Past Olympics Media Coverage

[StefanMUC]

4 hours ago, panamfan said:

Complete East German telecast of the Munich 1972 Opening Ceremony. Rare look at how the ceremony was covered on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

 

Thanks - no time to watch it all, and I actually never watched the whole thing I just noticed, but had to chuckle at the first few minutes with the first reporter rambling on with GDR propaganda about strength of socialism. The second reporter, Heinz-Florian Oertel, was a legend of East German TV, also because he was not so much a propagandist, and he just died a few weeks ago aged 95.

[Durban Sandshark]

Dedicated in loving memory to the Seven Network Australia's longrunning Australian Olympic TV coverage and its distinction of that being "Australia's Olympic Network" since the 1980s up to 2022 partially, I present to some comprehensive info from the Media Spy's Australian Olympic Coverage History thread. You really learn a lot about this with vids, screenshots, PDFs (like 9's London 2012 Olympic TV schedule, which I regretted uploading on the London 2012 Media Updates), newspaper clippings, and photos going back to 1956 with the Melbourne Summer Olympics. Even some Commonwealth and Paralympic Games coverage. So far up to 109 pages:

https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/olympics-coverage-history/627/1614?page=109

Another thing I missed out on back with London 2012 is adding the ORF press release announcing its live 330-hour London 2012 Austrian TV coverage. Unfortunately, this was the first Summer Olympics since Tokyo 1964 that Austria got shut out of the medal count and that spooked the Austrian Olympic Committee:

https://tv-sport.de/index.php/so-viel-olympia-war-noch-nie-im-orf-330-stunden-live-aus-london-in-orf-eins-und-orf-sport/

I'm looking into sharing info on Radio-Canada's Los Angeles 1984 coverage. There's some info that got mentioned on SRC's Sylvie Bernard's 1984 gold medal-winning short doc--we'll definitely get to that. But it's not enough. We hope there's plenty of info here online elsewhere.  

[BigVic]

Seven will no longer air the Olympics from next after Nine won the entire Olympic rights from 2024-2032. 

[panamfan]

On 5/3/2023 at 9:16 PM, Durban Sandshark said:

Dedicated in loving memory to the Seven Network Australia's longrunning Australian Olympic TV coverage and its distinction of that being "Australia's Olympic Network" since the 1980s up to 2022 partially, I present to some comprehensive info from the Media Spy's Australian Olympic Coverage History thread. You really learn a lot about this with vids, screenshots, PDFs (like 9's London 2012 Olympic TV schedule, which I regretted uploading on the London 2012 Media Updates), newspaper clippings, and photos going back to 1956 with the Melbourne Summer Olympics. Even some Commonwealth and Paralympic Games coverage. So far up to 109 pages:

https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/olympics-coverage-history/627/1614?page=109

 

Complete Live Australian TV coverage of the 1984 Opening Ceremony:

 

[Durban Sandshark]

To that end, here's 10's (largely) Australian-centric 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics highlights program Blood, Sweat, and Cheers co-hosted by Rob Readings and Herb Elliott, reviewing Australia's overall performance then that was far better than Moscow...and Montreal. Easily one of its better Summer Olympics in recents memory at that point. Highlighted by Jon Sieben, Dean Lukin, the 4-man cycling team, and Glynis Nunn. I happen to like partly this because we get to see some rare Boomers basketball footage from Los Angeles. Quite encompassing, although no women's basketball footage that Australia did actually compete here in too. Laurie Lawrence was excitable here too like he famously was four years later:

Globo TV's intros for its Minuto Olimpico 1980 and 1984's Momento Olimpico. Since there's very little graphics and vids from Globo's Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics coverage, I can presume the 1980 one was part of its titles and was accompanied by Globo's Olympic sponsors. The 1980 Moscow Minuto Olimpico graphics do hold up well as does the LA one. Wish there was more. The 1984 one is much easier since we know how abundant Globo's 1984 version is relative in comparison:

And we got one such Momento Olimpico from Globo's upcoming Los Angeles 1984 coverage from January 27, 1984. With sponsors Coca-Cola, Itau Bank, Topper, and Volkswagen's Fusca. This one deals with British hurdler (and RAF officer) Donald Finlay and his bad luck in attempting to win gold during his Olympic career from Los Angeles 1932 to London 1948. The intro really screams the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics with the red, white, and blue stars:

 

[Durban Sandshark]

