Jul 23 2019

30 years since 10 TV Australia

  • 23 July 2019

The year 1988 was one of the best for the Ten Network. Ratings were high on the back of the Olympic Games, Ten News, hit shows Neighbours and The Comedy Company, Sydney rugby league and a strong line-up of movies. It also marked the network’s expansion into Perth, and in Brisbane the conversion from the somewhat troubling Channel 0 frequency to Ten.

When the year ticked over into 1989, although the network had some crisp looking graphics and a glossy station identification, the shine was starting to fade. New shows such as Roseanne, Thirtysomething and new local soap E Street were not grabbing much attention. Its overall popularity was fading in favour of a resurgent Seven Network. Ten was back firmly in third place in the ratings, after spending much of the previous year at first or second place.

Ten’s reaction, by as early in the year as April, was to bring in American television executive Bob Shanks to try and boost its fortunes. Shanks came well recommended — having been executive vice president of America’s ABC for six years and created successes like Good Morning America and 20/20 for the network.

Shanks’ apparently liked Neighbours and The Comedy Company but thought the rest needed an overhaul. Fledgling soap E Street was taken back to the drawing board for a drastic revamp. Likewise, a similar rework was put in place for the current affairs show Page One, which had been Ten’s pale attempt to take on 60 Minutes. It was to be re-named Public Eye.

There were some new US titles on the way, including The Wonder Years, Quantum Leap, The Bronx Zoo and a sketch comedy series called Bizarre that dated back to 1982.

But most significant was a swag of game shows: revivals of The Price Is Right, Superquiz (the old Pick A Box format) and Candid Camera, plus a new pop culture quiz, The Great TV Game Show. Hosting them were TV legends like Mike Walsh (making a return to Ten after 12 years) and Ian Turpie.

But the pinnacle was to be Family Double Dare — a prime-time version of the afternoon kids game show, hosted by Larry Emdur.

Shanks reportedly wasn’t too enamoured with Ten’s logo — a stylised “X” for the roman numeral 10 — so that was on the way out, too.

Then the teaser promos started, giving little away with mysterious shots of manila folders with bold headings like “drama” and “comedy”, and Ten personalities being over-excited about what’s to come, but not saying anything in particular. There were glimpses of the old “X” logo being painted over.

Shanks and Ten unveiled their new-look network at a flash presentation in early July. Gone would be “X” and in its place a gold-plated “10 TV Australia”. The promos stepped up ahead of the launch date, 23 July 1989.

The new-look Ten was launched at 7.30pm with a four-minute presentation leading into The Comedy Company. It was a promo that probably looked more at home in a boardroom rather than on our living room TVs. It didn’t exactly shout excitement.


YouTube: TelevisionAU

Most of what launched under 10 TV Australia was to be short lived. Family Double Dare lasted three weeks. Superquiz, The Price Is Right, Public Eye and The Great TV Game Show barely saw out the year. Candid Camera was the only one of the new commissions to see the next year.

Neighbours and E Street survived despite the falling shows around them. Of the new US shows, The Wonder Years developed a decent following.

Shanks was soon sent back to the US, well short of the three years that he had been contracted for.

In hindsight, while Ten was in third place at the start of the year, its position was not terminal. By the year’s end, it was on the way to receivership, which was to come later in 1990.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/07/30-years-since-10-tv-australia.html

Jul 22 2019

Openshop coming to Channel 75

  • 22 July 2019

Openshop, the latest shopping channel to come to free-to-air television, is ready to open on 1 August.

The new channel will broadcast on the Seven Network‘s broadcast signal on Channel 75, covering Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Regional Queensland.

Openshop’s parent company is Hyundai Home Shopping Network Corporation, which operates Korea’s largest shopping channel.

Australia is the fourth extension of Hyundai’s global reach.

Openshop is entering what is already a crowded home shopping market, competing with Network Ten channels TVSN and Spree. The Nine Network‘s Extra and Seven’s own former 4ME have both come and gone already.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/07/openshop-coming-to-channel-75.html

Jul 21 2019

Bringing Apollo 11 to television

  • 21 July 2019

It is no surprise that the Apollo 11 mission dominated Australian television. After all, for a lot of the time, the pictures that the whole world were seeing were received on Earth by the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station and Parkes observatory in New South Wales, before being relayed to the world. All four networks mounted various levels of coverage, including a mix of direct feeds and pre-recorded documentaries and specials.

In Melbourne, GTV9 stayed on the air continuously 24 hours a day while Apollo 11 was in progress — a rare feat, if not a first for Australia at a time when all TV stations traditionally closed down overnight. Both the Nine and Seven networks had reporters based in the US to file special reports, while ATV0 set up an “Apollo News Centre” in its main studio. The channel had also made a model of the Saturn rocket and the lunar module which could be broken into sections to show viewers where the astronauts will work from.

