Angela Catterns

Angela Catterns, (born 30 September 1953) is an Australian media personality and broadcaster.

Mostly known for her work on Australian radio, she has presented Mornings on Triple J, the National Evening Show on ABC Local Radio, and Breakfast on 702 ABC Sydney.

She is also a podcaster, writer, interviewer, MC, facilitator, narrator & voice over artist.

She presented with Australian humourist and broadcaster Wendy Harmer a holiday season version of the Breakfast Show on 702 ABC Sydney.

In 1979, Catterns landed the high-profile position as one of the first four reporters on the popular children's Logie award-winning television show, Simon Townsend's Wonder World.

The series was known for its fun and creative reporting style, though it tackled more serious issues from time to time.

Catterns left Wonder World to travel, and on returning to Australia, she produced the film documentary "Double Concerto" about the Australian pianist Roger Woodward and Polish violinist Wanda Wilkomirska.

The film won several AFI Awards (for cinematography and editing) and was screened on ABC TV as well as at the New York Film Festival.

In the mid-1980s, Catterns joined the ABC youth network, Triple J, as producer and then presenter of the morning show for the then Sydney-only radio station.

She left Triple J for a short stint on commercial radio to present mornings on 2SM.

Catterns was controversially sacked from 2SM after just ten months for unconvincing reasons, later saying herself, "I was told I was too intelligent for our audience and that women don't like listening to other women on radio".

Following 2SM, Catterns spent time working at SBS Television as a researcher and producer, before leaving for the US to pursue a long-held ambition to work in American radio.

Catterns landed an on-air shift at the top rating WKYS in Washington DC, a popular station best known for its soul and R&B music programming.

Returning to Australia, Catterns rejoined Triple J as the full-time morning show announcer.

Triple J had begun to broadcast nationally and had also just launched its long-running "Unearthed" initiative.

At Triple J, Catterns aired a selection of memorable and popular interviews with subjects like David Bowie, Michael Hutchence, Jeff Buckley and then Prime Minister Paul Keating.

Catterns went on to host Triple J's drive program before making the move to ABC Local Radio, presenting the evening program across Australia (from the ABC Studios in Lismore, returning to one of her favourite spots on the NSW north coast).

In between full-time radio positions, Catterns freelanced and during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she was the "voice of the Olympics", responsible for all the public domain announcements at Sydney Olympic Park.

Catterns was also venue announcer at the Superdome for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Gymnastics competition.

In addition to being involved in the early online radio venture, BigFatRadio, around this time Catterns also became the voice of the safety announcements for pre-flight procedures on all Qantas flights – and after more than a decade, still scripts, programs and presents 'Soul Food', an enduring in-flight Qantas music channel.

In 2001, Catterns returned once again to the ABC, this time to ABC Local Radio, or what she refers to as "the grown up ABC".

In 2001, Catterns and the marketing department of ABC Local Radio conceived and initiated an event called the KNIT IN.

Because she was making scarves for her father and daughter, Catterns had been discussing knitting on her breakfast show.

This led to a flood of listener interest, and the KNIT IN went on to become an annual event where the station encourages knitters and crafters to help support the charity Wrap with Love's pledge to provide warm wraps for people suffering from extreme cold.

In 2003, Catterns conceived the ABC 702 'Knit-In', harnessing the knitting prowess and goodwill of 702 listeners, in collaboration with the charity Wrap with Love, for an annual knitting event at ABC Headquarters.

The 'Knit-In' has been an annual ABC event ever since.

In addition to her involvement with Wrap With Love, Catterns is an ambassador, volunteer and supporter of the charity Habitat for Humanity Australia and The Public Education Foundation.

Following high school and a diploma in advertising from Sydney Technical College, Catterns began her career as an advertising copywriter, working in-house at department stores Hordern's and Farmers in Sydney, leading to a stint at Surry Hills-based ad. agency, W.B. Lawrence & Partners.

Though Sydney born and bred, Catterns made several forays into Australia's regional areas after her earlier city-based career.

For example, her first job as a radio announcer was at 2LM, in the north coast town of Lismore, NSW.

Around this time, Catterns had several of her original poems published in an anthology of Australian women's poetry, the controversial Mother I'm Rooted, edited by Kate Jennings.

After living and working in Lismore, Catterns headed to Orange, NSW for her first job working in television, at the area's CBN 8 channel.

Catterns also worked as a voiceover artist at this time for the Orange radio station 2GZ.

After several years in Orange, Catterns returned to Sydney and immediately travelled overseas as a sound recordist for a documentary shot in Papua New Guinea.

During her time at 702 Sydney first presenting 'Breakfast', Catterns temporarily displaced prominent Australian radio broadcaster Alan Jones in 2004 to achieve number one in the listener survey ratings.

Catterns has also held broadcasting roles at Australian commercial radio stations 2SM and Vega 95.3 in Sydney, 2UE and at WKYS in Washington DC.

Her popularity as a radio broadcaster is often attributed to her "perfectly measured combination of intellect and personality", her listening and interviewing skills, and a voice described as being "smooth as chocolate" (The Sydney Morning Herald) or "as if her vocal cords have been marinated overnight in plum brandy and golden syrup" (Elle Magazine).

Catterns became the 702 ABC Sydney breakfast presenter and went on to become the number one Sydney breakfast presenter in the December 2004 ratings survey, temporarily overtaking the popular Alan Jones from 2GB.

As one article at the time put it, Catterns was offering something different to the dominant 2GB and 2UE breakfast shows, and appealed to a younger demographic of 30- to 59-year-olds: "702's mix of warm, intelligent Sydney talk and good music, uninterrupted by advertising and wrapped around a solid digest of ABC news and current affairs, is a hard combination to beat".

Catterns resigned from ABC 702 in June 2005 after more than four years presenting breakfast radio.