in 1998. Multiple women have alleged that they were trafficked there and abused.

It is widely known that Trump was an associate of Epstein for years, but the President has always maintained he had no knowledge of any crimes and that the friendship ended in 2004.

There is no confirmation that he ever visited Epstein’s island. The US Justice Department has said any allegations about him are unfounded and false.

In 2020, a spokesperson for Clinton said the former president had “never been” to Epstein’s island.

Trump sues ‘fake news’ media

Trump has commenced legal action against multiple media organisations, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

In December 2025, he filed a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit accusing the BBC of defamation and of violating a trade practices law over the editing of a Panorama program.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

Australian comedy creators and podcasters Daniel ‘Olan’ Olaniran and Ibrahim ‘Ibby’ Akbar have been announced as the hosts of the 2025 AiMCO Awards, set to take place in Sydney later this month.

The Australian Influencer Marketing Council confirmed the duo will front the gala awards event on Thursday, February 26, following the organisation’s first-ever AiMCO Summit debut.

The awards recognise the brands, creators, agencies and businesses shaping Australia’s influencer marketing industry, with more than 100 finalists shortlisted across both established and newly introduced categories.

Podcast chemistry takes centre stage

Akbar and Olaniran, best known as the voices behind the hit podcast What’s The Go, will take on their first hosting duties for the AiMCO Awards.

Akbar, a comedian and content creator, is widely recognised for his online character Moey DW, which has helped him build a following of more than 400,000 across Instagram and TikTok.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ibrahim Akbar (@ibby_a)

His content draws on personal stories, cultural commentary and observational humour, with Akbar also launching a food truck business and completing his second national stand-up comedy tour last year.

Commenting on the announcement, Ibrahim ‘Ibby’ Akbar, comedian and content creator, said:

“I am super excited to be heading back to the stage for my first ever time with AiMCO. It’s a very cool and important opportunity to recognise the national influencer industry that has given me so much.”

“I went from a guy making funny videos online to touring the country doing what I love; stand-up comedy, securing global brand deals and working with Olan on our very own podcast.

None of this would have been possible without the support of the Australian creator economy, and I am looking forward to celebrating the industry with my peers.”

From ‘failed footballer’ to roaming reporter

Olaniran, known online as OlanTekkers, has amassed more than 550,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, building a reputation for his vox pop-style content and humour-driven commentary across sport, gaming and entertainment.

His work has attracted partnerships with global brands including Nike, Foot Locker and Sportsbet, alongside content collaborations with the UFC and McDonald’s, earning him the nickname of the internet’s “roaming reporter”.

Daniel ‘Olan’ Olaniran, content creator, said:

“I’m honoured to be sharing the stage with Ibby for the 2025 AiMCO Awards. I’m extremely grateful for organisations like AiMCO that provide a space to celebrate and advocate for Australian content creators.”

“Like Ibby, I’ve turned my content creation into a full-time job, partnering with big brands and speaking on a live panel for TikTok in the past 12 months alone. I’m looking forward to celebrating the industry on February 26.”

A night celebrating creator-led growth

Patrick Whitnall, Managing Director of AiMCO, said the duo reflected the energy and evolution of the creator economy.

“Every year, we’re lucky to secure top Australian content creators to host our awards, and this year is no different,” Whitnall said.

“Ibby and Olan have built careers from their content, establishing substantial online followings and brand partnerships. If you’ve listened to What’s The Go, you’ll know Ibby and Olan work incredibly well together. We’re definitely in for a night full of good humour and laughs.”

Venue and Partners

The 2025 AiMCO Awards will be held at the NIDA Parade Theatre in Sydney and will feature new categories including Best Long-Term Ambassador & Partnership, Best Creator-Led Brand & Business, Unsung Hero, Best Standalone Influencer Campaign, and Marketing Team of the Year.

This year’s premier event partners are WPP Media and Are Media, with major sponsors Fabulate, HELLO and YouTube. Supporting partners include Commercial Radio and Audio (CRA), RISER/Theory Crew, Vamp, oOh! and JCDecaux.

Top Image: Olan and Ibby

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

John West has launched a new brand campaign running across Australia and New Zealand in partnership with Clemenger BBDO, reintroducing the brand’s iconic fisherman and bear characters to a new generation of consumers.

The integrated campaign spans television, digital, social, out-of-home and in-store, and centres on the lengths John West will go to ensure only the best fish is selected.

Reintroducing iconic brand assets

With a long history of distinctive and much-loved advertising, the creative team set out to modernise John West’s core brand assets while staying true to its heritage.

