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Alan Kohler has been a financial journalist for over 32 years. He began as a cadet on The Australian covering the Poseidon boom and bust; has been a columnist for Chanticleer in the Australian Financial Review and Editor of the AFR. Alan has also served as Editor of The Age.
For the past seven years Alan he has been dividing his time between television, at the ABC's Inside Business and ABC News, and The Australian Financial Review. Alan hosts the ABC TV weekly Business Program 'Inside Business' seen nationally on Sunday mornings.
Alan is also the Business and Finance Commentator for ABC TV Victoria and is seen each week night across Victoria providing coverage and analysis in his plain English highly engaging style as a part of ABC TV Nightly News bulletin.
Alan has had a wide number of journalist appointments including: Cadetship on the Finance Section of The Australian newspaper in Melbourne, four years learning journalism as well as reporting on the stock exchange and business issues generally, including property. Reporter on the Northern Territory News, including surviving Cyclone Tracy and a couple of days later, with a group of friends published the emergency edition of the Northern Territory News. Alan wrote it, printed it on a 'borrowed' photocopier and distributed it around Darwin to those made homeless by the cyclone.
To broaden his experience he worked as an underground miner in Kalgoorlie, which included a job as a journalist on a weekly mining newspaper, owned by Lang Hancock. The work involved visiting a large number of Australian mines and covering the industry. This was followed as ABC?s industrial relations reporter in Perth, working for both TV and radio.
Moving to the UK Alan worked for two provincial newspapers in the south of England, mainly the Express and Echo in Exeter, Devon. This work involved a broad range of reporting activities, including police rounds, courts and sport.
AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW - 1979 TO 1991
1. 1979 to 1984: Chanticleer columnist.
Alan was employed at first to work with Robert Gottliebsen on the Chanticleer column on the back page of the AFR. After a year Bob started BRW and continued Chanticleer alone. During this time Alan reported the beginnings of the 1980s boom, including the early careers of Alan Bond, John Spalvins and Christopher Skase, among others.
2. 1983 to 1988: Deputy Editor and Editor of the Australian Financial Review.
Alan moved to Sydney in 1983 as Deputy Editor and was appointed Editor a year later, succeeding Editor-in-Chief, P.P.McGuinness, who became Paris correspondent. During the three years of his leadership circulation of the AFR rose strongly, following a total redesign and restructuring of the paper that Alan implemented. Staff training programs were introduced and a new management structure was put in place to handle the 100 staff on the paper.
3. 1988 to 1991: Chanticleer columnist.
Alan stepped down as Editor following the takeover of Fairfax by Warwick Fairfax and the abortive acquisition of the AFR by Robert Holmes A'Court, to return to his first love, writing the Chanticleer. During that time he reported the collapse of the 1980s boom and the demise of Alan Bond, John Spalvins and Christopher Skase, among others.
JAMES CAPEL AUSTRALIA - 1991 TO 1992.
After 12 years with the AFR, Alan left journalism in 1991 to try his hand at stockbroking, as Investment Strategist for James Capel. This involved advising institutional clients on the direction of the stockmarket and the economy and providing commentaries on political and economic affairs. However, after less than 12 months, Alan decided that stockbroking was not for him.
THE AGE - 1992 TO 1995
After a brief period as a columnist with The Australian, Alan was appointed Editor of The Age newspaper in Melbourne, following the takeover of John Fairfax by Conrad Black in 1992. This involved managing a staff of 320 and an annual budget of $30 million. During this period The Age came under great pressure from the new State Government led by Jeff Kennett and had to endure constant cuts in its editorial budget, editorial staff levels and marketing budgets. After a continuing failure to achieve any increase in the paper?s resources, he stepped down as Editor in October 1995.
THE 7.30 REPORT (ABC), THE AGE AND SMH, THEN AFR - 1995 TO PRESENT
At the end of 1995 Alan was appointed business correspondent for the ABC's 7.30 Report in addition to a continuing role with John Fairfax as a business columnist with both the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. In 1997 he returned to the Financial Review instead of the SMH and The Age, where he now write columns and feature articles. Alan therefore was able to combine print and television journalism. With the ABC he appear as a commentator on business issues with Kerry O'Brien, and also produced film stories for the program, working with camera crews, producers and editors.
In 2002 Alan became the Business and Fiance commentator on ABC TV Nightly News hosting as nightly segment and hosts the ABC TV Sunday National program 'Inside Business'.
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