Joe Gelonesi was appointed as the new Content Manager for ABC Classic and ABC Jazz in July 2021, following Toby Chadd’s move to the Australian Chamber Orchestra. A longtime ABC staffer, Gelonesi presented The Philosopher’s Zone on Radio National and was a member of the RN executive editorial team for almost two decades. He was also part of the team which produced Triple J’s first Hottest 100 in 1989, and developed the ABC Top 5 media residency project for early-career scholars in the arts, sciences, and humanities.

Jo Gelonesi. photo Supplied.

You have worked in radio and broadcasting for most of your career. What is it about the medium that you most love?

I love the sheer intimacy of the medium and its capacity to convey depth and nuance. It works on some basic principles using a small range of primary materials and yet can convey so much – a bit like music really. That dynamic is now finding its way into other forms of audio – podcasts primarily – but radio still has a significant role to play. ABC Classic is enjoying its strongest audience reach figures...