CBC's promo for its live Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony presentation, co-hosted by Brian Williams and Alison Smith at Sydney's Stadium Australia at 3:45 am Canada ET on September 15, 2000 (with a reairing at 2pm noted below obviously for many Canadians who can't stay up that late). Need to see if there was a TSN simulcast. Doubt it though. Promo contains footage of the Atlanta 1996 Closing Ceremony's Sydney segment to emphasize the then-active host. I think this was Brian Williams' final Olympics OC with the CBC proper:

Seven Network Australia (taken from its Sydney affiliate) salutes Australia's then-best ever Summer Olympic Team, definitely its best home Olympics, also back in these awesome Games with 7's Today Tonight at 6.30 pm AEST in an Australian Olympic Team group session reliving those moments. Winning 58 medals overall there sitting at 4th with 16 golds, 28 silvers, and 17 bronzes can do that for Australia. This promo gets shown here three time but with the last one done by a female voiceover. Also starting at 1:42, Seven presented a separate but related live thank you Australian Sydney 2000 Olympians program, billed as an "exclusive national broadcast" since the Seven Network held the Australian TV rights, held at the Sydney Capitol Theatre with performances from John Farham and Tina Arena that was part of a national salute that included the Aussie public's voting their fave Australian Sydney 2000 athlete(s). It's the Australian Olympic Team Celebration at 7:30 pm AEST:

 

 

[Durban Sandshark]

Been some months but I'm back here. Got a nice little surprise that CTV actually was involved in the Canadian 1984 Olympics TV coverage. Need to remind ourselves what CTV did. Certainly not to the large extent CBC conducted them. CTV's Los Angeles 1984 promo features then-CTV National News anchor Lloyd Robertson and Liz Grogan discussing what they plan to do in LA (or La-La Land if you prefer)--covering both ceremonies at 8:30pm, nightly highlights, and (Canadian) athletes' interviews:

14 years later the CBC presented this CBC Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics promo for its coverage fronted by Brian Williams, Terry Leibel, and Ron MacLean that presented over 240 hours of English live TV coverage from February 6-22 with every Winter Olympic event shown to Canadians (don't know what TSN did then) with 2000 athletes from 80 countries in 15 events:

 

[Durban Sandshark]

Australia at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics 40 years ago was very much just another also-ran participant with no medals to its Winter Olympic name. It sent 10 athletes in 5 sports to the now-Bosnian city that was deemed a model of many cultures coming together peacefully with the cracks starting to show though. None of them were ever serious medal contenders back then after speed skater Colin Coates led them with the Aussie flag in the Opening Ceremony--best Aussie overall finish was Steven Lee placing 19th in downhill skiing. Was here that Australia made its debut in biathlon with Andrew Paul. The 10 Australian Sarajevo Winter Olympians are skiiers Lee, Allistar and Marilla Guss, biathlete Andrew Paul, cross country skiiers Chris Allen and Paul Hislop, figure skaters Cameron Medhurst and Vicki Holland, and speed skaters Coats and Mike Richmond.    

Promo below celebrates that the Australian overall coverage started Wednesday night at 8:30am AEST.  Sponsorship was provided by National Electronics (known as Panasonic in the USA/Canada), ANZ Bank, Nissan (was changing its name from Datsun here at the time), and Esso (Exxon here but previously Esso and since merged with Mobil Oil). Also using that famous Al Michaels' Do You Believe In Miracles call from the Lake Placid 1980 USA-Soviet Union hockey classic:  

Seven's promo for the Sarajevo 1984 Opening Ceremony that was tape delayed since we already see the Australian Winter Olympic team marching in led by Colin Coates in it inside Kosevo Stadium:

Some things about Seven's Sarajevo coverage: apparently it only sent Sandy Roberts as its host and reporter sporting the burgandy jacket like he did four years earlier in Moscow with the former Seven logo. No shock it therefore sent a very small staff to the former Yugoslavia. Coverage was certainly well below 80 hours since the Winter Olympics wasn't as familiar to Australians and with a small delegation to boot for them to follow and interview. The coverage itself in fact was actually imported DIRECTLY from ABC's with mostly their sportscasters and voiceover dealing with marquee events. Some segments were likely taped via satelitte. In the first video there was even outside hope, as mentioned by Roberts, that Lee would win Australia's first ever Winter Olympic medal. But there was no snowball's chance for gold. It was also Ron Casey's determination to get the first Australian TV purchases of the Winter Olympics with Lake Placid that helped sparked the era of major single rights Australian Olympic TV holder. Every Australian competing was definitely shown in the comps with interviews afterward. Still, I don't think this done like what ABC, CBC, or BBC structured theirs. Very possible given the lack of and unfamiliar huge Australian national interest that the coverage overall was just daily highlights at 8:30pm for a few hours with likely more on weekends. If there's more info I'll find about since, I'll post them here: 

