Inside Business to end after host Alan Kohler steps down
ABC’s Sunday morning business program Inside Business will air for the last time on Sunday, December 1 after host Alan Kohler decided he won’t be continuing the program.
The program – which airs on ABC1, ABC News 24, Australia Network and ABC News Radio – has been on air with Alan Kohler at the helm for 12 years.
Kohler – arguably Australia’s best known business journalist – will continue his association with the ABC through his nightly market reports on the 7pm ABC News.
Kohler said in a statement: “It’s been tremendously rewarding presenting Inside Business for the past 12 years, working with some wonderful people at the ABC and interviewing Australia’s CEOs, some of them many times. But it’s time now to reduce my workload so I’m afraid it must end, although I’m keen to continue working with ABC.”
Kohler has been a journalist for more than 40 years and has edited Fairfax Media titles the Australian Financial Review and the Age.
But Kohler told Mumbrella the move was not a sign of him beginning to scale back his various commitments. “I wish that were true, it’s kind of a sign of the opposite, I’m getting too busy with everything else I’m doing,” he said.
Kohler also works as editor-in-chief of Business Spectator and writes a weekly column for investment newsletter Eureka Report.
“The problem with Inside Business was that it was recorded on a Friday which basically took more or less all of Friday and I’ve got other things I have to do on Friday,” Kohler explained. “The only other alternative to doing it on a Friday was recording live on Sunday which I couldn’t do because I work every other day.”
He added: “I’m going to continue doing the news on the ABC every day and I’m talking to the ABC about possible other things.”
ABC News head of current affairs Bruce Belsham said in a statement: “We will continue to work with Alan on a range of business content. Through our wide range of in depth business reporting across all platforms and through programs like The Business and Business Today, we will continue to serve ABC audiences well with business news and analysis, and we will continue to explore new ways of delivering on this commitment.”
Next year, the ABC’s weekly Sunday morning sports discussion program Offsiders hosted by Barrie Cassidy will move into the vacated 10am time slot.
Miranda Ward
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