Tributes flow for long-time ABC host James Valentine after cancer forces retirement

Listeners and former colleagues of retiring ABC Radio Sydney presenter James Valentine are paying tribute to his humour, creativity and warmth on air.

They were shocked and saddened by the veteran broadcaster's announcement yesterday that he was retiring due to cancer.

Valentine has hosted Afternoons for more than 20 years, but has been off the air since June after he was diagnosed with omentum cancer affecting a layer of tissue over the stomach and intestines.

Yesterday, he said he had made the sad decision to let someone else "have a go at this marvellous shift".

"I need to focus on getting better, on being with family and friends and making sure that I'm giving my health my best shot," he told listeners.

Former ABC Radio Sydney Drive presenter Richard Glover said Valentine made people feel proud to be a Sydneysider.

"It was a daily effort to get people to concentrate on life, ordinary life, and how important and beautiful it is, and he did that every day for 20 years."

Valentine often challenged his audience to get creative by writing poems, plays or even to come up with satirical proposals for new Sydney infrastructure.

"So you end up sitting, listening to radio, thinking, 'Gee, Sydneysiders are funny and lively and witty and gorgeous,'" Glover said.

"He brought that out in people."

Valentine conducted his audience like a 'wonderful orchestra'

For more than 20 years, the two broadcasters would chat for 10 minutes on air as Valentine wrapped up his Afternoons program and handed over the mic.

"He was incredibly creative … I had complete confidence that I could start off in the oddest of places, and he'd find us somewhere amusing to go," Glover said.

While many treat talkback radio as an opportunity for listeners to give their opinion on politics, Valentine had a different approach, focusing on social quirks or letting his audience air their petty grievances.

"I think James understood that it could be something a lot more nourishing and certainly a lot more entertaining if you actually asked about their lives," Glover said.

A talented saxophonist, Valentine's musical training bled into his broadcasting style.

"He ended up really training his audience to be the most wonderful orchestra, and he was the conductor."

Former ABC Radio Sydney manager Peter Wall, who hired Valentine in the early 1990s, said he could tell he was a natural in the studio from his first shift.

"When you listen to the first hour, you punch the air and you know that you're happy with what you got — that's what I did with him," he said.

What separated Valentine from his peers was the "looseness" he projected on the airwaves.

"Some of those people just have this thing which breaks through. They manage to stay themselves, notwithstanding the pressures on them … he was one of those special people on radio."

ABC managing director Hugh Marks described Valentine as "one of the great creative forces in Australian broadcasting".

"He has an extraordinary gift for turning everyday moments into joyful, smart and surprising radio, and the connection he has built with his audience over decades simply cannot be overstated," he said.

"We're proud to celebrate everything he has brought to the ABC, and we wish him strength and support as he focuses on his health."

Listeners will have a chance to enjoy Valentine's most memorable moments with a special retrospective that will air on Friday, showcasing the best of Valentine's past programs.

Callers thank Valentine for bringing joy to dull days

Hundreds of listeners flooded the text line, thanking Valentine for his work over the years and wishing him well as he dealt with cancer.

In March 2024, Valentine announced his initial diagnosis of oesophageal cancer and took a leave of absence to receive treatment.

Valentine returned to the program later that year, hosting Afternoons until June 2025, when the new tumours were discovered.

Long-time listener Jacqueline said she was gutted Valentine was not returning.

"James Valentine turned me into a serial pest. I just couldn't resist his segments. He's kept me company through parental leave, through boring days during lockdown when I was living alone. I'm so sorry to hear he's not coming back. He's brought so much joy to all of us."

Listeners praised his welcoming, warm and kind style.

"No affectation, no feigned tolerance, it was legit," Sarah said.

Many were fans of Valentine's This is What I Live With talkback segment, which allowed people to vent about their partner's foibles.

Tony described him as a free marriage counsellor while Louise credited the segment with helping keep couples together.

"I think it's probably helped normalise some of the madness of our pairings … sometimes it's those little quirky things that really irritate people more than important things," he said.

Valentine could also handle serious events, with Jill praising his coverage of the shootings at a Christchurch mosque in 2019.

"He was rightly shocked and horrified, but equally full of compassion and full of empathy. It was just a time where I felt we really need that, and I really will miss him in the afternoon," she said.

James O'Loghlin is filling in as host of Afternoons, but a permanent replacement has yet to be announced.