Of course, lots has dramatically changed since then with more and more Winter Olympics sports getting added like short track, snowboarding, and freestyle skiing that offers Australia (and New Zealand), countries with not much in the way of snow and ice to begin with, greater opportunities to win medals. But it won't be until less than a decade later that the Southern Hemisphere nations start joining the medal podium--and even winning gold just a bit later. Right as the Internet hit the scene. Greater investment into winter sports has become the norm when athletes become serious medal contenders, even as dark horses, and winning endorsements like with Melbourne's Icehouse. Australian and New Zealand now have winning Winter Olympic pedigrees as they consistently earn Winter Olympic medals that were built upon times like this and are now seen as performance forces there instead of continuously remain also-rans and round out the competitions. Media coverage on Winter Olympics of course down under has, needless to say, exploded exponentially now with massive wall to wall coverage on several media platforms nowdays live and on-demand beyond TV itself and raised the national broadcasting rights values. But it's interesting to look back on a year like 1984 to see how far the Antipodean nations have come in this realm.

[AustralianFan]

10 minutes ago, Durban Sandshark said:

Australia at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics 40 years ago was very much just another also-ran participant with no medals to its Winter Olympic name. It sent 10 athletes in 5 sports to the now-Bosnian city that was deemed a model of many cultures coming together peacefully with the cracks starting to show though. None of them were ever serious medal contenders back then after speed skater Colin Coates led them with the Aussie flag in the Opening Ceremony--best Aussie overall finish was Steven Lee placing 19th in downhill skiing. Was here that Australia made its debut in biathlon with Andrew Paul. The 10 Australian Sarajevo Winter Olympians are skiiers Lee, Allistar and Marilla Guss, biathlete Andrew Paul, cross country skiiers Chris Allen and Paul Hislop, figure skaters Cameron Medhurst and Vicki Holland, and speed skaters Coats and Mike Richmond.    

Promo below celebrates that the Australian overall coverage started Wednesday night at 8:30am AEST.  Sponsorship was provided by National Electronics (known as Panasonic in the USA/Canada), ANZ Bank, Nissan (was changing its name from Datsun here at the time), and Esso (Exxon here but previously Esso and since merged with Mobil Oil). Also using that famous Al Michaels' Do You Believe In Miracles call from the Lake Placid 1980 USA-Soviet Union hockey classic:  

Seven's promo for the Sarajevo 1984 Opening Ceremony that was tape delayed since we already see the Australian Winter Olympic team marching in led by Colin Coates in it inside Kosevo Stadium:

Some things about Seven's Sarajevo coverage: apparently it only sent Sandy Roberts as its host and reporter sporting the burgandy jacket like he did four years earlier in Moscow with the former Seven logo. No shock it therefore sent a very small staff to the former Yugoslavia. Coverage was certainly well below 80 hours since the Winter Olympics wasn't as familiar to Australians and with a small delegation to boot for them to follow and interview. The coverage itself in fact was actually imported DIRECTLY from ABC's with mostly their sportscasters and voiceover dealing with marquee events. Some segments were likely taped via satelitte. In the first video there was even outside hope, as mentioned by Roberts, that Lee would win Australia's first ever Winter Olympic medal. But there was no snowball's chance for gold. It was also Ron Casey's determination to get the first Australian TV purchases of the Winter Olympics with Lake Placid that helped sparked the era of major single rights Australian Olympic TV holder. Every Australian competing was definitely shown in the comps with interviews afterward. Still, I don't think this done like what ABC, CBC, or BBC structured theirs. Very possible given the lack of and unfamiliar huge Australian national interest that the coverage overall was just daily highlights at 8:30pm for a few hours with likely more on weekends. If there's more info I'll find about since, I'll post them here: 

