FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ABC Radio Sydney's newest, youngest presenter is leaving Afternoons to launch a streaming YouTube show with Diamantina Media (founded by the team behind the Betoota Advocate); host a live podcast tour with events company Teg Dainty; and expand his hit podcast, Uncomfortable Conversations. 

Szeps has increased the ratings of Afternoons over the past dozen surveys. Afternoons and Drive are the only shows within striking distance of the station's main competitor, 2GB. Sydney Afternoons rates better than its Melbourne counterpart and its cumulative audience is among the best at the station. 

ABC Radio Sydney Manager, Steve Ahern, said: ​​"Josh has been an exemplary presenter and we'll miss him greatly. His mixture of playfulness, intellect and fearlessness is one of a kind. We wish him all the best and hope he can contribute his significant talents to the ABC again in the future."

Szeps hosts the podcast Uncomfortable Conversations, on which he has provocative discussions with the world's biggest newsmakers. The show has notched over three million downloads and is one of the most successful Australian interview shows in the world. Its premium subscription has an unprecedented paid conversion rate. 

Rejecting easy groupthink, Uncomfortable Conversations forces loyal, engaged, educated listeners to consider unpopular opinions from diverse guests. Brooking no nonsense, taking no prisoners, it has become the indispensable 'safe space' for provocative celebrities to debate deep ideas.

Szeps said: "I'm an inquisitive person who believes that democracy depends on upsetting the odd apple cart, triggering the odd tripwire, treading on the odd land mine. I've had a blast on Afternoons and I'm looking forward to having even spicier conversations on my own turf. The ABC is a cherished institution that deserves more funding and I wish everyone there all the best." 

Get Szeps' podcast here and subscribe to his Substack. His last day presenting ABC Radio Sydney Afternoons will be Friday, December 22, 2023.

For more information, please contact Julia Ferracane, Publicist at Righteous PR
Email: julia@righteouspr.com.au Phone: 0424 180 420

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