AMANDA Blair has pledged to take her outspoken views to the airwaves when she makes her full-time return to radio at FIVEaa next year.In what has been the industry’s worst-kept secret, the popular Sunday Mail columnist will replace Nicole Haack as afternoon presenter from January 14.

Seven newsreader Graeme Goodings has stepped into the timeslot since Haack’s departure on September 28 and will fill in until Christmas.

The role will be the former number 1 breakfast presenter’s first full-time radio gig since her shock split with SAFM in 2003.”I didn’t want to get near a microphone for a few years I was quite tired after SAFM,” said Blair, who has filled in for various FIVEaa personalities during the past two years.

“I just wanted to have kids and sit back.

“But it’s so refreshing for me to be able to express myself in a reasonably serious forum, and show people there’s a bit of a brain up there that works.

“I think I’ve grown up a lot in three years.”

She said she could not foresee a return to commercial breakfast radio, particularly now she is a mother of two young children, baby daughter Ginger Dorothy and Sidney Douglas, 2.

The 38-year-old, who has signed a one-year contract with the talk station, promised she would continue to voice her often controversial views because she thrives on debate.

“The column (in the Sunday Mail) has been really good in setting me up for a career in talk radio,” she said.

“That was my problem at SAFM. I wanted to go in this direction, but wasn’t allowed to.

“I’d rather eat dog s**t than do another battle of the sexes.

“Everyone has different opinions and I’m looking forward to having some fantastic disagreements, which I love.”

She said it would be relevant and entertaining.

“I’m not going to go out there and bang on about land tax and the price of oil,” she said.

The Sunday Mail last month predicted a line-up change after the latest Nielsen survey revealed Haack’s slot had slid to 9.7 points.

FIVEaa station manager Paul Bartlett denied the change was due to the ratings and said Haack had done a “great job”. He said Blair would be an asset to the station and had a long-term future in talk radio.

“She is well known in the market as a number one breakfast announcer, and well known to a lot of people; her articles in the Sunday Mail have added a string to her bow,” he said.

“She is the sort of person we want on this station, with robust opinions, and one who encourages debate.”  (with Adelaide Now)