\n\t\t\t\t\tEntertainer James Valentine, best known for ABC Radio, The Afternoon Show and TVTV\u00a0has died.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Entertainer and broadcaster James Valentine, best known for ABC Radio, The Afternoon Show, TVTV, and Come Dine With Me Australia\u00a0has died aged 64, following a battle with cancer.<\/p>\n
He began his media career in the mid\u20111980s, hosting cartoons on ABC TV\u2019s The Afternoon Show. He went on to work across several ABC television programs, notably including\u00a0TVTV before moving into radio at 666 ABC Radio Canberra.<\/p>\n
In 1999, James found his true home at the ABC when he began presenting the\u00a0Afternoons\u00a0program on 702 ABC Radio Sydney, then known as 2BL. He held the role for more than two decades, with a brief detour presenting\u00a0Breakfast\u00a0in 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n
In 2024, he announced he would be stepping away from the Afternoons on ABC Radio to receive treatment for oesophageal cancer.<\/p>\n
He was the movie reviewer for many years on Showtime, a reporter and commentator on programs such as The Mix, Sunrise, It Takes Two, Midday, Good Morning Australia. He also narrated the Lifestyle Channel\u2019s\u00a0Come Dine With Me Australia\u00a0and contributed as a regular columnist across several publications and even Media Watch.<\/p>\n
ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks reflected on James\u2019 immense legacy saying, \u201cFor decades, James Valentine has been more than a presenter \u2013 he has been a trusted companion for so many people, part of the rhythm of everyday life for generations of our Sydney audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cJames brought warmth, wit, and humanity to radio as an exemplar\u00a0of radio craft. His style was never about confrontation or noise \u2013 it was always about connection. James turned his patch of the Sydney airwaves into a place of companionship, and his daily presence will be deeply missed by his significant audience, and all of his colleagues at the ABC.\u201d<\/p>\n
ABC Director of Audio Ben Latimer said, \u201cJames Valentine was kind, curious and endlessly creative. He treated listeners, callers and colleagues with the same respect and warmth and he believed deeply in radio as a place for ideas, experimentation and human connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cJames was never afraid to try something new, to push the format and to have fun while doing it. He loved radio, he loved experimenting with it and he loved the sheer fun of making it every day. He demonstrated, more than anyone I can think of, that great radio can be smart, playful and deeply human all at once. His influence will be felt across the ABC for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond broadcasting, James was a renowned saxophonist who recorded and toured with Jo Camilleri, Kate Ceberano, Wendy Matthews, and most notably\u00a0The Models, featuring on the band\u2019s two number-one hits and touring with them across the US and Europe. He was also a member of\u00a0Jo Jo Zep\u00a0and\u00a0Absent Friends.<\/p>\n
James continued to perform regularly around Sydney and at music festivals across Australia. He shared his passion for jazz with audiences as the presenter of ABC Jazz\u2019s\u00a0Upbeat\u00a0since the program launched in 2020.<\/p>\n
Memorial arrangements and opportunities to honour James will be shared in the coming days.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Entertainer James Valentine, best known for ABC Radio, The Afternoon Show and TVTV\u00a0has died. Entertainer and broadcaster James…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":624705,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,427],"class_list":{"0":"post-624704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}