702 ABC Sydney Station Manager Roger Summerill announced today that Richard Fidler will host a new 11am – 12noon statewide morning program in 2006, entitled “Conversations with Richard Fidler”. It will follow Virginia Trioli’s program, which will move from a 9am start to 8.30am until 11am each weekday.

Summerill told radioinfo: “Conversations will feature not only well-known people but also those who have an interesting story to share. It’s a sustained conversation with a guest – sometimes a well-known person, but often an ordinary person who happens to lead an extraordinary life”.

“Richard is well known to our listeners having appeared regularly as a guest and as a presenter on 702, across the ABC Local Radio network. We are delighted to welcome him to the 702 team and feel that our listeners will enjoy the stimulating and entertaining conversations his program will offer.”

Fidler currently presents a similar program each morning on 612 ABC Brisbane.

He began his career in television with the anarchic comedy group the Doug Anthony Allstars). With the group he performed on such seminal shows as The Big Gig and DAAS Kapital for ABC-TV and in 1997-98 was writer and presenter of Race Around the World.

Fidler also works in digital media as a writer, an artist and animator. He has won an AIMIA award for his work on Real Wild Child, an interactive history of Australian Rock ‘n’ Roll for the Australia on CD project and has also recently been Editorial Manager of TV Comedy for ABC-TV, responsible for such programs as The Glasshouse.

The program will commence for an initial 13 weeks season on Monday 23 January 2006.