Long-standing ABC reporter Michael Rowland has announced that he is leaving the national broadcaster after 39 years with the network.
Rowland, 57, kicked off his career as a cadet journalist with the ABC in January 1987. Since then, he’s reported on all sorts of stories from daily news, current affairs and politics and become a mainstay on our screens, thanks to 15 years on ABC News Breakfast.
But now, after almost four decades, he has decided to step away.
“It was not an easy decision to leave the professional home of my entire adult life, but it was the right one in so many ways,” Rowland wrote, per a reflective piece in the ABC.
“I have been very fortunate since joining as a pimply cadet. I’ve had the chance to do pretty much everything — from the overnight shift monitoring police and fire brigades for radio news leads, to presenting various national TV programs. It has been a truly wonderful journey.”
Michael’s departure from the ABC comes just over a year after he said goodbye to ABC News Breakfast after 15 years as a co-host on the morning show.
The long-term host shocked audiences on December 2, when he announced the heartbreaking news on air.
“I love working on News Breakfast. Every morning is a buzz and it’s by far the best job I’ve had at the ABC,” Michael said.
“But after 15 years of 3am starts my body is screaming ‘enough!’. The hours have finally caught up with me.”
His depature from the ABC marks an end to a brilliant era for Michael, who has become one of the most accomplished journalists and presenters in Australia – from covering elections at home and in the US, Black Summer Bushfires, floods, the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli landings, and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Despite these major achievements in his career, Michael revealed who he will miss the most.
“I will miss the fabulous Brekky team, but I will miss our viewers even more. I am intensely proud of helping build the News Breakfast audience over the years. Thank you all sincerely for entrusting me with your mornings,” he said.
“I’ll be taking a long break to catch up on sleep and unhook myself from the relentless news cycle for a little while.”
Michael first joined ABC in 1987, but didn’t join News Breakfast in June 2010. However, he isn’t the first ABC News Breakfast co-host to exit the program in 2024. In October, TV WEEK Gold Logie nominee Tony Armstrong bid farewell to the Brekky show after roughly three years.
“Feels like I’ve been on a bit of a rocket ship. But the support that I’ve got from News Brekkie and news in general has been amazing,” he said at the time.
While he too will miss the couch and viewers, he wouldn’t miss the early alarms.
.jpeg?fit=94%2C128&format=auto){kind=avatar}
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