Of course, lots has dramatically changed since then with more and more Winter Olympics sports getting added like short track, snowboarding, and freestyle skiing that offers Australia (and New Zealand), countries with not much in the way of snow and ice to begin with, greater opportunities to win medals. But it won't be until less than a decade later that the Southern Hemisphere nations start joining the medal podium--and even winning gold just a bit later. Right as the Internet hit the scene. Greater investment into winter sports has become the norm when athletes become serious medal contenders, even as dark horses, and winning endorsements like with Melbourne's Icehouse. Australian and New Zealand now have winning Winter Olympic pedigrees as they consistently earn Winter Olympic medals that were built upon times like this and are now seen as performance forces there instead of continuously remain also-rans and round out the competitions. Media coverage on Winter Olympics of course down under has, needless to say, exploded exponentially now with massive wall to wall coverage on several media platforms nowdays live and on-demand beyond TV itself and raised the national broadcasting rights values. But it's interesting to look back on a year like 1984 to see how far the Antipodean nations have come in this realm.

Love this @Durban Sandshark! 
I remember these promos and havent seen them since.  Thankyou so much for sharing these great memories and insights. It’s as if it was just yesterday.

I’m nudging *70 now and 1984 was spent with Dad in his final months on earth. I would set-up the tv so he could watch the Olympics coverage on TVW Channel 7 Perth.

* @Guilga

 

[Durban Sandshark]

On 1/17/2024 at 6:31 PM, AustralianFan said:

Love this @Durban Sandshark! 
I remember these promos and havent seen them since.  Thankyou so much for sharing these great memories and insights. It’s as if it was just yesterday.

I’m nudging *70 now and 1984 was spent with Dad in his final months on earth. I would set-up the tv so he could watch the Olympics coverage on TVW Channel 7 Perth.

* @Guilga

 

Thanks so much, AustralianFan! Australia and New Zealand are easily two of my favorite nations. For the record I never visited these nation, but to Aussies/Kiws and non-Aussies/Kiws I seem to have impressed them about my knowledge on their countries for they don't expect Americans like me to know about them, including their media. Even when I pepper them in the convos. Because many of us in the general public lack this curiosity, which is a shame to me since we live in a superpower.

Anyway in this context, good to see them prompt you to head down memory lane with this slice Australian Winter Olympic TV history. Especially coming from an American. Thank God for the Internet overall! The last time Australian TV actually stayed below the 100-hour mark in the Winter Olympics was when 7 had the Torino Winter Olympics back in 2006, but it was still decent and was what ABC was in 1988 as far as that goes with 94.5 hours--Seven had 99 hours at the time in 2006. Must point out Seven in Salt Lake City had supplemental multichannel coverage coming from its C7 Sport channels that started before the Opening Ceremony--I remember seeing the TV guides back then. Much easier delving into Australia than many other nations since we can easily speak the language and can easily and regularly visit lots of Australian websites. Hopefully that'll change.     

And it was just greater investment onto winter sports but also greater attention and exposure down in Australia and New Zealand thanks to digital satelitte channels and presentations. Seen some more insights into Australia's Seven Network's planned coverage on Moscow 1980 lately so I'll touch in that very soon too!

[Durban Sandshark]

Going back to Torino, that was of course 4 years removed from its historic gold medal firsts in Steven Bradbury's and Alisa Camplin's. And that obviously boosts interest in the next ones and see if Australia can build upon that, which the AOC certainly has. 

[Philip Barker]

Gold was not the BBC Theme music in 1984 - they used the theme from Chariots of Fire to open and close each transmission

This was simply a musical sequence - the BBC used to compile something similar at the end of every major Games. 

[Durban Sandshark]

That's true. Vangelis' Chariots of Fire score did indeed open and close the BBC Olympic Grandstand transmission. Spandau Ballet's Gold was used as a musical sequence for its LA 1984 montage. Seems apt that their hit would be used for obvious reasons and can coincide with the Olympics since it was a worldwide hit during 1983-84--even sampled in some rap songs since.

Guess what? That song at that same time was also used on Network Ten Australia's pre-Opening Ceremony segment by Brian McNeese asking at the Olympic Village on whether the 1984 Australian Summer Olympic Team members would march inside the LA Coliseum as the instrumental background. Go to YouTube on that at 12:36-15:14 on the first part of Ten's 1984 Opening Ceremony.

