A Current Affair

@SydneyCityTV Ray Martin is on tonight’s show as they look back at the incredible career of Mike Willesee.

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Statement from Hugh Marks:

His death has robbed us all of a trailblazing pioneer of journalism, the likes of whom we’ll likely never see again.

Our deepest condolences go to the whole Willesee clan at this time, including Allison Langdon and her husband, Mike Willesee Jnr.

The word legend is somewhat too readily conferred in modern times, but it describes Mike to a tee. He all but invented current affairs television in Australia at the ABC in the 1960s. Then later at Seven and Nine he moulded the medium into an art form of which for decades he remained the prime and most skilful exponent.

His particular skills as an interviewer are unarguably the stuff of legend. Most famously the ‘Willesee pause‘ where Mike deliberately allowed many seconds of silence to pass before his next question. He knew the power of silence, or a slight quizzical tilt of the head, would usually cause a hapless interviewee to fall into the mistake of speaking to fill the dead air. This ‘gotcha’ technique came to represent Michael Willesee at his brilliant best.

When others spoke too much, he said only what was necessary - the short, sharp question which everyone was thinking, but no-one dared ask. He had a mind as sharp as a steel trap and a sense of humour as cheeky as his smile

But across the craft he always shone like a beacon.

So many aspiring - and practising - journalists have learned so much from Mike. And everyone who practises journalism in Australia is in his debt.

Mike was a modest and humble man. A big friendly bear of a man who worked hard, and back in the day, played even harder. But he was always a gentle man. Generous and caring of others, his presence would always light up the room.

Michael Willesee will be sadly missed but fondly remembered by all of us at Nine and across the media generally. Especially those who were fortunate enough to come into his orbit and to regard him as a friend.

Friday, March 1, 2019

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Friday -

Brady Halls is hosting tonight.

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I was just about to say that myself.

Still a bit weird to see the reporter who’s essentially the Mike Dalton or Alan Raskall of ACA as a fill-in presenter though! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Not the first time though. He has co-hosted ACA and Weekend Today before.

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Thursday -

Leila McKinnon is hosting tonight.

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Generic Promo Endboards:

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Wednesday -

Leila McKinnon is hosting with Tracy on assignment.

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Not really sure which thread to post this in, but there was a short tribute to Geoff Harvey at the end of tonight’s program - was also briefly mentioned that he composed the theme music for Today & A Current Affair (a pity that didn’t play a longer except of a Geoff Harvey-composed ACA theme though, especially when the program barely seems to play their theme music on-air at all these days):

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Friday -

Leila McKinnon is hosting tonight.

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Good Friday -

Leila McKinnon is hosting tonight.

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Her first report was weeks ago.

Promo for tonight

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ANZAC watermark

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Looks tacky.

Cross to Brisbane newsroom tonight.

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Al Jazeera says it condemns the unauthorised broadcast by ACA last night.

“The material was gathered but a decision was made by Al Jazeera not to broadcast it as part of the investigation, How to Sell a Massacre,” it said in a statement.

"The investigation exposed attempts by members of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party to obtain political donations in return for loosening Australia’s strict gun laws.

"Al Jazeera did not consider it in the public interest to broadcast the material.

“Despite Al Jazeera’s own decision not to publish the images, they have now been published without Al Jazeera’s consent.”

https://twitter.com/mrpford/status/1123021619755020288

Didn’t Pauline Hanson demand that all material that they have be broadcast? She got her wish. :laughing:

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Will Al Jazeera be suing ACA for infringement then?