Broadcasting veteran Charlie King retires after 32 years with the ABC

Broadcasting veteran Charlie King has retired from ABC after more than 32 years of service, leaving behind a significant legacy in Australian sports commentary and Indigenous advocacy. King, who is of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, became the first Indigenous broadcaster to cover two consecutive Olympic Games for ABC, calling the action from London in 2012.

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I was happy to announce that he won a gold medal, it was a big moment for me.

Reflecting on his career, King recalled the profound moment of commentating Anthony Joshua's gold medal win at the London Olympics. This experience evoked a powerful memory of his childhood, listening to boxing matches on the radio with his father, which ignited his passion for sports broadcasting. "Watching Anthony Joshua walk out and stand in the middle of the ring as the gold medallist, I went back to that happening with dad and thought, 'Wow this is such a good moment, pinch yourself,' and I did," he said.

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He would talk to the radio and say things like, 'What happened to him? Is he going to be okay?' and then he'd try telling me what he was talking about; I loved it.

During his extensive career, King covered more than 600 matches for the NT Football League (NTFL) and also contributed to two Olympic and two Commonwealth Games broadcasts. Beyond his commentary work, he was instrumental in coaching the Northern Territory's pioneering female footballers to their first national competition in 1990, supporting them when they faced significant challenges in accessing resources.

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Watching Anthony Joshua walk out and stand in the middle of the ring as the gold medallist, I went back to that happening with dad and thought, 'Wow this is such a good moment, pinch yourself,' and I did.

King also leveraged his prominent media profile to address critical social issues, particularly family violence in the Northern Territory, through the No More campaign. He described the advocacy work as challenging, noting the difficulty in measuring success and the risks involved in engaging with individuals involved in violent behavior. King credited his broadcasting work with ABC for providing him the flexibility to dedicate time to his advocacy efforts during the week, fostering connections within communities that supported the No More campaign.

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They desperately wanted to play, and they weren't getting the support they needed back then, they couldn't even get an oval.