I would guess it was more a cross-promotion factor (Seven News) or perhaps wanting a local personality?
Surely executives know Mitch isn’t the best live panelist, unless Mr. Lewis Martin is a fan boy 
It’s not his strong point… but he seems to have a better panel to work with now.
I remember the year he sang.
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I mean would Mark Ferguson do any better?
You can be an absolute veteran, maybe even talented behind the news camera, but yep, it doesn’t mean you’re good in LIVE settings and/or ad-libing 
Tina Arena and Effie’s performance of Chains was epic 
Even the panel joined in the fun by wearing the Effie wig 
Hamish McLachlan hosting the panel now with 12-year-old Ollie (who has spinal injury) plus Samantha Lane, Matthew Richardson, Cameron Ling and Daisy Pearce.
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Lawrence Mooney and wheelchair tennis player Dylan Alcott now on the panel.
Big night for Lehmo and Dylan Alcott who both appeared on The Project earlier this evening.
Lawrence Mooney hosting the final panel of the night featuring Dave O’Neil, Alec Snow, Rachel Gordon, Joel Creasey and Anthony Callea.
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Did anyone notice changes to the GFA logo? Last year was like this:
http://www.theartcabriolet.org.au/Portals/0/EasyDNNnews/29/thumbs/537/8060cthumbGFA%20V%20logo.jpg
Also, Nova 100 and Smooth FM are now FM radio partners of the appeal. Some of you may remember 3DB was a founding partner and continued into early 2000s even when its name changed several times (3TT, TTFM and Mix 101.1). It withdrew in 2014 when it became KIIS.
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Sam Mac has been outstanding today & has been there since early this morning (obviously) 
Great speaker, quick witted and natural, down to earth.
Perfect for the call centre.
Should’ve had him host a segment.
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Yeah have to agree. I’m not the biggest fan of him on Sunrise but he’s been good in the phone room tonight.
All the Sunrise team have done well today.
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2017 total: $17,605,662.
Last year was $17,445,624.
Donation only went up by $160,000. Without the $100,000 donation from the AFL and $5 per ticket sold for today’s AFL match (42,000 people went to the game so more than $210,000 was raised), the donation would have actually gone down. While it is still an impressive amount, the organisers may feel a bit disappointed.
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I swear every year it gets harder to top the previous year’s total.
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Not even close to the 19 million you thought they could possibly get. Strange too, don’t they usually go to a effort to massively one up themselves from the year before?
Edit: I guess not, must just feel like they try to. Last few years have been $17.4, $17.1, $16.8, $16.4 million.
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That is their plan.
Thanks for the caps throughout the day and night Brad, they’ve been much appreciated.
Rather interesting to see that the Good Friday Appeal was actually broadcast in native HD (for the first time ever probably?) this year!
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3DB was certainly there from a long way back but they weren’t a founding partner. The appeal dated back to the 1930s as a sports day run by the Sporting Globe newspaper. 3DB, being part of the Herald and Weekly Times group like the Sporting Globe, first got involved in 1942 with its first radio appeal. Then of course HSV7 from 1957, so technically this was the 61st telethon.
Possibly was in HD during the 2000s before 7mate took over HD.
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Could taking the appeal off air and showing the AFL affected the outcome of the final tally?
They should’ve put the appeal on 7Two while the AFL was on Seven
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