David Johnston (Newsreader)
Encyclopedia
David Johnston is a retired Australian television
news presenter
.
Johnston, known as DJ to hundreds of thousands of viewers and colleagues, presented his last bulletin on the Seven Network
on 23 September 2005. He and wife Eve retired in a property at Bendigo to enjoy country life and be close to their daughter, her husband and their grandchildren.
as an 11-year-old with his mother Lillian in 1953, David Johnston settled in Victoria
's western districts and later started his secondary education at Terang High School. But his mother soon moved them to Olinda to start a children's holiday home and when that venture failed financially, David had to leave school aged 15 to earn some money. He did various jobs, including working in a nursery and in the middle of it all David realised he wanted to be on radio
. With his mother's help, David found the Bill Roberts Radio School in Melbourne
known as "The Vincent School of Broadcasting" and made the journey, sometimes hitchhiking
, from Olinda
to Ferntree Gully to catch the train into the city.
The radio school regularly sent student tapes to radio stations around the country. David's was one voice on an audition
tape sent to 2RG in Griffith, New South Wales
and at 17 he secured his first professional radio gig
. David spent three years at 2RG and it was in Griffith that he met his future wife, Eve, to whom he later had two daughters, Georgie (born 1971) and Romy (born 1973).
David enjoyed riding his small motor-scooter around the streets of Griffith and hanging out with fellow announcers John Knox, Graham Miles and Peter Churchley, all of whom went on to have long careers in radio in Brisbane, Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast.
in Brisbane
before returning to Melbourne as a general announcer and news presenter on 3DB. Nearly 12 months down the track, HSV7 was looking for someone to presented the late night news and Dan Webb
suggested Johnston at 3DB who showed promise. His first major bulletin was announcing the death of US President John F. Kennedy
. David split his time between the closely aligned 3DB and the Seven Network
in Melbourne until 1967, when he was appointed full time news reporter and presenter. On 22 June 1972 he hosted, with Lucy Kiraly
, the first Tattslotto
draw on Melbourne television. David held that role for the next ten years before shocking many people by leaving television to run a news agency in Elsternwick.
In 1980, he returned to television to presented the prime time Eyewtiness News on ATV-10
with Jana Wendt
and latterly, Jo Pearson. His successful partnerships with both anchors helped make Eyewitness News the leading nightly news bulletin in Melbourne throughout the 1980s. David stayed in this role until returning to the Seven Network in 1996 to become the weekday anchor of Seven Nightly News in Melbourne. He presented this bulletin solo from 1996 until mid 1999, when he became a co-anchor with Anne Fulwood
.
Johnston became a relief anchor a year later but returned full-time in 2003 to anchor a national news bulletin, titled "Target Iraq", at 4.30 pm each weekday afternoon to cover the major story, and to summarise Australian news from Sydney
. When the strike on Iraq ended, Seven decided it would keep the bulletin, with production moving to Melbourne and Johnston continuing at the healm until his retirement in 2005.
He has won various awards, including a Logie
and two Penguin awards.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
news presenter
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
.
Johnston, known as DJ to hundreds of thousands of viewers and colleagues, presented his last bulletin on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
on 23 September 2005. He and wife Eve retired in a property at Bendigo to enjoy country life and be close to their daughter, her husband and their grandchildren.
Early life and education
After emigrating from WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
as an 11-year-old with his mother Lillian in 1953, David Johnston settled in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
's western districts and later started his secondary education at Terang High School. But his mother soon moved them to Olinda to start a children's holiday home and when that venture failed financially, David had to leave school aged 15 to earn some money. He did various jobs, including working in a nursery and in the middle of it all David realised he wanted to be on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
. With his mother's help, David found the Bill Roberts Radio School in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
known as "The Vincent School of Broadcasting" and made the journey, sometimes hitchhiking
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
, from Olinda
Olinda
Olinda is a historic city in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife and south of Paulista...
to Ferntree Gully to catch the train into the city.
The radio school regularly sent student tapes to radio stations around the country. David's was one voice on an audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
tape sent to 2RG in Griffith, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and at 17 he secured his first professional radio gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
. David spent three years at 2RG and it was in Griffith that he met his future wife, Eve, to whom he later had two daughters, Georgie (born 1971) and Romy (born 1973).
David enjoyed riding his small motor-scooter around the streets of Griffith and hanging out with fellow announcers John Knox, Graham Miles and Peter Churchley, all of whom went on to have long careers in radio in Brisbane, Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast.
Radio and T.V. career
In 1962 David had a 15 month stint with 4KQ4KQ
4KQ is a commercial radio station in Brisbane, Australia owned by the Australian Radio Network. 4KQ began broadcasting on the 7th of May 1947 on 690 kHz AM moving to 693 kHz in 1978. 4KQ broadcasts from its studios in the Brisbane suburb of Stones Corner, along with its sister station 97.3 FM...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
before returning to Melbourne as a general announcer and news presenter on 3DB. Nearly 12 months down the track, HSV7 was looking for someone to presented the late night news and Dan Webb
Dan Webb
-Career:Webb has released two self-produced EPs, both recorded at Melbourne’s Sing Sing Recording Studios with engineer Matt Voigt and mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London....
suggested Johnston at 3DB who showed promise. His first major bulletin was announcing the death of US President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. David split his time between the closely aligned 3DB and the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
in Melbourne until 1967, when he was appointed full time news reporter and presenter. On 22 June 1972 he hosted, with Lucy Kiraly
Lucy Kiraly
Lucy Kiraly is an Australian fashion model and television presenter.She was, with David Johnston, the presenter of the first TattsLotto draw conducted by Melbourne television station HSV7 on 22 June 1972. Born in Romania, she was educated at Monash University...
, the first Tattslotto
Tattslotto
TattsLotto is a weekly lottery game played on Saturday nights in Australia. The game is a product of Tatts Group. The first TattsLotto draw was televised by Melbourne television station HSV7 on 22 June 1972, and was hosted by David Johnston and Lucy Kiraly. Six numbers and two supplementary numbers...
draw on Melbourne television. David held that role for the next ten years before shocking many people by leaving television to run a news agency in Elsternwick.
In 1980, he returned to television to presented the prime time Eyewtiness News on ATV-10
ATV-10
ATV is a television station in Melbourne, Australia, part of Network Ten - one of the three major Australian commercial television networks.-History:...
with Jana Wendt
Jana Wendt
-Early life:Wendt was born to Czech parents who emigrated to Australia in 1949, and was educated at the University of Melbourne.-Career:Wendt's television career began as a news presenter for ATV-10 evening news...
and latterly, Jo Pearson. His successful partnerships with both anchors helped make Eyewitness News the leading nightly news bulletin in Melbourne throughout the 1980s. David stayed in this role until returning to the Seven Network in 1996 to become the weekday anchor of Seven Nightly News in Melbourne. He presented this bulletin solo from 1996 until mid 1999, when he became a co-anchor with Anne Fulwood
Anne Fulwood
Anne Fulwood is a former Australian newsreader and current affairs host who was born in South Australia's Riverland.-Career:Fulwood began her television career at ADS-7 in Adelaide in 1983 initally as a sports reporter...
.
Johnston became a relief anchor a year later but returned full-time in 2003 to anchor a national news bulletin, titled "Target Iraq", at 4.30 pm each weekday afternoon to cover the major story, and to summarise Australian news from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. When the strike on Iraq ended, Seven decided it would keep the bulletin, with production moving to Melbourne and Johnston continuing at the healm until his retirement in 2005.
He has won various awards, including a Logie
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
and two Penguin awards.