The coverage began at 7.30am on Tuesday 15 July with live coverage of the press conference with the Apollo 11 astronauts, broadcast on GTV9, HSV7 and ATV0. National broadcaster ABC (ABV2) presented a delayed coverage later in the day, while HSV7 replayed it at 8.00am and 8.20am.

Highlights for the following days’ coverage — as listed in TV Times and The Age Green Guides for Melbourne, though similar schedules may have applied in other cities. All times were subject to last-minute changes in the Apollo 11 progress:

Wednesday 16 July

  • 7.30pm Prelude To Apollo (GTV9). CBS special received via satellite
  • 9.30pm In Melbourne Tonight (GTV9) included local guest artists performing Up Up And Away, Fly Me To The Moon and Show Me The Way To Get Out Of This World.
  • 10.26pm Man On The Moon (HSV7). Presented by Sydney newsreader Roger Climpson, tracing man’s attempts to get to the moon, from Sputnik to Apollo 11.
  • 11.15pm Apollo 11 Launching (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0). Approximately 30-40 minutes.

Thursday 17 July

  • 7.30pm Today The Moon (GTV9). Documentary hosted by Kevin Sanders, featuring Nine Network news reporters on location at the NASA training centre in Houston, Texas. Includes recorded interviews with the astronauts and covering their final pre-launch training.

Friday 18 July 

  • 9.32am Apollo 11 (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0), direct coverage of trans lunar coast. 15 minutes.

Saturday 19 July

  • 9.32am Apollo 11 (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0), direct coverage of trans lunar coast. 15 minutes.
  • From midnight, GTV9 stays on-air overnight with movies, while on stand-by for updates from Apollo 11.

Sunday 20 July

  • 6.02am Apollo 11 lunar orbit (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9). Approximately 15 minutes. (ATV0 delayed at 10.45am) Replays throughout the day across ABV2, HSV7, GTV9 and ATV0.
  • Morning replays of Man On the Moon (HSV7), Prelude To Apollo (GTV9) and Today The Moon (GTV9)
  • 10.15pm Footsteps On The Moon (ATV0). Locally-produced documentary covering the background of space and lunar exploration, compiled from news film sources from around the world. One hour.
  • GTV9 and HSV7 stay on-air overnight.


YouTube: Australian Television Archive

Monday 21 July

  • 3.52am Apollo 11 (GTV9, HSV7). Direct telecast of formation flying of lunar and command modules. 30 minutes. (ABV2, ATV0 delayed at 5.40am)
  • 4.25am Apollo 9 Documentary (HSV7). One hour
  • 6.10am Apollo 11 lunar touchdown (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0). Approximately 30-45 minutes. Replayed throughout the morning.
  • 3.57pm Apollo 11 tracking lunar surface from command module (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0).
  • 4.12pm Apollo 11 lunar surface walk (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0). To approximately 6.52pm.
  • 9.02pm Man On The Moon special (ABV2). Includes highlights of satellite coverage starting with the astronauts’ press conference. One hour.
  • 11.30pm Apollo 11 replay lunar touch down and surface walk (HSV7). Approximately 130 minutes.
  • GTV9 and HSV7 stay on-air overnight with movies, on stand-by for updates.

Tuesday 22 July 

  • 3.30am Apollo 11 direct telecast of lunar lift-off (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9). Approximately 40 minutes.
  • Repeats of lunar lift-off at various times between 6.00am and 9.00am (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0) and 12.30pm (HSV7).
  • GTV9 on-air overnight with movies, on stand-by for updates.

Wednesday 23 July

  • 11.02am Apollo 11 first trans-Earth coast (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0). Approximately 15 minutes.
  • GTV9 on-air overnight with movies, on stand-by for updates.

Thursday 24 July

  • 9.02am Apollo 11 second trans-Earth coast (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0). Approximately 15 minutes.
  • GTV9 on-air overnight with movies, on stand-by for updates.

Friday 25 July

  • 2.30am Apollo 11 direct coverage of splashdown (audio only — no live TV coverage available) (GTV9)
  • 4.00pm Apollo 11 delayed telecast of splashdown and recovery (ABV2, HSV7, GTV9, ATV0) received from the US via satellite. 30 minutes.
  • GTV9 resumes overnight close down.

In 1970, the Apollo 11 crew receive a special edition TV Week Gold Logie for “Providing TV’s Greatest Moment In Their Moon Telecast”.

Source: The Age, 10 July 1969, 17 July 1969, 24 July 1969. TV Times, 16 July 1969. TV Week, 26 July 1969.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/07/bringing-apollo-11-to-television.html

Jul 15 2019

Obituary: Richard Carter

  • 15 July 2019

Actor Richard Carter, star of many television dramas and comedies, has died after a brief illness. He was 65.

