After 27 years with the ABC, 666 Canberra Afternoons presenter Alex Sloan has announced her retirement.
Alex said: “I’ve had the time of my life at 666, and want to thank the ABC for the opportunity to connect with local audiences.”
Alex is known for her warm and engaging interview style and has won respect for her firm but fair questioning. Alex’s Canberra Close Up segment and podcast has become one of 666’s most popular weekly features.
Steve McClelland, ABC Local Manager in Canberra, thanked Alex for her significant contribution to ABC Local Radio. “Alex has made a terrific contribution to 666 ABC Canberra over the past 22 years, as well as to the ABC more broadly. She is a highly respected journalist and broadcaster and has enjoyed a distinguished career as a reporter, producer and presenter. Alex has a special connection with her audience, and she will be greatly missed by Canberrans. We wish her all the best for the future.”
Alex Sloan began her radio career as a rural reporter with the ABC in Tasmania, eventually moving to the ABC in Sydney, where she travelled as a reporter to the United States, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong before returning to a reporter-producer position on RN Breakfast.
Alex leapt at the opportunity to present the 666 Drive program in 1995, and has been a fixture on 666 programs ever since. In 2013, she took on the station’s Afternoons program, focusing on Canberra’s Centenary programming.
A vital part of her role has been connecting closely with local audiences through community engagement roles. Alex is one of the longest standing members of the ACT Place Naming Committee. She was on the Fulbright Selection Committee, and is currently involved with the Churchill Fellowship Election Committee, ACT Architect’s Board, and various local events including Voices in the Forest.
Alex will present her final Afternoons program on Friday 9 December. In 2017, Alex will return for a national live broadcast from the Australian of the Year Awards at Parliament House on 25 January, and will record a special interview with the incoming Australian of the Year on 26 January.
The new ABC 666 Canberra Afternoons presenter will be confirmed later this year as part of ABC Radio’s 2017 lineup announcement.