Double J has announced that former Recovery host Dylan Lewis will return to the ABC full-time in 2024 to host its Mornings program, taking over from presenter Karen Leng who will now take up the lunchtime shift. In a press statement regarding the news, the station expressed their excitement at having the broadcast veteran as the latest permanent addition to the team.
“Dylan has been a friendly and familiar voice on Double J for the past few years, and we’re so excited to be kicking off our days with him in 2024,” it read.
Lewis had previously worked for Double J between 2020 and 2021, serving as a host for the Mornings program on weekends. His previous radio experience includes stints on triple j and over a decade working under the Nova banner, where he hosted a variety of shows between 2006 and 2019.
He is best known for his time hosting the ABC’s Saturday morning live music program Recovery between 1996 and 2000, whose legacy has been covered in the 2019 TV special The Music & The Mayhem and by Lewis himself as part of the Recovered YouTube series with Jane Gazzo.
Recovery: The Music & The Mayhem
The changes at Double J have been announced in wake of a tumultuous week at its sister station triple j. Veteran host and music director Richard Kingsmill (who also hosted a show on Double J) was made redundant, while both Head Of Music & Creative Development Meagan Loader and presenter Jess Perkins also announced their departure.
Former triple j host Bridget Hustwaite angrily spoke out against triple j in the wake of Kingsmill’s removal from the station on social media, describing his treatment as “truly disgusting.” “The lack of acknowledgement, the no send-off,” she wrote. “He wouldn’t have wanted a send-off anyway. But for a man who has been there for over three decades? Come on.”
Further Reading
Double J Have Ranked The Top 50 Aussie Debut Albums Of All Time
Double J Counts Down 50 Best Debut Singles With A Well-Deserving Number One
Here’s Double J’s 50 Game-Changing Women & Gender-Diverse People Of Australian Music