Although he had a background in comedy, he was often cast in law enforcement roles. His many TV credits included Vietnam, Bodyline, Rafferty’s Rules, The Flying Doctors, GP, A Country Practice, Wildside, East West 101, Blue Murder, Blue Heelers,  Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback and comedies Pizza, Stupid Stupid Man, Housos and Rake.

He also did television commercial and voice over work.

Richard Carter is survived by wife Lindsey and daughter Amy.


YouTube: Armidale Region

Source: Lisa Mann Creative Management, IMDB

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/07/obituary-richard-carter.html

Jul 01 2019

The 61st TV Week Logie Awards

  • 1 July 2019

Tom Gleeson‘s campaign for the Gold Logie has paid off!

The comedian, who hosts Hard Quiz and appears as a regular on The Weekly With Charlie Pickering, collected the Gold Logie at the 61st annual TV Week Logie Awards, held on Sunday night at The Star Gold Coast.

It was Gleeson’s first time nominated for the Gold and he fought off opposition from some other first-time nominees: Eve Morey from Neighbours, Sam Mac from Sunrise and Costa Georgiadis from Gardening Australia. Also competing for the Gold this year were Rodger Corser (Doctor Doctor), Amanda Keller (The Living Room and Dancing With The Stars) and Waleed Aly (The Project).

As his game show namesake, Gleeson went ‘hard’ in campaigning for the Gold, in much the same way he campaigned for Grant Denyer to win Gold last year. It was a campaign that is reported to have put the other nominees off side. In his defence, Gleeson said that of the shows represented in the Gold Logie nominees list, Hard Quiz rates the highest, which, essentially justified his award for what is Most Popular Personality On Australian Television.

His acceptance speech alternated between sincere and savage. He acknowledged the support of Hard Quiz production crew, viewers and contestants and accepted the award as a win for comedy and for ABC — neither of which have scored a Gold Logie win since Norman Gunston (Garry McDonald) did it in 1976, a win which was also the culmination of a comic campaign and that inspired Gleeson’s efforts.

He also also cynical towards the industry and reflected that it is “dying” in the face of increased competition from other media such as streaming platforms. He also threw a few barbs at some of his fellow nominees and at Denyer, who was recently critical of Gleeson’s campaigning for him last year. It is a fine line between humour and smug, and perhaps his speech crossed that line towards the latter in part.

He summed up his speech by imploring everyone to “lighten the f*** up!”, and perhaps not to take the whole thing quite so seriously.


YouTube: Channel 9

The other Gold Logie of the night, the TV Week Logie Awards Hall of Fame, went to journalist Kerry O’Brien, whose career has spanned four networks and five decades. ABC was where he spent most of his career, including hosting The 7.30 Report, Lateline, Four Corners and many election nights. His acceptance speech was an emotional one and encouraged protection, not decimation, of the ABC. His speech took on the national challenges of reconciliation and climate change.

Perhaps more significant this year was that Australia’s two highest rated networks, Seven and Nine, did not fare well in the awards. Seven did not score a single win, while Nine shared the award of Most Popular Actress for Deborah Mailman with ABC. Streaming platform Stan, owned by Nine, also won two awards.

This shift possibly a reflection on programming trends, where the emphasis on commercial network prime time rests on reality shows and anything else is just a lower rung. Awards for news and current affairs, drama, comedy, children’s, lifestyle and light entertainment went to ABC, to SBS, to Ten and to Foxtel because Seven and Nine, despite their high ratings led by reality shows, are giving these other genres a lower ranking.

There were music performances by Jessica Mauboy, Guy Sebastian, Delta Goodrem and boy band Why Don’t We.

International guests were the cast of sitcom Young Sheldon. Their brief appearance, to introduce a single award, would hardly have justified their airfares.

Tracy Grimshaw introduced the In Memoriam segment with a tribute to Mike Willesee, and which saw the passing parade of those that we have lost in the last year accompanied by classic footage of a piano performance by Geoff Harvey, who died earlier this year.

In ratings terms, the four-hour TV Week Logie Awards telecast was watched by an average of 866,000 (5 cities, OzTAM) in overnight preliminary numbers. It was a slight increase from last year’s 852,000. The Red Carpet Arrivals as the awards prelude was watched by 799,000.

