ABC breakfast host John Kenneally has been poached by rival Adelaide talk station FIVEaa and will join Keith Conlon on Adelaide’s number one breakfast show next year. He says the transition from the public broadcaster to commercial radio may be “a significant adjustment,” but Keneally is looking forward to working with former colleague Keith Conlon again.
Keneally, one half of the ABC 891’s Bald Brothers breakfast team, has confirmed the move to FIVEaa, joining breakfast team members Conlon, Jon Blake, Jane Doyle and Chris McDermott. Tony ‘Pilko’ Pilkington announced his retirement from the FIVEaa breakfast team last week, creating a vacancy for Kenneally.
“It’s been an idea that’s been 20 years in the making,” Conlon told radioinfo.
“We worked together 20 years ago, got on like wild fire and in fact we still get together. If we’re having fun as a team, there’s a fair chance our listeners will have fun as well. JK has a great news sense, a great sense of fun, is a Crows tragic and has a terrific knowledge of music. On a music quiz night you would want JK on your team.”
Revealing the appointment, FIVEaa General Manager Sean O’Brien told radioinfo he is thrilled to welcome John to the winning breakfast team:
“Every so often there is magic that happens in radio. We saw this with Keith Conlon and Tony Pilkington and I have no doubt that the pairing of Conlon and Kenneally, along with Jane, Blakey and Chris, will go down in history as one such magical partnership.”
After 10 years in opposition to FIVEaa, Keneally says he is excited about working with the breakfast team who he has known personally and professionally for several years.
“I worked as Keith’s producer and it was the best radio school I could have attended. I was amazed at his energy, intelligence and all-round professionalism. I learned to take my broadcasting more seriously but have fun with it at the same time. Plus anyone who knows Keith knows that he’s just a really great guy and we’ve kept in touch ever since. To actually be sharing a program together at this stage in our careers is a genuine thrill for me and one I’m looking forward to very much.
“After ten years in opposition to the Breakfast team, I’m very excited to have the opportunity to join Keith, Blakey, Jane, Bone, Rowey and the team at FIVEaa. If there’s one thing I know how to do already it’s getting out of bed in the middle of the night!
“Blakey is obviously a genuine talent and a very clever guy. We’ve had some friends in common in recent years and become good mates through them. He’s not just a funny man either. You can have a very interesting discussion on any number of topics with Blakey and I’m looking forward to doing just that on air next year. A word of warning though, don’t get him started on the periodic table! Similarly Jane and I go back a long way. Jane’s a lot of fun and will be an essential element in keeping the testosterone at acceptable levels.
“I’m a Crows tragic, I’ve been known to read blogs on pre-season training, so to be able rub shoulders with Bone and Rowey won’t be work at all. As long as we don’t try too hard to have fun there’ll be more than enough to go around.
“I’ve been in broadcasting for 26 years but there is no doubt that moving from public to commercial radio will be a significant adjustment for me. But I’m up for the challenge, the time is right and I’m excited about the future.”
The new team will be heard on FIVEaa from January.