Veteran Finance Presenter Alan Kohler to Sign Off After 31-Year Career

After more than three decades of reporting on the world of business and finance, a well-known finance presenter is set to sign off from their role.

The presenter, who has been at the helm of the finance report for 24 years, will walk out the door of the Melbourne studios tonight, bringing an end to a 31-year career.

A humble beginning

"The reason I wanted to be a journalist is because English was the only subject in high school I was any good at," he said.

"I basically failed everything else, didn't get into university, so I had to get a job."

Despite not having grand ambitions to rise to the top of Australian journalism, the presenter has gone on to have a distinguished career, editing several of the nation's most prestigious and influential newspapers and becoming a leading voice in business and economics reporting.

A chance encounter

The paths of this reporter and the finance presenter first crossed in 1986, during the decade of greed and takeover fever.

As editor of a major financial newspaper, the presenter wrote an analysis piece on a massive bid for a miner, and it was a masterclass in communication.

A new chapter

"I love the ABC and I do really like going to the studio, but I think it's time to not have to do that," he confessed on a recent podcast.

"I'm 74."

While stepping down from the national broadcaster, the presenter is not retiring.

"I'm actually starting to feel optimistic about what we do now because with AI, the work that humans do will be more valuable," he said.

"How that plays out, I'm not quite sure. I mean, I think a lot of grunt work of journalism will be done by AI, but I do think that consumers of media will value human work."

Despite the ongoing changes and challenges in the media industry, the presenter is adamant that if they were to start again, they'd still pick journalism.

"Absolutely. It's been a wonderful career," he said.

"It's been so good to me, I couldn't wish for anything better."