The Nine Network won the night with a share of 38.9%, followed by Seven (27.2%), Ten (14.8%), ABC (14.0%) and SBS (5.1%). Nine’s primary channel was the highest rated individual channel on 28.4%, almost ten points clear of runner up Seven (18.7%)


YouTube: Channel 9

Publicly-voted Categories:

TV WEEK GOLD LOGIE – MOST POPULAR PERSONALITY ON AUSTRALIAN TV
Tom Gleeson (Hard Quiz, ABC)

SILVER LOGIE — MOST POPULAR ACTOR
Luke McGregor (Rosehaven, ABC)

SILVER LOGIE — MOST POPULAR ACTRESS
Deborah Mailman (Bite Club/Mystery Road, Nine Network/ABC)

SILVER LOGIE — MOST POPULAR PRESENTER
Costa Georgiadis (Gardening Australia, ABC)

GRAHAM KENNEDY AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR NEW TALENT
Dylan Alcott (Invictus Games Tonight and The Set, ABC)

MOST POPULAR DRAMA PROGRAM
Mystery Road (ABC)

MOST POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
Gogglebox Australia (Foxtel/10)

MOST POPULAR COMEDY PROGRAM
Have You Been Paying Attention? (10)

MOST POPULAR REALITY PROGRAM
MasterChef Australia (10)

MOST POPULAR LIFESTYLE PROGRAM
Gardening Australia (ABC)

MOST POPULAR PANEL OR CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM
The Project (10)

MOST POPULAR TELEVISION COMMERCIAL
Dundee: Australia’s Tourism Ad In Disguise – Tourism Australia

Industry-voted Categories:

TV WEEK GOLD LOGIE — HALL OF FAME
Kerry O’Brien

MOST OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Wentworth (Foxtel)

MOST OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR TELEMOVIE
Bloom (Stan)

MOST OUTSTANDING ACTOR
Scott Ryan (Mr Inbetween, Foxtel)

MOST OUTSTANDING ACTRESS
Jenna Coleman (The Cry, ABC)

MOST OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
Frankie J Holden (A Place To Call Home, Foxtel)

MOST OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jacki Weaver (Bloom, Stan)

MOST OUTSTANDING ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
Have You Been Paying Attention? (10)

MOST OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
Bluey (ABC)

MOST OUTSTANDING SPORTS COVERAGE
The 2018 FIFA World Cup (SBS)

MOST OUTSTANDING NEWS COVERAGE OR PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT
“Out Of The Dark” (Four Corners, ABC)

MOST OUTSTANDING FACTUAL OR DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
Ron Iddles: The Good Cop (Foxtel)

MOST OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Australian Survivor: Champions Vs Contenders (10)

Source: TV Week

Data © OzTAM Pty Limited 2019. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of OzTAM.

Program performance and ranking information subject to change when not based on final program logs.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/07/the-61st-tv-week-logie-awards.html

Jul 01 2019

Obituary: Bryan Marshall

  • 1 July 2019

Bryan Marshall, the British actor with a string of Australian credits, passed away last week at the age of 81.

London-born Marshall was a familiar face in British television dramas as far back as the 1960s, with early credits including No Hiding Place, Dr Finlay’s Casebook, The Forsythe Saga, Vanity Fair, Z Cars and The Saint.

He starred in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me and later came to work in Australian television dramas, including A Country Practice, Prisoner, Golden Pennies, Special Squad, Neighbours, The Dirtwater Dynasty, Tanamera: Lion Of Singapore, Embassy, Water Rats, Home And Away, Stingers, All Saints and A Moody Christmas.

Golden Pennies

He was also the host of the first series of Australia’s Most Wanted for the Seven Network in 1989.

Source: IMDB

 

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/07/obituary-bryan-marshall.html

Jun 30 2019

TV Week Logie Awards: 10 years ago

  • 30 June 2019

Packed To The Rafters star Rebecca Gibney won the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality On Australian Television at the 51st annual TV Week Logie Awards.

The awards, held at Melbourne’s Crown Casino on Sunday 3 May 2009, were hosted by former Big Brother host Gretel Killeen and broadcast on the Nine Network.

Gibney took out the award ahead of seven other nominees: Natalie Bassingthwaighte (So You Think You Can Dance Australia), Simmone Jade Mackinnon (McLeod’s Daughters), Andrew Denton (Enough Rope), Rove McManus (Rove, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader), Kate Ritchie (Home And Away), Adam Hills (Spicks And Specks) and Ian Smith (Neighbours).

Gibney paid tribute to her husband, Richard Bell, and son Zachary in her acceptance speech. “I think people forget about the family and friends who have to put up with our long hours and the fact we’re distracted more often than not. It’s so wonderful they’re here for us — I wouldn’t be doing this without my husband and son,” she told TV Week shortly after the win.

Packed To The Rafters, a ratings winner for Seven that had launched the year before, collected a total of six Logies on the night. Gibney also picked up the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress, while co-star Hugh Sheridan won Most Popular New Male Talent, and Jessica Marais picked up two awards — Most Popular New Female Talent and the Graham Kennedy Award For Most Outstanding New Talent. The series also won Most Popular Australian Drama.

Seven’s other prime time drama Home And Away picked up one award — Todd Lasance (pictured) won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor.

