Obituary: Reg Whiteman

Reg Whiteman, a performer from the earliest days of Western Australian television and the man who first played the role of children’s character Fat Cat, has died in Perth at the age of 82.

An inaugural member of the WA Ballet Company, Whiteman performed as part of a dance troupe on the opening night of Perth’s first television station, TVW7, in October 1959.

He also appeared on the opening night of Perth’s second television station, ABW2, in May 1960.

Although the idea of the Fat Cat character was initiated by station executives and production staff, it was designed by Judith Byrne, wife of TVW executive Greg Byrne, as television was moving from black and white to colour.  Whiteman, who had previously played the part of Humphrey B. Bear on Perth television, successfully auditioned to don the padded ginger fur costume and bring Fat Cat to life.  It was a role that he played with dedication and at times in some uniquely challenging environments, such as skiing, hot-air ballooning or paragliding – all in costume.

Fat Cat became a regular on TVW7, appearing in programs like Children’s Channel 7, Fat Cat’s Funtime Show, Earlybirds and Telethon and in the nightly segment telling children it was time to go to bed – a feature that still appears on TVW each night at 7.30pm.

The character was also extended to TVW’s sister station, SAS10 Adelaide, where it was played by different performers on programs like the Christmas telethons, the nightly bed-time reminders and the national Fat Cat And Friends series that ran from 1976 to 1992.

Although Whiteman retired from the Fat Cat role 20 years ago, he continued to be involved at TVW7 and is well remembered for his dedication and commitment in entertaining generations of junior viewers.

Source: WA TV History, The West.

US stars head to Telethon

US actors John Travolta (pictured) and Carrie Fisher head the list of guest stars to appear at this year’s Telethon, taking place this weekend in Perth.

Travolta, in Australia for Qantas’ recent 90th anniversary, and Fisher, who’s been performing her play Wishful Drinking across Australia, will be joined by stars from various Seven Network programs, including Packed To The Rafters, Sunrise, The Morning Show, Home And Away, City Homicide, Dancing With The Stars and My Kitchen Rules, for the 43rd annual telethon which raises funds for children’s charities in Western Australia.

Also appearing will be Justice Crew, the winners of this year’s series of Australia’s Got Talent, Marcia Hines, Jessica Mauboy, Potbelleez, Kate Ceberano, Damian Leith, Stan Walker, Wes Carr, Mark Vincent and Amy Meredith.

Local Seven Network personalities taking part in Telethon include Seven News’ Rick Ardon, Susannah Carr, Basil Zempilas, Natalia Cooper, Emmy Kubainksi, Sally Bowrey and Adrian Barich and Today Tonight’s Monika Kos.

Last year’s Telethon raised $6,374,775 which was distributed to over 20 charities. Since its launch in 1968, Telethon has raised around $94 million so this year should bring the grand total to over $100 million.

Telethon, being held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, begins tonight (Saturday) at 6.30pm (WST) and continues through to 8.30pm Sunday and will be broadcast through Seven in Perth and the Golden West Network in regional WA.

EDIT @ 14.47 AEDST 14.11.2010: John Travolta has had to withdraw from his planned appearance at Telethon after his pregnant wife, Kelly Preston, went into labour. He was intended to appear in the closing stages of Telethon tonight but is now heading back to the US to be with his wife. Seven's Perth general manager Ray Waldrop has told media: "Whilst we are obviously disappointed that John can't come to Perth to appear on Telethon, we completely understand that his family comes first. Channel Seven, and I am sure everyone in Western Australia, send our best wishes to John and his family.''

UPDATED @ 23.57 AEDST 14.11.2010: Telethon has signed off for 2010 with a record total of $9,237,539.  This now pushes Telethon’s total fundraising amount over 43 years past the $100 million mark.

Source: Telethon, PerthNow

Logies Hall of Fame names leaked

The Australian’s media columnist Amanda Meade has leaked an “unauthorised” list of names being considered for this year’s TV Week Logie Awards’ Hall of Fame.

Normally the award is nominated and voted in private by an industry panel, with the winner announced prior to the awards ceremony.

According to Meade the following names are on the short list:

Brian Henderson, host of ‘60s pop music show Bandstand and a newsreader for TCN9, Sydney, for almost forty years, retiring in 2002.

