Radio veteran Jim Ball stands for election in Mackellar.

Ex talk host Jim Ball has been doing the radio rounds to get some last minute leverage during the political advertising blackout where his message is less likely to be drowned out by the main parties. 

Last weekend he dropped into George and Paul on 2UE and yesterday, 2GB’s Alan Jones anointed him as his preferred successor to Bronwyn Bishop in the relatively safe Liberal seat of Mackellar on Sydney’s northern beaches.

A resident of 25 years, Ball is running as a conservative independent handing out completely different “how to vote” cards for both traditional Liberal and Labor supporters to show that he is happy to take anyone’s vote.

In a seven minute interview on 2GB’s Alan Jones Breakfast Show, Jones said of him: “Jim Ball has one problem as a potential political candidate. It’s a good problem to have. He’s got brains.”

Ball got into radio straight out of school in 1967 at 2NM in Muswellbrook then worked on air at Mt Isa, Longreach, Bundaberg, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne and again Sydney. 

“Throughout my radio career, says Ball, I have worked in all aspects of radio. On air, management, promotions and marketing.

“In 1999 it was time to saddle up again and I decided to combine my lifelong passion for current affairs, news, views, writing and talking with my previous radio background, into a talk radio package working on 2GB and 2UE over the 10 years from 1999 to the beginning of 2011,” says Ball on his wepage.