The Nine Network’s Underbelly was also a hit on Logies night. The series won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Drama Series, Mini-Series Or Telemovie. Gyton Grantley won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor and Kat Stewart won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress. The pair played husband and wife Carl and Roberta Williams in the series depicting Melbourne’s underworld scene. For both actors Underbelly has been a springboard to future opportunities, with them both appearing in the Foxtel comedy :30 Seconds and Stewart starring in a new Foxtel series, Tangle.

Rove McManus missed out on the Gold Logie, but he did pick up the Silver Logie for Most Popular Presenter for his hosting of Rove and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? Rove also won the Logie for Most Popular Light Entertainment Program.

Network Ten‘s So You Think You Can Dance Australia won Most Popular Reality Program and Bondi Rescue won Most Popular Factual Program.

ABC took away three Logies on the night, all in industry-voted categories; ABC News won Most Outstanding News Coverage for its reporting of the China earthquake, political comedy The Hollowmen won Most Outstanding Comedy Program, and the Foreign Correspondent report “Afghanistan: A Survivor’s Tale” won Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report.

The SBS documentary The First Australians won Most Outstanding Documentary, and the Seven Network’s coverage of the Olympic Games from Beijing won Most Outstanding Sports Coverage.

The Network Ten series H2O: Just Add Water won Most Outstanding Children’s Program.

Foxtel movie host Bill Collins was inducted into the TV Week Logie Awards Hall Of Fame. Collins’ television career dated back to discussing films on ABC’s Roundabout program in 1963. He then became a movie presenter for Nine, Seven and Ten before moving to Foxtel in 1995.

Overseas guests at the Logies included Days Of Our Lives stars Peter Reckell (Bo in the series) and Kristian Alfonso (Hope), and Queer Eye For The Straight Guy‘s Carson Kressley was a co-host on the Logies red carpet. Aussie actress Rachel Griffiths, at the time a cast member in the US series Brothers And Sisters, was also a special guest of the Logies.

Musical performances included Australian Idol runner up Jessica Mauboy singing Unforgettable to accompany the In Memorian tribute, So You Think You Can Dance Australia host and Gold and Silver Logie nominee Natalie Bassingthwaighte performing her new single, and special guest Annie Lennox with songs from her just-released best-of album.

Hosting her first Logies, Gretel Killeen copped plenty of criticism, mirroring the experience of Wendy Harmer a few years earlier. Though, Killeen’s effort was probably one of the first to suffer the wrath of social media, with comedians and viewers lumping on criticism throughout the night, and radio commentators doing the same the next morning. Killeen was philosophical about the event when asked about it some months later.

“I think we all know hosting the Logies is a little bit like volunteering to be the target for a game of brandings,” she told The Age.

“It’s a gig – you do it and you move on.”

Publicly-voted Awards:

Gold Logie — Most Popular Personality: Rebecca Gibney

Silver Logie — Most Popular Actor: Todd Lasance
Silver Logie — Most Popular Actress: Rebecca Gibney
Silver Logie — Most Popular Presenter: Rove McManus

Most Popular Light Entertainment Program: Rove
Most Popular Sports Program: The Footy Show (NRL)
Most Popular New Male Talent: Hugh Sheridan
Most Popular New Female Talent: Jessica Marais
Most Popular Reality Program: So You Think You Can Dance Australia
Most Popular Factual Program: Bondi Rescue
Most Popular Lifestyle Program: Better Homes And Gardens
Most Popular Australian Drama: Packed To The Rafters

Industry-voted awards:

Gold Logie — Hall Of Fame: Bill Collins

Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Actor: Gyton Grantley
Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Actress: Kat Stewart
Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Drama Series, Mini-Series Or Telemovie: Underbelly

Most Outstanding News Coverage: “China Earthquake”, ABC News
Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report: “Afghanistan: A Survivor’s Tale”, Foreign Correspondent
Most Outstanding Documentary: Constructing Australia: The First Australians
Most Outstanding Factual Series: Border Security
Most Outstanding Comedy Program: The Hollowmen
Most Outstanding Sports Coverage: Olympic Games
Most Outstanding Children’s Program: H2O: Just Add Water

Graham Kennedy Award For Most Outstanding New Talent: Jessica Marais

Source: TV Week, 2 May 2009, 16 May 2009. The Age, Herald Sun

The 61st annual TV Week Logie Awards. Tonight, Sunday 30 June, 7.30pm (Red Carpet 7pm), Nine Network and 9Now.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/06/tv-week-logie-awards-10-years-ago-8.html

Jun 29 2019

TV Week Logie Awards: 25 years ago

  • 29 June 2019

Ray Martin won his third Gold Logie as Most Popular Personality On Australian Television at the 36th annual TV Week Logie Awards.

