In the competitive world of talk radio Richard Glover is the great survivor who stayed on top and chose the manner of his exit after almost three decades on ABC radio.
The former Sydney Morning Herald journalist has owned the Drive slot in Sydney for 26 of his 28 years on the ABC, offering listeners a mix of hard news, insightful interviews and what he says is the “silly and stupid” that makes up the life of a city.
Explaining his approach to journalism to ABC Afternoons host James Valentine, Glover said he was no Kate McClymont – the Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter – but rather someone who attempted to bring listeners an eclectic mix of stories that revealed the beauty and joy in the everyday.
“I try to express the breadth of a place like Sydney,” he said in a final chat with Valentine, which closed the show. “And Sydney is a place where terrible things happen … The challenge is always, OK, we’ve got all that stuff, so how do we bring some light into it?”
Glover, now 66, announced last month that he had “hogged” the microphone for long enough and was stepping down to spend more time with his three grand children and write another book.
He used his final days on air to support his ABC colleagues, Mornings presenter Sarah Macdonald and NSW Weekend Mornings host Simon Marnie, who have been unceremoniously dumped by the ABC’s director of audio, Ben Latimer. Chatting to Marnie ahead of his final weekend shows, Glover said the decision was “baffling”.
A live audience made up of family, Drive regular guests and loyal listeners crammed into a TV studio in Ultimo to watch the final TGIF, a signature Friday show Glover created in 1998 to bring the magic of variety to radio.
“Are you going to laugh at any old rubbish?” Glover asked the studio audience in the countdown to TGIF during the news headlines.
There was live music from the Backsliders with Dom Turner and Rob Hirst – and one of Glover’s two sons, Joe, on harmonica – and a trio of comedians – Tommy Dean, Alex Lee and Tahir Bilgiç, looking at the news of the week.
After Glover’s signature News from Nowhere segment, which this week celebrated being a grandparent, Dean, who has been part of TGIF forever, roasted Glover’s corny style.
“ I love that you resorted to the things that I’ve always loved the most about the News From Nowhere, an endless supply of sentimentality,” Dean said.
“And yet, even within that generational love letter, you still had to reference Proust, you elite literary wanker.”
Glover largely remained on top of the talk ratings for the 26 years he spent on Drive, all the while pumping out books and writing a regular column for the Herald.
Earlier on the show he took calls from Sydneysiders who had enjoyed spending the afternoon with him on Drive, some weeping at the thought it had come to an end.
“Thank you Richard for being my afternoon friend for so long,” Judy Barlow wrote on the ABC Sydney Facebook page where the show was livestreamed.
Even the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, called to say thank you.
“You listen, you engage, you challenge and you are a serious journo where, at times unfortunately, I think there’s a lot of just yelling in the media, rather than actually seeking information and having a genuine conversation,” Albanese said.
“I just really wanted to say thank you.”
