3AW radio legend Neil Mitchell is reportedly looking to step away from the microphone.
Here’s all you need to know about the award-winning Mornings host.
Speculation is mounting that Neil Mitchell is set to retire after 36 years with 3AW3AW
Who is 3AW Mornings host Neil Mitchell?
Neil Mitchell, born on November 21, 1951, is an Australian radio presenter on the Melbourne Mornings radio show on 3AW.
The 71-year-old began working at the station in 1987 while initially only working part-time on the weekends.
In 1990, he moved to the morning program where he has been a successful and influential figure ever since.
In December 2009, Mithell was the subject of a concerted effort by a rival newcomer talk station, MTR, to nab his services.
But after negotiations, Mitchell ended up staying at 3AW while rejecting a more lucrative offer from MTR.
In August 2011, Mitchell signed a new three-year, multimillion-dollar contract with 3AW, which started in January 2012.
In the June 2007, Queen’s Birthday Honours List Mitchell was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) “For service to the print, radio and television media, and to the community through a range of charitable institutions”.
Over his years in the media, Mitchell has won eight Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards for best radio current affairs report and one best columnist award.
In 2011, Mitchell won the Melbourne Press Club Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award, for excellence in radio journalism over a quarter of a century.
He is the first radio journalist to win the coveted award.
In November 2013, Mitchell won his first Walkley Award, in the radio/audio news and current affairs category, for his report that the Ford Motor Company would stop manufacturing vehicles in Australia after 2016.
And in March 2014, Mitchell was named the winner of the 2013 Best Radio Current Affairs Report at the Melbourne Press Club’s annual Quill awards.
This award was for Mitchell’s scoop on the Ford Motor Company’s decision to end local manufacturing in Australia.
The popular presenter is a member of the Melbourne Press Club’s Hall of Fame and previously worked as editor of the Herald Sun and as a columnist and executive for The Age.
Is Neil Mitchell retiring?
Speculation is mounting that the multi-award-winning Morning’s presenter is set to retire after 36 years with the station, according to News Au.
The Herald Sun reported that his current contract will end at the end of this year after being extended from its original June 30 end date.
They also said that it will ultimately be Mitchell’s decision if he decides to step away from 3AW.
Who would replace Neil Mitchell on 3AW Mornings?
The Herald Sun reported that Mitchell will be replaced by Drive host Tom Elliott.
Tom Elliott is then set to be replaced by former Channel 7 presenter Jacqui Felgate.
The switch-around will be the biggest shakeup at 3AW since Mitchell joined the station 33 years ago in 1990 and helped cement both their places as Melbourne radio royalty.