The awards were held at Melbourne’s World Congress Centre on Sunday 17 April 1994 and telecast on the Nine Network. It was the first time since the 1960s that the awards were presented away from their traditional Friday night slot. “I hope we’ve started something with Sunday night at the Logies,” Martin, hosting the awards for the first time, told TV Week. “It was exciting having the first ‘new look’ Logies.”

Martin’s Gold win ranked him ahead of fellow nominees Gary Sweet, Daryl Somers and Home And Away star Dieter Brummer. “I thought it was Gary’s year, so I’m very pleased,” Martin told TV Week. Martin, who had recently switched from hosting Midday to A Current Affair, also won the Logie for Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality.


YouTube: aussiebeachut0

It was a big night for ABC‘s Police Rescue, with Gary Sweet and Sonia Todd winning the Silver Logies for Most Popular Actor and Actress. Police Rescue won the first of the new category Most Popular Drama, beating Nine Network dramas Law Of The Land and Snowy.

The Seven Network’s Home And Away again won the Logie for Most Popular Series, beating A Country Practice and GP. Home And Away star Melissa George won Most Popular New Talent, ahead of Kimberley Davies and Jo Beth Taylor.

Hey Hey It’s Saturday won Most Popular Light Entertainment Program, beating The Late Show and Midday. However, The Late Show in turn beat Hey Hey It’s Saturday for Most Popular Comedy Program.

Burke’s Backyard won the Logie for Most Popular Lifestyle/Information Program for the fifth consecutive year and the only show to have won the award since the category launched in 1990.

The Seven Network’s Real Life, hosted by Stan Grant, broke A Current Affair‘s five-year winning streak for Most Popular Public Affairs Program.  “I never had any doubts at all when people were saying we wouldn’t go the distance,” Grant told TV Week. “I know one thing. They don’t give these awards to critics, so they can go write what they like.”

Seven also won Most Popular Sports Program for its coverage of the 1993 AFL Grand Final, and Agro’s Cartoon Connection won Most Popular Children’s Program for the fourth year running.

Ruth Cracknell, star of the ABC situation comedy Mother And Son, won the Logie for Most Popular Comedy Personality. Cracknell and co-star Garry McDonald both won Silver Logies for the industry-voted Most Outstanding Actress and Actor.

ABC scored well in the Most Outstanding categories, with wins by The Late Show, Phoenix 2 and documentary Labor In Power.

The Nine Network’s coverage of the announcement of Sydney as host city of the 2000 Olympic Games won Most Outstanding Achievement In News, and the Sunday report “Ships Of Shame” won Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report.

Veteran actor Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell was the 11th inductee into the TV Week Logie Awards Hall Of Fame. Through his career, Tingwell has been an actor, director, writer, producer and teacher and a passionate supporter of the Australian industry.  His career started in 1941 as a cadet announcer at Sydney radio station 2CH. His career later took him to the United Kingdom where he worked for the next 15 years on stage, film and television. He returned to Australia in the early 1970s, initially as a guest star in Division 4 and then an ongoing role with Homicide. From that point on Tingwell had worked almost continuously, both in front and behind the camera.

The awards presentation got off to a futuristic start with a reworking of The Heat Is On (as “The TV’s On”) with David Dixon and Abi Tucker, and a line-up of stars including Gary Sweet, Jon English, Rebecca Gibney, Jane Hall, Shirley Strachan, Kimberley Davies, Derryn Hinch (on drums), Matthew Krok and Marika (Mark Mitchell) revved up the crowd with the ’70s hit Most People I Know.

Actors Michael Crawford and Murphy Brown star Grant Shaud were overseas guests at the Logies, with soul singer Randy Crawford performing the ballad Imagine.

TV Week Logie Winners 1994: Public Voting Categories:

Gold Logie — Most Popular Personality: Ray Martin (Midday)

Silver Logie — Most Popular Actor: Gary Sweet (Police Rescue)
Silver Logie — Most Popular Actress: Sonia Todd (Police Rescue)

Most Popular Series: Home And Away (Seven)
Most Popular Drama: Police Rescue (ABC)
Most Popular Light Entertainment Program: Hey Hey It’s Saturday (Nine)
Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality: Ray Martin (Midday)
Most Popular Comedy Program: The Late Show (ABC)
Most Popular Comedy Personality: Ruth Cracknell (Mother And Son)
Most Popular Public Affairs Program: Real Life (Seven)
Most Popular Lifestyle Information Program: Burke’s Backyard (Nine)
Most Popular Sports Program: AFL Grand Final (Seven)
Most Popular Children’s Program: Agro’s Cartoon Connection (Seven)
Most Popular New Talent: Melissa George (Home And Away)

TV Week Logie Winners 1994: Industry Voting Categories:

Gold Logie — Hall Of Fame: Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell

Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Actor: Garry McDonald (Mother And Son)
Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Actress: Ruth Cracknell (Mother And Son)

Most Outstanding Achievement In Drama: Phoenix 2 (ABC)
Most Outstanding Documentary: Labor In Power (ABC)
Most Outstanding Achievement In News: “Sydney 2000 Announcement” (Nine)
Most Outstanding Achievement In Public Affairs: “Ships Of Shame”, Sunday (Nine)
Most Outstanding Achievement In Comedy: The Late Show (ABC)
Most Outstanding Achievement By Regional Television: Rest In Peace (Prime)

Source: TV Week, 16 April 1994, 23 April 1994.

