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Canberra Today 25°/29° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Leon wants to know what matters most

Radio announcer Leon Delaney… “If it’s in the news, if it’s important, then that’s my brief, that’s what I’m there for.”

WHEN Leon Delaney begins as the Drive announcer of 2CC’s afternoon show on Monday, September 16, he’ll be asking Canberrans what matters to them. 

“I want to start a conversation and give people the opportunity to express their views and disagree with me, which is when it gets interesting,” Leon says. 

Coming from the Gold Coast, Leon, 57, takes over Drive after the departure of Tim Shaw late last month. 

Leon, who will be on air weekdays, 3pm-6pm, brings with him about 40 years’ experience in radio.

“The original inspiration [to go into a career in radio] came when I was a teenager in high school,” he says.

“I used to listen to the top 40 countdown on the local radio station in Kingaroy, Queensland.”

But before then, Leon did attempt a journalism degree at university and after a year decided it wasn’t for him.

“An opportunity came up to be a trainee radio announcer at the local radio station in Kingaroy,” he says. 

“It was great. It was the next best thing to being a rock star. You could grow your hair long and get paid to blast loud music.

“I can’t do that anymore though because there isn’t any hair left!”

Leon has also had a few stints in the film and TV industry but says his main focus has been radio.

Out of all of Leon’s acting gigs, he says his stand-out, “pretty damn cool” moment was when he was in the 1999 film “Paperback Hero” with Hugh Jackman. 

“It’s all true what they say about Hugh Jackman, he’s a terrific guy,” Leon says. 

In it Leon, who had a beard and long hair then, was typecast a role as a radio announcer in the film. 

“If I hadn’t got into radio, I probably would have gone into directing films,” he says. 

Another highlight was when Leon got to play the victim of an attempted murder on “Forensic Investigators”, an Australian true crime TV series, which aired on Channel 7.

His character, who had been shot in the head, saw Leon washing off chocolate blood for hours in the shower. 

But Leon’s true passion is in radio and even though he’s been working out of Queensland, his voice is heard closer to Canberra, and has been aired on the radio station 2SM in Sydney for about a decade.

Coming from the Gold Coast to Canberra is going to be a learning curve for Leon and he says he’ll probably mispronounce a few places before he gets it right. 

“I’ve been to Canberra a number of times. I’ve done all the tourist things before. Now, I want to get involved in the local community,” he says. 

“I want to give the audience a sense of belonging to the program and the community.

“People can expect that I will do my best to listen to them. It’s about serving the audience so people can call in and tell me what’s on their mind.

“It’s an opportunity for people to comment on stories and issues.”

Leon says listeners can also expect him to adhere to good standards of accuracy. 

“I won’t be falling for the whole tabloid radio thing, but it’ll still be entertaining, I’m not against a silly story,” he says. 

“If it’s in the news, if it’s important, then that’s my brief, that’s what I’m there for.

“I’ve got big shoes to fill. I’m aware of who has been in this spot before and I’m looking forward to taking up the challenge.” 

 

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Danielle Nohra

Danielle Nohra

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