Free form radio, James Valentine played jazz on the microphone

April 24, 2026 — 7:58pm

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Sydney talkback radio is a cacophony of babble where he or she who shouts loudest, crudest, rudest and angriest is rewarded with ratings, celebrity and wealth. Few weep when they leave the microphone.

And then there is James Valentine.

With his death on Wednesday, something true, treasured and fine has died in Sydney’s heart.

Valentine was a mainstay of ABC Radio Sydney. The massive outpouring of sadness, fondness and nostalgia that came this week when news spread he had died are testimony to his ability to touch people across the city and how he became part of so many........

© The Sydney Morning Herald