Barrie Cassidy built Insiders from a thought bubble to a Sunday morning institution for political junkies, while Jon Faine's Mornings radio program has driven the news agenda in Melbourne since the 1990s.

But 2019 is a year of change for the ABC broadcast veterans — Cassidy stepped down from Insiders in June, while Faine will present his last program in October.

The pair sat down for a special in-conversation evening earlier this month, where they discussed the highs and lows of their careers, hilarious stories from backstage, and the political landscape.

Rise of Trump and the state of politics

Cassidy said the language Donald Trump used empowered hate groups, even if the President did not make direct appeals to them.

"As every day goes by, it's just more bewildering how somebody as violent, as obnoxious as Donald Trump, can not only be President of the United States, but has an even-money chance of staying President beyond the next election," Cassidy said.

The broadcasters agree that it's becoming harder for journalists to hold politicians to account. ( ABC Melbourne: Kristian Silva )

"It's almost as if Americans regard their country as an economy and that's it — it's not a community.

"It doesn't matter that their leader can behave in the way that he does, it doesn't matter that he sends all the wrong signals to the next generation of Americans.

"[UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson, I don't think he could be put in the same category.

"I think he'll just be a bit of a buffoon, and maybe an entertaining one at times."

Sorry, this audio has expired Listen to Jon and Barrie's chat in full

Faine said the rise of populist leaders like Mr Trump and Mr Johnson was down to the public disconnecting from the political system.

"People have to actually get out of their comfort zone and realise that if you don't maintain this piece of machinery, it will seize up," he said.

The pair agreed it was harder to hold politicians to account these days.

"One way you do it is by getting involved, whether it's involved in the actual political parties or in activist groups or community grassroots groups," Faine said.

Cassidy bemoaned the daily political spin cycle and the drop off in serious political coverage on television.

He also said some journalists needed to go back to basics when asking questions.

"Some of the best questions are one word like why or how. I just think we're failing because we're not going back to the bigger issues."

Black Saturday's 'utter devastation'

Both Cassidy and Faine regard Victoria's 2009 Black Saturday bushfires as one of the most difficult professional experiences.

The Black Saturday bushfires caused widespread devastation and claimed 173 lives. ( Supplied: Stella Reid )

Faine was part of ABC Radio's emergency broadcasting team as the flames engulfed communities in outer Melbourne and claimed 173 lives.

It was an experience that drove him to tears, and still upsets him to this day.

"We were getting calls from people and we knew they weren't going to survive.

"But what do you do? We were doing the best we could and it wasn't good enough. I'll carry that with me forever."

Cassidy was presenting Insiders the day after the bushfires, when a decision was made to scrap political discussion and focus on the tragedy.

The first helicopter pictures from the scene were sent in while the program was on air.

"To see what was utter devastation, and you certainly couldn't help but mentally translate that to a death toll," Cassidy said.

He recalled his shock as the scale of the 2001 Bali bombings became apparent when he interviewed an Australian football coach hours after the blasts.

For Faine, another story that continues to trouble him is the murder of ABC colleague Jill Meagher in 2012.

"Time has passed but the wounds are still there," he said.

Undone by man flu

It has not all been doom and gloom — far from it.

During their hour-long discussion, the pair shared stories from behind the scenes when things did not quite go to plan.

Cassidy recalled a severe case of the so-called man flu which left him with a very sore throat and throbbing headache.

There were plenty of laughs during their hour together on stage. ( ABC Melbourne: Rhiannon Down )

A doctor gave him two tablets but instructed him not to take both at the same time — advice Cassidy decided not to follow on the morning of a show.

"[At] about seven o'clock, I just turned to Kate Torney, who was the executive producer at the time, and I said, 'I can't stay awake, I just can't stay awake'.

"My head hit the desk. I woke up about 45 minutes later in the hands of paramedics."

In the time that Cassidy was out, Torney had been in touch with his family and organised a fill-in presenter.

Faine's Conversation Hour segment often features authors and musicians.

Ever the inquisitor, the radio host was thrilled when disgraced UK Conservative politician Jeffrey Archer was booked on his show to promote his book.

"He came in, sat down, and started talking about the book and I said, 'I don't want to talk about the book, I want to talk about prison and being a perjurer'," Faine said.

"He turned from the microphone, looked out through the double glass at his publicist and said, 'Why was I booked on this show? It was a mistake'."

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 13 minutes 40 seconds 13 m A special tribute to Insiders host Barrie Cassidy

Where to now?

Faine said he would not "do a Christopher Pyne or a Julie Bishop" and line up work before he left the ABC on October 11.

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He also ruled out entering politics.

"The idea of betraying everything you've said for the last 30 or so years of your professional life in some sort of vanity project strikes me as being ridiculous, quite frankly.

"I do have some simple criteria: I want to be useful, stimulated and at least occasionally paid."

For Cassidy, whose career once included time as an adviser to former prime minister Bob Hawke, political office was also off the table.

He said he planned to use his appointment as an honorary adjunct professor at RMIT to help aspiring journalists.

There was also a potential television program in the works, although Cassidy was coy about revealing more.

"It won't be a program that pins me down in the way that Insiders did so that I'm locked in every weekend for the whole year.

"I can see me getting more involved in the public debate over some issues once I'm free of all the restrictions that the ABC obviously, naturally, place on me."

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