The campaign delivers its message of quality and taste through humour, reinforcing the brand’s positioning in a way designed to resonate with contemporary audiences without losing familiarity.

Balancing heritage and evolution

Katie Saunders, senior director APAC marketing at Simplot Australia, said the approach was grounded in strategy.

“With a brand as iconic as John West, evolution had to be grounded in strategy,” Saunders said.

“Staying true to our roots allowed us to deliver a modern iteration that feels fresh and relevant without losing the trust and familiarity that define John West.”

Eleanor Henry, marketing manager – brand communications at Simplot Australia, said the campaign marked a significant moment for the brand.

“We are grateful for the Clemenger team who challenged us with this campaign and we’re really proud of the final product,” Henry said.

“It’s the biggest campaign we’ve had for a number of years for John West, and the collaboration between our teams and the delivery from the Clemenger team has been incredible.”

A return to category leadership

Tian Murphy, creative director at Clemenger BBDO, said the work builds on the brand’s advertising legacy.

“It’s a brilliant opportunity to bring to life a campaign that follows some of the most loved ads of all time, and to help re-establish John West’s dominance as the number one brand in the category,” Murphy said.

The campaign film is now live online.

Credits

Client: Simplot Australia
Katie Saunders – senior director marketing, APAC
Jessica Romeo – director marketing communications, digital and insights
Eleanor Henry – marketing manager, brand and communications
Bec de Xavier Pinto – senior marketing manager, pantry
Ellie Gulliver – marketing manager, shelf seafood
Deb Fabris – marketing specialist, shelf seafood
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Production company: The Sweetshop
Director: Max Barden
Stills photographer / social content: Ross Brown
Music: Birdbrain
VFX / animation: Alt. VFX
Media: OMD Australia

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

Pamela Anderson is bringing her personal reinvention story to Australia this April, headlining live events in Sydney and Melbourne as part of Wanderlust’s True North speaker series.

The actress and activist will appear in two intimate, long-form conversations designed to explore resilience, identity and what it means to take creative control later in life.

Framed as reflective discussions rather than traditional Q&As, the sessions will centre on what Anderson has called her “second act” – a deliberate shift away from tabloid mythology and towards self-authored storytelling.

For Wanderlust, the events continue the evolution of True North into a premium live platform that blends wellness, culture and celebrity in a format built for modern audiences who value authenticity over spectacle.

Ageless reinvention

A defining figure of 1990s pop culture, Anderson has undergone a significant cultural reappraisal in recent years. Her 2023 memoir Love, Pamela and the Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story reframed decades of tabloid mythology, revealing a thoughtful, introspective artist reclaiming authorship over her own story.

That shift carried into 2024, when she earned Golden Globe, SAG, and Gotham Award nominations for her lead role in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, followed by a turn in the Naked Gun reboot opposite Liam Neeson.

Beyond film, Anderson has also become an unlikely figurehead for conscious living and minimalist beauty. Her skincare line, Sonsie, has found a global audience, while her decision to appear publicly without makeup has sparked broader conversations about ageing, beauty standards, and self-worth.

Speaking ahead of the Australian dates, Anderson said the upcoming conversations are about surrendering to positive change.

“This moment in my life feels expansive and deeply intentional. These conversations are about coming home to yourself, embracing change, letting go of old narratives and trusting what’s next. I’m so looking forward to sharing that space with audiences in Sydney and Melbourne,” she shared.

Wanderlust founder and CEO Radek Sali described Anderson’s journey as emblematic of the True North philosophy, which focuses on purpose, values and personal alignment. Founded in Australia, Wanderlust has previously hosted events featuring Jane Fonda, positioning itself at the intersection of wellness, culture, and creativity.

Wanderlust’s True North, featuring Pamela Anderson, will take place in Sydney on Thursday, April 16th and Melbourne on Friday, April 17th. Pre-sale tickets are now available here.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

James Valentine has confirmed he will not return to ABC Radio following his latest round of cancer treatment, formally ending a 25-year run on 702 ABC Radio Sydney’s Afternoons program.

Valentine, 64, announced his decision during a brief return to the program today, revealing that health concerns mean he will not resume regular broadcasting.

“I won’t be coming back this year to the microphone and the Afternoons program,” James said. “It’s time for me to retire.”

“This decision has been hard for me to make, but I need to focus on getting better and being with family and friends and making sure I’m giving my health my best shot.”