Brian Naylor (pictured), host of children’s talent show Brian And The Juniors before becoming newsreader for HSV7 and later GTV9 before retiring in 1998.  Hosted Nine’s Carols By Candlelight for ten years.  Was tragically killed last year in the Black Saturday bushfires.

Les Murray, one of the founding presenters at SBS and has led the network’s World Cup soccer coverage since it first telecast the event in 1986.

George Negus (pictured, in 1981), former This Day Tonight journalist who became a household name as one of the founding reporters on 60 Minutes in 1979.  Later hosted Today, Foreign Correspondent and George Negus Tonight and is currently host of Dateline and contributor to The 7PM Project.

Ken Sutcliffe, sports presenter who got his big break being hand-picked by Graham Kennedy to co-host his new late night show, Graham Kennedy’s News Show, in 1988.  Continues to present the sports report for Nine News in Sydney and various Wide World Of Sports telecasts.

Maggie Tabberer (pictured, in 1970), former fashion model turned publishing identity and TV personality.  A two-time TV Week Gold Logie winner (1970, 1971) and more recently a presenter on pay-TV.

Ian Ross, long-time journalist and newsreader for National Nine News in Sydney and, for several years, for Today nationally.  Came out of a brief retirement to front Seven News in Sydney, and led the 6.00pm timeslot for the next six years at the expense of traditional rival Nine.  Retired from Seven at the end of last year.

Ray Meagher, veteran actor and the only founding cast member of Home And Away to still be on the series, 22 years on.

Prisoner (pictured), the Grundy Productions drama series that broke new ground when it launched in 1979 with a predominantly female cast and without the usual gloss of prime-time soap operas.  The series ran for eight years, sold well overseas and won a swag of TV Week Logie awards.  As testament to its long-standing popularity, all 692 episodes of the show have been released on DVD – the largest such DVD release in Australia, if not worldwide.

One name that this blog might suggest would be worthy of a Hall of Fame award is Western Australian TV personality Jeff Newman (pictured).  Newman recently retired from TVW7, Perth, after over 40 years of service, including an outstanding commitment to TVW7’s annual Telethon.  Although Newman is not well known outside of Western Australia, his commitment and service to the television industry in WA is a fantastic achievement.

Previous winners of the TV Week Logie Awards’ Hall of Fame have included Graham Kennedy, Bert Newton, Mike Walsh, Don Lane, Mike Willesee, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, James Davern, Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, Ruth Cracknell, Maurie Fields, Sam Chisholm, Bruce Gyngell, Johnny Young, Bill Collins and Steve Irwin.  Three programs have also been entered into the Hall of Fame – 4 Corners, Neighbours and Play School.

Expect TV Week to announce this year’s inductee to the Hall of Fame prior to this year’s Logies telecast, scheduled for 2 May.

Source: The Australian

Jeff Newman calls it a day

West Australian personality Jeff Newman has decided to retire from Perth’s TVW7 – over forty years after joining the channel and just a few months shy of TVW’s fiftieth birthday celebration.

A former radio announcer, Newman started in television at STW9 in the mid-‘60s before joining TVW7 in 1967.  A presenter of various programs including quiz shows It’s Academic and Letterbox and local variety shows including Perth’s New Faces and Reach For The Stars, Newman joined TVW7’s news department in 1982 and for the last eight years has been Seven News’ weather presenter.  In 2001, It’s Academic was revived with Newman again as host.

Newman has also been actively involved in TVW7’s annual Telethon since it started in 1968 and in 1994 was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his services to Telethon and the Variety Club of Western Australia, which he founded. 

Newman has also won five TV Week Logie awards for Most Popular Personality in Western Australia.

It is reported that Newman will appear at one more Telethon, to be held in October just as TVW7 celebrates its 50th birthday.

Source: WA Today, Perth Now, TVW7, WA TV History

Celebrating 50 years of WA TV

When television began in Australia it inevitably started up first in Sydney and Melbourne in 1956.  The following year it was announced that TV services would be extended to the other capital cities of Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart. 

By the end of 1959, Brisbane would have three channels, Adelaide would have two, and Perth would have its first channel – TVW7. (Hobart followed in 1960)

The licence to operate Perth’s first commercial television station was issued to TVW Limited, owned by West Australian Newspapers, in October 1958.  The only other applicant for the licence was Western Television Services which had ties with News Limited, based in Adelaide.  News Limited was successful, however, in gaining one of the two commercial television licences for Adelaide.