The 61st annual TV Week Logie Awards. Sunday 30 June, 7.30pm (Red Carpet 7pm), Nine Network and 9Now.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/06/tv-week-logie-awards-25-years-ago-9.html

Jun 28 2019

TV Week Logie Awards: 50 years ago

  • 28 June 2019

In Melbourne Tonight host Graham Kennedy won the Gold Logie for Best Male Personality On Australian Television at the 11th annual TV Week Logie Awards.

The awards were hosted by Bert Newton and held at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Hotel on Friday 21 March 1969. The presentation was telecast by the Nine Network, shown live to Sydney and Melbourne and videotaped for delayed broadcast in other cities. It was estimated that the Logies presentation was watched by around four million viewers.

Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton

The Gold Logie was Kennedy’s third — he’d previously won in 1960 and 1967 — and came as he had finally claimed to break into the Sydney market, something which had long been a source of frustration for the Melbourne-based star.

For the second year running, TV Week had deemed there to be no single female with sufficient votes on a national scale to justify receiving a Gold Logie.

Johnny Farnham and Bert Newton

Johnny Farnham, a former plumber turned pop star, won the Logie for Best Teenage Personality. The 19-year-old became a household name with the song Sadie The Cleaning Lady and was on the verge of taking his career overseas, with visits planned to the United Kingdom and United States and had been booked for an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Dawn Lake and Bobby Limb

The Best Australian Variety Show award for the third year in a row went to the Nine Network’s Sound Of Music, hosted by Bobby Limb and wife Dawn Lake. The award came just days after Limb had announced plans to take the show across to the rival 0-10 Network.

The Seven Network‘s Homicide won Best Australian Drama for the fifth year in a row.

ABC sitcom I’ve Married A Bachelor won the Logie for Best Australian Comedy. Starring Peter Whitford, June Thody, Donald MacDonald and Aileen Britton, the series about a young newlywed couple with a husband reluctant to give up his bachelor ways entirely, was a ratings hit for ABC and had also sold overseas. At the time of the award, I’ve Married A Bachelor had just been renewed for a second series.

Peter Whitford and June Thody

ABC film Talgai Skull, documenting the archaeological discovery of the first fossilised evidence of early human occupation in the Talgai region in Queensland, won the Logie for Best Australian Documentary.  Such was the acclaim of the 55-minute film that its producer and director Tom Haydon was soon offered a job with BBC to co-produce a documentary series on the rise and fall of the British Empire.

A cigarette commercial featuring advertising executive Tony Barber, who had been seconded at the last minute to appear in the advertisement, won the Logie for Best Commercial. Featuring Barber “whistling” through Martin Place in Sydney, the commercial was seemingly a hit with viewers and its product, Cambridge. Barber was soon to find further TV fame as a game show host for many years.

The 1969 awards inaugurated a new category — the George Wallace Memorial Award For Best New Talent. Named in honour of recently departed comedian George Wallace, the first award went to actor Gerard Kennedy, formerly of the spy drama Hunter and, at the time of the award, the lead actor in police drama Division 4. Kennedy received his award from Wallace’s widow, Marj.

Marj Wallace and Gerard Kennedy

American comedy series Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In won the Logie for Best Overseas Show. Just as it had been a hit in the US, the controversial series of kooky and socially risque gags was a hit for the 0-10 Network in Australia.

There were two special awards presented. ABC children’s series Adventure Island won a Special Award for Best Children’s Show. The award particularly acknowledged the work of show’s creator and producer Godfrey Philipp and both former host Nancy Cato and new host Sue Donovan (now McIntosh).

The second special award, Best Export Production, was presented to Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. The children’s adventure series was not just a hit in Australia but was an international success, with sales to 80 countries and in syndication across 160 local stations in the United States. Accepting the award were series co-stars Ed Deveraux, Ken James and Skippy herself.

In the state-based awards, Sydney Tonight host Don Lane won his fourth Logie for Best Male Personality in New South Wales. The win came after a controversial year for Lane, who was absent from television for four months while he was waiting to go on trial on charges of importing marijuana into Australia. He had spent four nights in jail while the jury was deciding his fate, but Lane was then declared not guilty. His return to television gave him another blow, when Tonight was cut back to one episode a week. But by the end of 1968 he had secured a new contract with Nine and was busy working the club circuit.