[Durban Sandshark]

An important development and moment in Canadian Olympic broadcasting occurred, obviously, with Montreal 1976 when the CBC hosted the broadcasting--and changed how Canadians consumed their Olympic coverage ever since and got more comprehensive--with naturally increased attention from the national media, sponsors, and Canadians alike. Despite overshadowed by ABC, then the American Olympic TV network, from south of the border and its $25 million budget, the CBC operated under a C$2 million budget but had more personnel (245 people that also included CTV workers) than the host Canadian team and aired more TV hours than ABC did--169 hours from 8am-10pm Canada/USA/Mexico CT daily and almost all live than ABC's 76.5 (only breaking for newscasts like The National), that was more than twice the latter. Compared to just a measley 14 hours from the CBC's Munich coverage in 1972. Everything was packaged and tape-delayed from Rome to Munich from the CBC in those days

Lloyd Robertson and Ted Reynolds, who previously only called swimming finals and diving prior to Montreal, co-hosted the Opening Ceremony. And it was also with Montreal that CBC Sports began its practice of talking live with athletes immediately after events, and built a studio for the interviews. CBC broadcasters were given information kits on the athletes, prepared by Jack Sullivan, the former sports editor of The Canadian Press. Never even lost money!

And yes, even those living directly across the US border also turned to the CBC to watch in those days:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/cbc-air-apparent-to-big-abc/article25442357/

[Durban Sandshark]

Was planning to bring up some things very soon. Still will. But there's some breaking news I had to bring up and we are now really sad to learn: reknown legendary actor Donald Sutherland, known for his roles in M*A*S*H*, The Hunger Games movies, Klute, Ordinary People, Animal House, The Dirty Dozen, Citizen X, and Don't Look Now among his 200 role overall, as well as being the father to Kiefer Sutherland, has died at the age of 88 today after a long illness. His roles were broad and diverse

He was from Saint John, New Brunswick, in Canada. His one big Olympic contribution that we know of was his narration of those CTV Believe commercials for its coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. Most of them profiling Canadian Winter Olympian faves. What was really interesting about these ads during the 2009-2012 era of these Believe commercials is that they're narrated by Atlantic Canadian actors instead of the expected Toronto and Vancouver hordes--Sutherland for the Winter Olympics and Elliott (then Ellen) Page from Halifax, Nova Scotia and the late Gordon Pinsent from Newfoundland-Labrador with the Summer Olympics versions for London 2012. Not sure if many realize Sutherland was Canadian

So in tribute to him, I'll post all the 1-minute Believe In Vancouver 2010 promos he did for the Vancouver 2010 massive coverage. The ones where the athlete subjects in question would sport those companion white Believe T-shirts or hoodie asking the Canadian viewer "Do you Believe?" at the end after Sutherland announce the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics coming to CTV and profiles who they are as a way to introduce them to the Canadian public. All use the same type of cinematography of seemingly low light and some light blue hues.

Apparently the first one profiling alpine skiier Jan Hudec, who hoped to be the first Canadian to win Olympic gold on home soil and the one where Sutherland discusses belief to establish the campaign in 2008-09. That didn't happen for Hudec--that Canadian first gold on home soil honor went to Montreal's Alex Biladeau at freestyle skiing  

Sutherland narrating teen figure skater Patrick Chan

Skeleton racer Melissa Hollingsworth envisioning success at home as Sutherland explains the basic description of her sport

Gillian Apps, coming from a notable hockey family and wanting to make her successful mark in it, at a rink in this profile desiring gold on home ice (eventually happened) with Sutherland discussing what hockey (ice hockey, that is) means to Canadians nationally like Apps and him: 

 

Figure skaters Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison learned to trust each other in overcoming their fear as they pursued the podium. But fell short and finished 6th in pairs figure skating

Snowboarder Dominique Maltais

Two-time Olympic silver medalist and world champion speed skater Kristina Groves  says she was never the fastest skater but still loved to skate as Sutherland narrates about time, with Groves striving to shave off seconds even practicing at the Richmond Olympic Oval

Finally, it's the one he actually appears in as well as narrates. He appears at the end behind a Believe banner with a cross of people in a Canadian town as the nation rallies, under his encouragement, around their Canadian athletes during their hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics to proclaim "Let The Games Begin" and "It's Time To Believe" as the Games drew near:

 

[Durban Sandshark]

RIP Donald

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/donald-sutherland-dead-obit-1.7241232 

https://deadline.com/2024/06/donald-sutherland-dead-1235978933/

[panamfan]

