Mark Fine: Why I said no when SEN asked me back

Melbourne sports broadcaster Mark Fine has opened up about his decision to knock back an offer to return to SEN.

For ten years, Fine hosted the popular Evenings with Mark Fine program on Melbourne’s 1116 SEN.

He lost his job in the station’s revamp, when Craig Hutchison took over as CEO at the beginning of 2018.

Hutchison recently confirmed SEN had asked Fine to return to his old stomping ground, to host a version of  The Final Siren in 2023.

Speaking on the Ruck ‘n Roll podcast, Fine – who now runs a successful deli business – says he’s truly grateful SEN asked him to return:

“I cannot thank them enough for the offer to come back. I was very flattered and obviously I had a big decision to make when they contacted me.”

“So I met with management – not with Craig – and they put an offer to me. They were very professional. I have absolutely nothing but praise for the way this was handled and I’m very flattered that they asked me back.”

Fine says his decision to say no had nothing to do with money.

“I want to make that very clear. It wasn’t inappropriate, what they offered. That wasn’t an issue.”

Fine says the SEN job would have necessitated watching AFL games in their entirety and – given his current schedule – the commitment required would have been too great.

Added to that, Fine says right now, he’s the happiest he’s ever been in his life:

“It would take a certain type of personality to say ‘I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. Now let’s try to be happier.”

Thesedays, Fine’s only media commitment is the Ruck ‘n Roll podcast.

Whilst he feels humbled that people want him back on the radio, Fine simply says “I’ve planted my flag in a different business.”