Sarah Macdonald is to return to ABC 702 Sydney next March, taking over the station’s Afternoons programme less than two years after her contract was not renewed.
Macdonald, a former host of Mornings, will fill the role previously held by James Valentine, who presented the programme for more than two decades before his death in April.
Afternoons has been co-hosted this year by James O’Loghlin and Kathryn Robinson. The ABC said both would remain regular voices on the station.
Macdonald said she had been close to Valentine and felt the significance of taking over his programme.
“James and I were friends and I deeply miss him,” she said. “I feel really honoured to be stepping into his shoes, his seat, his microphone. It’s very emotional – it’s a lot – and I hope to do him proud.”
She said ABC managing director Hugh Marks first contacted her on April Fools’ Day to ask whether she would consider returning. Macdonald initially suspected the message was a prank from a friend.
Before accepting the role, she discussed it with Valentine’s widow, clinical psychologist Joanne Corrigan, saying: “I really needed her blessing.”
Macdonald’s departure from the ABC in late 2024 prompted an outcry among listeners. She had previously hosted Weekend Nightlife and Evenings before moving to Mornings, where Hamish Macdonald took over last year.
Since leaving the broadcaster, Sarah Macdonald has been making podcasts, appearing weekly on Mark Levy’s 2GB programme and writing a book she describes as “sort of a sequel to Holy Cow!”, her 2002 book about India.
Asked whether she still held resentment over her axing, Macdonald said she would never know exactly what had happened but was approaching the new role positively.
“I’m just choosing to be really optimistic and hopeful and do the job … I had to come back with an open heart and an open mind and I am,” she said.
Nick Lowther, the station manager, said Macdonald had a strong connection with listeners and an instinct for the subjects they wanted to discuss.
“Sarah is one of those broadcasters who builds a genuine, lasting bond with her audience,” he said. “She has an instinct for the conversations people want to have, and a warmth that comes through every time she’s on air.”
Craig Reucassel will continue on Breakfast, Hamish Macdonald on Mornings and Thomas Oriti on Drive next year. The ABC has said further announcements about the station’s line-up will be made later in the year.
