It was far from an easy decision,Parsons says. After all,she loves talkback radio so much she’s doing her PhD on it. But COVID-19 lockdowns and theseparation from her partner of 25 years changed her life in ways she never expected,forcing her to embrace solitude and focus on her family and health (she lives withCrohn’s disease,a chronic inflammatory bowel condition).
“I’ve got responsibilities that are really tricky to meet when you’re doing a 15-hour-a-week live radio program. That is such a big job,” Parsons says. “We’re getting better at recognising,post-pandemic,what we actually have to do to put in the right things for a good life.”
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Though she’s bidding farewell to the afternoon program,Parsons’ time at the ABC – which began in 2015 and led to her presentingThe New Music Show as well as co-hosting breakfast radio with Sami Shah – is far from over. She will remain co-host ofThe Friday Reviewwith Brian Nankervis – a once-a-week commitment she says will keep her closely connected to the broadcaster.
The ABC is undergoinga review of all capital city and regional stations,which have endureda dramatic fall in audiences since the national bushfire crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. The organisation alsoannounced sweeping changes in June,under which 120 jobs – including that of national political editor Andrew Probyn and the organisation’s two most senior arts journalists – will become redundant.
However,Parsons says her decision to step awayis not related to these recent shifts. She said she began considering her departure at the end of last year and that spirits within the organisation remained high.
“Morale is high because we’re with our audience all the time and the work matters to us,” she says. “The ABC is moving in a direction that we probably need to move and getting a deeper understanding[of our audiences] ... I think it’s only a good thing.”