Today’s TV: 29.1.1983, Melbourne
Source: TV Week
2 Likes
Two things I notice from the schedule:
John Gatfield presented National Nine News in Melbourne. I always thought he was Sydney-based. How long did he presented the bulletin for?
Seven was showing The Smurfs cartoon on Saturday mornings, same as NBC in the US.
He joined Willesee as a political reporter when that show started airing on Nine mid evenings in 1984. I think he may have been a foreign correspondent for Nine News the following year because I don’t recall him being with the show when it moved to 6.30pm. He ended up in the Sydney newsroom reporting, presenting updates and daytime bulletins but was suspended in 1988 when a pre recorded news update in which he exclaimed “Oh shit” went to air. That incident happened 33 years ago today. Gatfield was reporting for Seven’s Hinch by the end of that year.
4 Likes
John Gatfield was also at Ten during the Early 1990s before becoming the 2nd newsreader (first was his co-presenter of that bulletin, Juanita Phillips) to introduce a bulletin on Sky News Australia in 1996. No doubt we’ll have a bit more discussion about that particular milestone in three weeks time.
Following his May 2009 sacking from Sky News, John Gatfield spent three years with Racing NSW before joining Sky Racing in 2012 to be a studio presenter for them.
2 Likes
Is he still at Sky Racing? Used to see him on the TAB screens just about every time I set foot in a licensed venue but not lately.
1 Like
I think he used to anchor Ten Newswatch which was Ten’s overnight news relay from CNN
3 Likes
Not sure. Gatfield’s profile is still on the website, but so too is the one for Shawn Cosgrove who was made redundant from Sky Sports Radio in recent days!
If I remember correctly, he was the announcer on Nine’s original iteration of “The Price is Right”.
4 Likes
The very first episode of Rockwiz, a bit of a historic guide, I miss watching it on Saturdays.
1 Like
This was the night of the Men’s Singles Final of the 2005 Australian Open tennis between Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin. It rated at 4.05 million viewers, the largest rating for a sports event in Australian TV history apart from the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Also of note “Repossessed” was the late night movie on Ten, when it first aired on TV in 1993 it was on Seven.
5 Likes
Ah yes, the traditional Australia Day holiday on the 30th Jan. They really should consider changing that date.
3 Likes
The World XI won on the fourth day of the WSC Test so there was no fifth day.
1 Like
Sunday 13 January 2008
6.00pm “Romance”
Monday 14 January 2008
6.00pm “The Boy Who Knew Too Much”
Tuesday 15 January 2008
6.00pm “Lady Bouvier’s Lover”
7.30pm “A Hunka Hunka Burns In Love”/“Half-Decent Proposal”
Wednesday 16 January 2008
6.00pm “Secrets Of A Successful Marriage”
Thursday 17 January 2008
6.00pm “Bart Of Darkness”
8.00pm “The Fat And The Furious”
Friday 18 January 2008
6.00pm “Lisa’s Rival”
All are listed as Repeats.
Source: TV Week, Melbourne edition.
5 Likes
Thank you so much for your time in listing these @TelevisionAU, I really do appreciate it. Thanks. 
2 Likes
