Sunday (Australian TV program)
| Sunday | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Also known as | 'The Sunday Program' |
| Genre | News/Current affairs |
| Presented by |
|
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 27 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Stephen Rice |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nine Network |
| Picture format |
576i (SDTV) (1981–2008) 1080i (HDTV) (2003–2007) |
| Original release | 15 November 1981 – 3 August 2008 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by |
Nine Sunday Morning News Weekend Today |
Sunday was an Australian current affairs, arts and politics program, broadcast nationally on Sunday mornings on the Nine Network Australia. The program covered a range of topical issues including local and overseas news, politics, and in-depth stories on Australia and the world, plus independent film reviews, independent arts features, and independent music reviews. Its final show was aired on Sunday, 3 August 2008.
The announcement of the launch of the private and independent breakfast television and Canberra-produced politics program on 22 October 1981 inspired controversy, as it was then practice to fill the spot with religious programming. The advent and ongoing success of Sunday was a significant milestone in Australian television, as it for the first time offered a credible alternative/rival to the dominant influence of the ABC's flagship current affairs program Four Corners, which had premiered 20 years earlier. Sunday was often referred to as the "baby" of network boss Kerry Packer, although rival media outlets have characterised it as "an expensive indulgence".
The first edition of Sunday aired on 15 November 1981, presented by Jim Waley, who hosted the show for the next 20 years and became synonymous with the program. Sunday differed from Four Corners in several key respects; at the time Sunday premiered, a typical Four Corners episode ran for 40–45 minutes (without interruption) and rarely presented more than one story per week. By contrast Sunday ran for two hours (including ad breaks) with a wide-ranging magazine-style format. Each episode typically opened with a news roundup presented by Waley, followed by a selection of short feature stories, an in-depth political interview by Nine's political editor Laurie Oakes, a "headline" investigative feature with in-depth coverage of a major story, a movie review by film critic Peter Thompson (the brother of actor Jack Thompson), and a general-interest 'colour' piece (presented during the later years of the show by actor-writer Max Cullen). For many years, each show usually concluded with a musical segment, often featuring a visiting overseas performer or group.
Waley continued as host until December 2002, when he left the show to take over from the retiring Brian Henderson as Sydney presenter on National Nine News. He was replaced as Sunday host by ex-A Current Affair host and reporter Jana Wendt. Following the decision to change Sunday's successful magazine format, it was revealed on 1 September 2006 that Jana Wendt would resign from the program, with both Ross Greenwood and Ellen Fanning to take over as joint presenters of the show.
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