He has been off air since June after being diagnosed with omentum cancer affecting a layer of tissue over the stomach and intestines. The diagnosis came after Valentine had already taken time away in 2024 to undergo treatment for oesophageal cancer.

Farewell broadcast locked in

Valentine will be farewelled with a special two-hour retrospective broadcast this Friday afternoon, marking 25 years of Afternoons.

“This coming Friday, Jen Fleming, long-time producer of the program, and I want to present a retrospective, the best of Afternoons, to capture what we’ve made in those 25 years,” James said as he announced the program on Monday.

Across the week, listeners are being invited to share their favourite moments via the 702 ABC Radio Sydney Facebook page, with memories and stories set to be reflected during the broadcast.

The James Valentine Afternoons: Retrospective special will air on 702 ABC Radio Sydney at 12.30pm AEDT on Friday 6 February, and across NSW at 1.30pm.

ABC tribute

Hugh Marks, Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, said Valentine’s contribution to the network had been “remarkable and enduring”.

“James is one of the great creative forces in Australian broadcasting.

“He has an extraordinary gift for turning everyday moments into joyful, smart and surprising radio, and the connection he has built with his audience over decades simply cannot be overstated.

“We’re proud to celebrate everything he has brought to the ABC, and we wish him strength and support as he focuses on his health.”

A career built inside the ABC

Valentine began his media career in the mid-1980s, hosting cartoons on ABC TV’s The Afternoon Show, before working across a range of television programs and later moving into radio at 666 ABC Radio Canberra.

He went on to host Mornings in Sydney before finding what he has described as his “true home” in 2001 when he began presenting Afternoons on 702 ABC Radio Sydney, then known as 2BL.

Aside from a brief detour to Breakfast in 2022 and 2023, Valentine has held the Afternoons role for more than two decades.

He will also step away from his ABC Jazz program Upbeat, where he has shared his passion for jazz since the show launched in 2020.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

KK Press, the boutique publisher behind the 2024 relaunch of Cosmopolitan Australia, has entered voluntary liquidation, bringing an end to both the revived women’s magazine and T Australia: The New York Times Style Magazine.

The company, founded by former Australian Financial Review Life & Leisure and Luxury editor Katarina Kroslakova, began the winding-up process on 30 January, less than a month after Cosmopolitan Australia quietly stopped publishing.

In a lengthy LinkedIn post announcing the closure, Kroslakova said: “Today, KK Press enters voluntary liquidation, and with it, our publishing of T Australia comes to an end. I’m devastated beyond words.”

She thanked staff, contributors, advertisers and suppliers for their support, and urged others in the media industry to consider hiring former employees, writing: “This news leaves some extraordinary talent looking for their next chapter. If you’re building teams or commissioning work, please reach out. You would be lucky to work with them.”

KK Press was launched in October 2020 to reinvigorate premium print publishing in Australia. Its first major title was T Australia: The New York Times Style Magazine, followed by the high-profile revival of Cosmopolitan Australia in partnership with Hearst Magazines International, almost six years after Bauer Media Australia closed the title in 2018.

Despite the business’s closure, Kroslakova said both magazines had achieved strong audience growth. “In just seven months, Cosmopolitan Australia became the most widely read Women’s Lifestyle Magazine,” she wrote. “T Australia achieved 25% year-on-year readership growth, a remarkable achievement in a highly competitive market.”

‘Cash flow is brutal’

However, she said those audience gains were not enough to overcome the commercial realities of print publishing.

“Despite constant adaptation and effort, the gap between the value of journalism and the returns available continued to widen and, in the end, became too great to overcome,” she said, quoting Camilla Westerlund following the recent closure of Business News Australia, before adding: “To put it more bluntly, cash flow is brutal.”

While readership for Cosmopolitan Australia had grown 25 per cent in the 12 months to September 2025, rising production costs and advertising revenue made the business unsustainable.

Kroslakova said she was proud of what the company had achieved, noting the response from readers and the industry.

“My team not only brought nostalgia back, but we also energised the sector. When we launched, the excitement and support from the media industry and readers was like anything I’ve experienced before,” she wrote.

The closure marks the second time Cosmopolitan Australia has exited the local market in less than a decade.

Bauer Media Australia shut the title in 2018, with then-chief executive Paul Dykzeul saying its commercial viability was “no longer sustainable”.

Kroslakova said her premium custom publishing business, Primary Ideas, will continue to operate. “Its resources may be leaner, but our dedication to service and quality will never diminish,” she said.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.