As a former ABC presenter and lifetime listener, Friday was for me one of saddest days in the history of the ABC. The axing of all but one of the music programs on RN is a disgrace. Michelle Guthrie and Michael Mason have shown total disregard for particularly regional audiences but it cuts deeper than that. It reveals a staggering ignorance of what the radio medium is all about and how deeply those programs are woven through the fabric of Australia's cultural identity. Yet there is worse to come. From the end of this month the ABC will cease transmission thru the short wave network. This impacts not only services in remotes parts of Australia but also thru PNG and the Pacific. There is no justification or reasonable argument behind this decision. Lucky Oceans closed the final Daily Planet program with the Neil Young classic "Comes a Time." For Michelle Guthrie, Michael Mason and all those within the ABC driving the agenda your time can't come soon enough, for you have failed to uphold the spirit of the ABC Charter. Tim Holt
Above: Tim and his sidekick Miles
Editors Note: Many in the South East of NSW hold fond memories for ex- ABC South East Radio announcer Tim Holt. He worked tirelessly in the community, focussing on local news, views and events and helped to cement the community with a passion and spirit of place. "Tim first came to the Bega Valley in 1971 at the tender age of 17 - just after the February flood that washed away the new bridge at the mouth of the Bega River at Tathra. He came to work for the local commercial station, after dreaming of a career in radio having listened to Ian McCrae and Ward Austin, two of the stars of Sydney radio in the sixties. In 1974, he moved to Cooma and radio 2XL. However two years later he was back in Bega. Tim's had a few breaks from radio over the years - working as a concreter, foreman for the Department of Public Works, barman, and owner of a motor cycle shop. He joined the ABC as the Saturday Breakfast Presenter in 1996, moving onto Weekday Morning Producer a year later." Source "After 35 years working in radio including the last 19 years with the ABC South East, Tim Holt retired from the airwaves in December 2015. The much loved presenter of ABC South East Mornings was celebrated and played out by a studio full of musicians, just a few of the many musicians he had featured on his show over many years. The news was announced to the public only a day before his final Friday Live music segment, attracting a flood of social media posts noting his support for the arts and also his insightful and sensitive coverage of regional issues." Source
