Leigh Radford - Icon of Rural Media moves on (August 2017)

After a 30 year career working for ABC Rural, Adelaide based National Head of Rural & Regional programs, Leigh Radford has taken up the opportunity to further his interests outside of the national broadcaster.

Recognised as one of ABC Rural’s most awarded broadcasters, Leigh was the inaugural Telstra South Australian Rural Journalist of the Year in 1996 and has been honoured with the Dalgety Award for Excellence in Rural Journalism as well as various Landcare Awards.

Life behind the microphone assisting rural & regional communities - Leigh Radford’s true passion

In recognition of his exceptional service and commitment to rural and regional communities, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. As a sign of the esteem in which Leigh Radford is held locally, Rural Media South Australia inducted him to the honoured status Rural Media Icon last December.

Leigh Radford was an integral component of a four-generation long dynasty of the Radford family’s involvement in the media. He was the most senior member of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s executive management team to have ever been based in Adelaide and managed the largest rural media broadcast group in the world, including oversight of the longest continually running rural broadcast program ever seen.

His management of the ABC rural broadcast group and the Country Hour was the envy of every country with an interest in agricultural communication. In particular, Leigh was responsible for shaping the careers of many of today’s top rural journalists, including a number who went on to become internationally renowned Foreign Correspondents.

In particular, Leigh Radford has made his mark on the international stage himself, unselfishly representing the entire Australian rural media sector, private and Government, as the Australian delegate to the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists – travelling overseas to represent our national interest, convening the judging panel of the world broadcast rural media awards and influencing rural media policy internationally.

Leigh Radford has been described by many as being extremely ethical in his dealings with all people, self-effacing, modest and willing to sacrifice personal gain in favour of benefit to his organisation