He has had an illustrious career which has seen him go from office boy to owner, achieve consistent #1 ratings and acclaim as the king of Adelaide talkback radio.

radioinfo’s Josh Sampson sat down with Australian Radio Hall of Famer Jeremy Cordeaux on his 2016 ACRA nomination for Best Talk Presenter.

Congratulations on your nomination. Is this the first time you have been named in this category?

“Yes it is and it comes as a great surprise and pleasure. I feel very lucky to still be in this industry and to be recognised by my peers is wonderful.”

When you left radio a decade ago, you were quoted as saying it was time to take your own long service leave. What was it that got you out of that?

“For some time, I was the owner of two radio stations and when you are running the show, it is very difficult to take time for yourself. When I left, I spent time at my home in Sydney and some afternoons, I found myself enjoying a glass of red on the verandah and becoming incredulous about stories I had heard and read in the media. It wasn’t uncommon for me to be heard berating the possums and saying ‘Did you see that story today?

“I found that I was still hungry and far from blasé about talkback radio so I returned to Adelaide and got in touch with the Program Director at FIVEaa. I was filling in for Leon Byner in mornings over the Christmas break and it was like I never left. One morning the Program Director asked me ‘How do you do that? How do you do what you just did on air?’ and before long, I accepted the evenings position on FIVEaa. This is despite the fact that my wife Caroline told me she would leave me if I chose to do it.”

The Court of Public Opinion’ moved from evenings to afternoons around this time last year. What are the main differences between these time slots?

“I find that the format and the way I do things hasn’t changed but it is evolving. If you can keep yourself interested and entertained, you will have your audience doing the same. I like stings and stabs and something that punctuates hence why I have my song grabs in between segments. These are nostalgic and remind people of the soundtrack of their lives from Buddy Holly and Janis Joplin through to more modern artists including Shania Twain.”

How, if at all, has talkback radio changed since you returned?

“When I started back in the 1970s, talkback radio was an ‘actual’ service and there were still many things we couldn’t do on air such as saying the name of a doctor. Now, talkback radio is no longer a novelty but a genre. I still feel as energetic and as passionate as I have about talkback radio and that is the key – it isn’t ‘drone in’, it isn’t ‘moan in’. Whether your listeners like you or not, they will either leave you on or they will turn you off.”

What would winning the 2016 ACRA for Best Talk Presenter mean to you?

“I think it unlikely that I will win but it would be a humbling experience and I would be very grateful. I think there is as much talent in Adelaide as there is in the larger markets including Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and to share the evening with the many other people who have been nominated from FIVEaa will be wonderful. It is also a reminder that life is a struggle – I have had my ups and downs in this industry and sometimes when you are on thin ice, you may as well tap dance. I will keep trying, stay hungry and make everything I can of my program.”

        Josh Sampson