It was a second Gold Logie in a row for Blue Heelers star Lisa McCune at the 40th annual TV Week Logie Awards, held at Melbourne’s Crown Entertainment Complex on 19 April 1998. She won the award ahead of her fellow nominees — Midday host Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Logies host Daryl Somers, A Current Affair host Ray Martin and Blue Heelers co-star John Wood.
Blue Heelers also took out the three Silver Logies — Most Popular Actor (Martin Sacks), Most Popular Actress (McCune) and the inaugural award for Most Popular Program — and the Logie for Most Popular Series.
The Seven Network also had wins with Most Popular Comedy Program (Full Frontal), Most Popular Lifestyle Program (Better Homes And Gardens) and Most Popular Sports Event (AFL Grand Final) and winning the peer-voted award for Most Outstanding Achievement In News for its coverage of the Thredbo tragedy.
The Nine Network, which was host broadcaster for the awards for the third year running, had wins for Most Popular Light Entertainment Program (Hey Hey It’s Saturday), Most Popular Public Affairs Program (A Current Affair) and Most Popular Sports Program (The Footy Show — AFL). Water Rats star Catherine McClements won the peer-voted Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress.
Network Ten scored only one Logie — Neighbours star Brooke Satchwell winning Most Popular New Talent.
The peer-voted Most Outstanding categories were dominated by ABC with two wins by Wildside (including the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor for Tony Martin), two awards for Frontline, documentary Rats In The Ranks, Four Corners and Play School. Accepting Play School‘s award for Most Outstanding Achievement In Children’s Television were presenters Benita Collings and George Spartels — with Collings perhaps leaving a lasting impression more with the grown ups than any kids watching by wearing what appeared to be a see-through frock.
SBS won Most Outstanding Achievement In Sport for its coverage of the World Cup qualifier — Australia versus Iran.
Legendary TV presenter and entertainer Graham Kennedy was inducted into the TV Week Logie Awards Hall of Fame. Kennedy rose to fame in the earliest days of television as host of In Melbourne Tonight and The Graham Kennedy Show and in later years had success with Blankety Blanks, Graham Kennedy’s News Show and Graham Kennedy’s Funniest Home Video Show. His connection to the Logie Awards dates back to its earliest days — as he and IMT co-star Panda Lisner won the first TV Week “Star Of The Year” awards and Kennedy went on to name the awards after Scottish television pioneer John Logie Baird. Kennedy was well into retirement by the time he was inducted into the Hall of Fame and generally shunned the spotlight. His longtime friend and former colleague Bert Newton accepted the award on Kennedy’s behalf.
International guests at the 1998 awards were Friends star Matt Le Blanc, country music stars Reba McEntire and Kenny Rogers and Veronica’s Closet star Kathy Najimy.
Being the 40th Logies, the presentation opened with a musical tribute to shows including Division 4, The Young Doctors, Wheel Of Fortune, Sale Of The Century, Blue Heelers, This Day Tonight, The Don Lane Show and ABC News, followed by host Somers’ own tribute to the Logies and Australian TV.
Twenty years after the death of Johnny O’Keefe, there was a tribute to legendary rocker performed by Frankie J Holden, Red Symons, Ally Fowler, Alyce Platt, Richard Wilkins, Wilbur Wilde, Jay Laga’aia, John Foreman, Richard Grieve and Belinda Emmett.
During the show there were also appearances from past Logie winners including Maggie Tabberer, Ernie Sigley, Denise Drysdale, Paul Cronin, Lorraine Bayly, and 1994 Hall of Fame inductee Bud Tingwell handing out the Gold Logie at the end of the night.
The 40th annual TV Week Logie Awards was watched by 2,759,000 viewers (AC Nielsen Australia, 5 cities) and was the fifth most watched program for the week 19-25 April 1998. (Friends, at 3,454,000, and Blue Heelers’ 3,401,000 topped the week).
TV Week Logie Award Winners 1998: Public Voting Categories:
Gold Logie — Most Popular Personality On Australian TV: Lisa McCune
Silver Logie — Most Popular Actor: Martin Sacks (Blue Heelers)
Silver Logie — Most Popular Actress: Lisa McCune (Blue Heelers)
Silver Logie — Most Popular Program: Blue Heelers
Most Popular Series: Blue Heelers
Most Popular Light Entertainment Program: Hey Hey It’s Saturday
Most Popular Comedy Program: Full Frontal
Most Popular Public Affairs Program: A Current Affair
Most Popular Lifestyle Program: Better Homes And Gardens
Most Popular Sports Program: The Footy Show (AFL)
Most Popular Sports Event: AFL Grand Final
Most Popular New Talent: Brooke Satchwell (Neighbours)
TV Week Logie Award Winners 1998: Industry Voted Categories:
Gold Logie — TV Week Logie Awards Hall Of Fame: Graham Kennedy
Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Actor: Tony Martin (Wildside)
Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Actress: Catherine McClements (Water Rats)
Most Outstanding Series: Frontline
Most Outstanding Mini-Series/Telemovie: Wildside
Most Outstanding Documentary: Rats In The Ranks
Most Outstanding Achievement In News: Thredbo Tragedy, Seven Nightly News
Most Outstanding Achievement In Public Affairs: “Where Does The Buck Stop?”. Four Corners
Most Outstanding Achievement In Comedy: Frontline
Most Outstanding Achievement In Sport: Australian v Iran, World Cup Qualifier
Most Outstanding Achievement In Children’s Television: Play School
YouTube: Robert Wood
The 63rd annual TV Week Logie Awards, Sunday 30 July, 7.30pm (Red Carpet 7.00pm), Seven and 7Plus.
Source: TV Week, 18 April 1998, 25 April 1998.