“I had my fingers crossed for this award,” an emotional Lane said in his acceptance speech, “and I should like to thank the people of New South Wales for believing in me when I needed them most.”

Tonight also won Best Show in New South Wales, and TCN9 weather presenter Penny Spence won the Logie for Best Female Personality in New South Wales.

In Victoria, In Melbourne Tonight personality Mike Preston won the Logie for Best Male Personality in Victoria. Preston’s win brought an end to Graham Kennedy’s seven-year winning streak in the category. In Melbourne Tonight won Best Show in Victoria for the seventh time, and GTV9 presenter Rosemary Margan won Best Female Personality in Victoria.

Overseas guests at the 1969 award presentation included William Shatner (Star Trek), Barbara Anderson (Ironside), Dennis Cole (Felony Squad) and Barry Morse (The Fugitive). Shatner followed up his Logies engagement with a tour of Australia, including Tasmania, Adelaide, Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef.

Anderson claimed to have been enamoured with some of the Australian slang that she hoped to take back to Hollywood. “When we arrived in Sydney, somebody at the airport said we must now ‘crash on’ to our hotel in the city. ‘Crash on?’, I asked, ‘for God’s sake what does that mean?’. But the one which really threw me when was when somebody hadn’t arrived and we were told he had probably shot through like a Bondi bus.”

Barbara Anderson and Graham Kennedy

National awards:

Gold Logie — Best Male Personality: Graham Kennedy
Gold Logie — Best Female Personality: (Not awarded)

Best Australian Teenage Personality: Johnny Farnham

Best Australian Variety Show: Sound Of Music

Best Australian Drama Series: Homicide
Best Australian Comedy: I’ve Married A Bachelor
Best Overseas Show: Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In

Best Commercial: Cambridge Cigarettes

George Wallace Memorial Logie For Best New Talent: Gerard Kennedy

Special Award — Best Children’s Show: Adventure Island

Special Award — Best Export Production: Skippy The Bush Kangaroo

William Shatner and Rosemary Margan

State-based awards (Best Male Personality, Best Female Personality, Best Show):

NSW: Don Lane, Penny Spence, Tonight
VIC: Mike Preston, Rosemary Margan, In Melbourne Tonight
QLD: Dick McCann, Joy Chambers, I’ve Got A Secret
SA: Ernie Sigley, Anne Wills, Adelaide Tonight
TAS: Lindsay Edwards, Caroline Schmit, Line-Up

Source: TV Week, 29 March 1969, 5 April 1969. The Age, 20 March 1969. 

The 61st annual TV Week Logie Awards. Sunday 30 June, 7.30pm (Red Carpet 7pm), Nine Network and 9Now.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/06/tv-week-logie-awards-50-years-ago-9.html

Jun 21 2019

Obituary: Bill Collins

  • 21 June 2019

Bill Collins, whose Golden Years Of Hollywood made him a favourite for generations of viewers, has died peacefully in his sleep. He was 84.

Although he had a love of movies since he was a young child, his career was not headed in that direction. He was a lecturer at Sydney Teacher’s College when he started presenting movie reviews for ABC‘s Roundabout program in 1963. He also began writing movie reviews for TV Times magazine.

A few years later he joined Sydney’s TCN9 to host The Golden Years Of Hollywood. In the mid-1970s he moved to rival channel ATN7 as movie host, including presenting movie reviews on the Sunday night news.

He gained a national profile when he joined the Ten Network in 1980, bringing his double-features on The Golden Years Of Hollywood to Saturday nights for over a decade. His enthusiastic introductions, intermissions and interviews were as popular as the movies themselves. He also hosted midday movies, The Bill Collins Picture Show and Sunday matinee movies. He also wrote movie reviews and had a weekly column in TV Week during the 1980s.

Television was changing in the 1990s with the advent of pay-TV, and Collins made the move to Foxtel when it launched in 1995. He continued The Golden Years Of Hollywood for Foxtel up until last year.

He received an Order of Australia Medal in 1987, was inducted into the TV Week Logie Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and, in his 50th year on television, won the inaugural ASTRA Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2013.

His wife of 36 years, Joan Collins, said in a statement issued by Foxtel: “Our hearts are broken by the loss of our dear Bill – he will never be forgotten. How fortunate we were to have him in our lives. On behalf of Bill’s family and myself, I would like to thank the public for the great support given to Bill over the years.

“Bill’s love of film was encouraged by you, his audience, and his love of sharing his passion, which increased over the five decades that he presented on every Australian television. Bill was always thrilled when he realised the joy and happiness he gave to his viewers. He never took them for granted, always wanting to please.

“Darling Bill you will be loved and missed always.”

Source: The Age, Foxtel

 

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/06/obituary-bill-collins.html