2 hours ago, Durban Sandshark said:

RIP Donald

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/donald-sutherland-dead-obit-1.7241232 

https://deadline.com/2024/06/donald-sutherland-dead-1235978933/

He also narrated a portion of the Opening Ceremony and helped carry the Olympic Flag into the stadium:

Legendary actor Donald Sutherland, Olympic flagbearer in 2010, dies at 88 (olympics.com)

[Durban Sandshark]

Little by little, we're getting additional bits from the Canadian CTV Barcelona 1992 coverage--and unlike its massive juggernaut south of the border counterpart NBC's, it was all live! From the morning to the late afternoon. Here we see Mark McKoy sprinting his way to  Olympic gold in the men's 110m hurdles despite knocking a couple of hurdles against his friend and training partner Colin Jackson from Great Britain, now a BBC track and field/athletics commentator and finished 7th here, and two Americans Tony Dees and Jack Pierce. Along with the race final itself, the 15-minute clip include jubilant maple leaf flag-waving Canadians inside Montjuic Stadium, McKoy's victory lap, the post-race interview where he credits Jackson, reactions, the CTV Barcelona 92 theme, and full medal ceremony, which presents O Canada in a bit of a brief and different way. Kinda like what happened in Seoul when Ben Johnson won gold (more on him later). Don't know who the CTV track and field commentators are here and celebrated but maybe Don Wittman was a part of that. Interesting we see CTV graphics used when it's not part of the official Barcelona Olympic visual graphics; NBC in comparison used entirely its own graphics on the terrestrial side instead of the official ones for its Barcelona 1992 coverage, save for the cool but infamous Olympic Triplecast! 

McKoy "longed for that lead" after finishing fourth to be ahead of everyone else with now-developed technique. McKoy's gold here on Monday, August 3, 1992 would be Canada's 6th gold from these Barcelona Games towards ultimately 7 in one of its better Summer Olympics overall to go with Mark Tewksbury at the men's 100m backstroke, the bulk coming from rowing (women's coxless fours, women's coxless pairs, men's and women's eight), and belatedly for Sylvie Frechette in women's synchronized swimming solo. McKoy would be Canada's only gold from track and field. Keep in mind this was at a time when Canadian track and field was still reeling and rebuilding from the Ben Johnson scandal and there wasn't much hope for some abundant serious Canadian medal contenders apart from like Mark McKoy and decathlete/OC flag bearer Mike Smith, who was even more favored coming in--even doubled with some subtle racism in some parts. Smith eventually didn't medal with a DNF, something that fellow Canadian decathlete years later in Damian Wariner would deal with this summer in Paris when defending his Tokyo gold. McKoy himself was banned for two years for doping. But all was ultimately rectified when Donovan Bailey won double gold four years later in Atlanta 1996 first in the men's 100m and later with Robert "Mr. Blast Off" Esemie, Bruny Surin, and Glenroy Gilbert in the men's 4x100m relay. All becoming Canadian national stars:

 

[Durban Sandshark]

The Australian TV sportscasting legend that's Bruce McAvaney briefly speaks about how the Summer Olympics are "the ultimate for anyone who loves sport. 16 days of thrills and glory. You can't beat that!" for this quick Seven Network/Channel 7 Atlanta 1996 promo with footage of past Australian Summer Olympians from 1984-1992 play beside him. He of course was one of the anchors for its coverage as well as the Opening Ceremonies and the track and field there:  

 

[Durban Sandshark]

RIP to Peter Waltham, who has now joined Ron Casey in watching and covering the Australian Olympics covering up in the sky. He died several days ago from cancer at the age of 83 being the longtime Perth-affiliated personality on both TV and radio as a newsreader with the Seven Network, one of the first there, and later with Nine as well as 6IX in 1959 and a 25-year stint with community radio station Curtin FM 100.1 starting in 1999 conducting 3-hour classic music stints and a morning program. All in a 7-decade-spanning career. He covered two Olympics including Moscow 1980 including 7's Opening Ceremony live with Casey with the network having, an Australian TV first, exclusive coverage under its A$1 million deal along with some sports. Also covered the moon landing, interviewed politicians like Aussie PM Robert Menzies, and engagingly hosted Nine's Telethons:

https://televisionau.com/2025/04/obituary-peter-waltham.html

https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/peter-waltham-death-legendary-broadcaster-and-radio-presenter-dies-aged-83-c-18355910