TVW7 made its first test transmissions from 31 August 1959 and was officially opened on Friday 16 October 1959.  The station was operating from studios in the suburb of Tuart Hill and from a transmitter located in Bickley.

The opening night’s line-up started with speeches from TVW general manager James Cruthers and Western Australian governor Sir Charles Gairdner, who officially declared the station open.  Later in the evening, TVW7 presented the first edition of its live-to-air variety show, Spotlight, featuring Rolf Harris who had returned from London to become a presenter and producer for TVW.

TVW7 would have Perth’s TV viewers all to itself for the next few months – as ABC’s local channel, ABW2, did not commence transmission until May 1960. 

Perth’s second commercial channel, STW9, commenced transmission in June 1965 – almost six years after TVW launched.  It was this prolonged commercial monopoly in the market that helped TVW gain an unbeatable position against its newcomer rival and, to this day, TVW7 continues to dominate ratings in Perth.

In the lead-up to TVW7’s 50th anniversary – and a planned staff reunion – the website WA TV History has compiled an excellent and detailed account of various aspects of the station’s history – including some of the channel’s past and present personnel, programs and technical production.  There is a vast array of photographs – many donated from the personal collections of former staff – and a roll-call of people who have worked at TVW7, and also a list of Western Australia’s TV Week Logie award winners.

Some names have gone on from TVW7 to become known across Australia.  Garry Meadows was an early TVW presenter who went on to radio and television on the east coast.  Johnny Young hosted a pop music program, Club Seventeen.  Peter Meakin worked in the news room before heading the news department at Nine and now the Seven Network.  Ann Sanders was a game show hostess on $50,000 Letterbox.  Simon Reeve was a children’s show host and news reporter.  Terry Willesee was a newsreader.

And it would be remiss not to mention what is the station’s annual highlight – Telethon.  Since 1968, Telethon has raised over $80 million for children’s charities in Western Australia.  It has attracted national attention and international celebrities – including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Sammy Davis Jnr and Celine Dion – some of which came to Australia specifically for Telethon.  (Pictured are Johnny O’Keefe, Graham Kennedy, Bobby Limb and Stuart Wagstaff, all sans shirts for a stunt at the first Telethon.)

WA TV History is an excellent resource and a highly-recommended read.

Additional source: Eric Fisher

The Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal

In most parts of the country the telethon is only a fading memory - there was a time when each city, and even some regional areas, had at least one telethon aired during the year. A lot of these have long gone but a few still remain.

Perth's TVW7 still produces an annual telethon - raising funds for local children's charities since 1968. The TVW appeal has raised over $73 million since its inception.

In Melbourne, the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal has been an annual tradition since 1931. The appeal began as a sports carnival hosted by newspaper The Sporting Globe (published by the Herald and Weekly Times). Just over a decade later, radio station 3DB (also of the Herald Weekly Times group) joined the appeal.

Television arrived in Melbourne in 1956, and the new Herald and Weekly Times television station HSV7 conducted its first telethon in 1957 in association with 3DB and The Sporting Globe.

Even when all three media outlets were split up to separate owners in 1987, the Good Friday Appeal continued between them. It is only in 2007 that the first major change in the partnership has occurred with Southern Cross Broadcasting (radio stations 3AW and Magic) taking on the radio component of the Appeal, effectively ending a 65-year relationship between the Good Friday Appeal and 3DB (then 3TT, TTFM and Mix 101.1) The telethon also has the support of regional Victoria through the co-operation of Prime Television relaying and contributing to the HSV7 broadcast.

The appeal has continued with overwhelming support - usually breaking record totals every year. In 1968, the Appeal raised $400,000. Less than a decade later, the first $1 million final total was reached. In 2006, over $10 million was raised to fund research and major projects at the hospital. In total, since 1931, over $160 million has been raised for the hospital - enabling it to maintain its reputation as a leading paediatric hospital.

TVW7 Telethon

Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal

(Pictured: HSV7 weathergirl Debbie Phin and a young patient, promoting the 1976 Good Friday Appeal on the cover of Listener In-TV)

Update @ 12.05am 7.4.07: The 2007 Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal has signed off with a record total of $11,788,970.87 - exceeding last year's total by over $1.5 million.