Francis Leach
Francis Leach | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968 Melbourne, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Broadcaster, sports editor, journalist |
| Years active | Early 1990s–present |
| Known for | Broadcasting on Triple J, SEN 1116, ABC Radio; sports editor at The New Daily |
Francis Leach (born 1968) is a distinguished Australian broadcaster, sports editor, and journalist.
Early life
Leach was raised in public housing located in Broadmeadows, a suburb of Melbourne. His secondary education took place at Therry College (currently integrated into Penola Catholic College) as well as St Bernard’s College.
Career
Leach's broadcasting journey commenced in the early 1990s at Triple J, where he hosted Three Hours of Power, a weekly late-night program dedicated to heavy metal music. He later transitioned to presenting the Sunday evening arts show Creatures of the Spotlight. By 2000, he had moved on to host The Morning Show, Triple J's daily three-hour talkback and current affairs segment, a role he maintained until 2002. Simultaneously, he led a Saturday morning sports broadcast on Melbourne’s 774 ABC. In 2003, Leach presented an arts and music program on Radio National.
In 2004, Leach shifted to SEN 1116, a commercial radio station in Melbourne, taking on the afternoon host position. He departed in June 2005 to join DMG Radio Australia's newly launched Vega FM network in both Sydney and Melbourne. During this period, Leach and his wife Lynne Haultain—also a radio presenter at 774 ABC—hosted programs airing in the identical time slot.
Leach returned to SEN in February 2007 to co-host the drive-time show The Run Home alongside former AFL player David Schwarz and took charge of SEN's A-League coverage.
In 2012, he rejoined ABC Radio as part of ABC Radio Grandstand, where he hosted a digital radio breakfast program. Additionally, he frequently appears as a panelist on ABC-TV’s Sunday morning sports discussion series Offsiders.
In 2016, Leach reunited with David Schwarz to co-host SEN’s "Breakfast" show.
By 2018, he had been appointed sports editor at The New Daily, enhancing their sports journalism team.