 |
Jeremy Cordeaux | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jeremy Nicholas Cordeaux 18 September 1945 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Radio and television presenter |
| Years active | 1962–2021 |
Jeremy Nicholas Cordeaux AM (born 18 September 1945) is an Australian radio and television presenter best known for his work in the talkback radio format. [1] [2]
Born in Sydney, Cordeaux began his career in radio during 1962, at the age of 16, when he became an errand boy for John Laws at 2GB. [3]
He later moved to Grafton to work at 2GF before a 12-month stint at 2KY in Sydney, returning to 2GB in 1973 to take over the morning show. [4] Cordeaux then became the station's breakfast presenter in 1974. [5]
In 1976, Cordeaux moved to Adelaide. There he hosted The Court of Public Opinion on 5DN for almost thirty years. [5]
After acquiring a 10% interest in 5DN, he was promoted to the position of Managing Director. [5] He later sold his interest in 5DN, and purchased 5AD and 5SE from Hoyts Media. [5] He sold the stations to the Australian Radio Network in 1996. [5]
Cordeaux retired from 5DN in 2004. [6] He returned to radio in 2014, commencing work with FIVEaa. [7]
In December 2016, Cordeaux announced he was leaving FIVEaa, after mistakenly believing the station wanted him to move to another timeslot to replace Alan Hickey, assuming Hickey's employment was being terminated. [8] [9] However, after being informed that Hickey was leaving the station to undergo cancer treatment, Cordeaux elected to stay. [10]
Cordeaux was sacked by FIVEaa in March 2021 following on-air comments about alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins. [11]
Cordeaux's best known television role was as host of Australian dating show Blind Date in 1970. [12]
In the late 1980s, Cordeaux anchored the Adelaide edition of Seven News , alongside Graeme Goodings. [13]
He also hosted his own show on Adelaide community station in the early 2010s on Channel 44. [14]
Cordeaux was a guest on ABC Television's weekly panel show Q&A in 2013. [15]
Cordeaux was the founding chairperson of the Variety Club of South Australia, and has been associated with the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Red Cross, SA Great and The Smith Family. [16]
In 1999, Cordeaux was implicated in the cash for comment affair when ABC Television's Media Watch program aired allegations by former 5AD news director Neil Wiese. [17] Wiese claimed he had been pressured to tailor news bulletins to incorporate an endorsement deal for 5AD's advertisers in 1993, which guaranteed them undisclosed and subtle preferential treatment during general on air programs and news bulletins. [17] Media Watch cited a letter of complaint Wiese had sent to the Australian Broadcasting Authority, and a memo allegedly outlining the deal which claimed the station would have sought to create "industry authority status" for the businesses through news bulletins and program segments. [17] Media Watch criticised the Australian Broadcasting Authority for its lack of interest in the matter, and for their lack of action regarding a "serious deficiency" with the radio industry's code of practice. [17]
The Australian Broadcasting Authority subsequently announced it would investigate the claims made against Cordeaux on Media Watch. [18]
In response, Cordeaux said Wiese was a former employee who had been terminated for dishonesty, and who had orchestrated a "ten-year campaign of venom and vindictiveness", and who had since been employed by the ABC. [18] Cordeaux said he had never done anything wrong. [19] Cordeaux later said the memo was an internal document which originated from a "think tank" discussion, and the endorsement deal outlined in the memo never eventuated. [18]
However, following the Australian Broadcasting Authority's investigation, Cordeaux was found to have substantially breached the industry's code of practice. [20] The ABC found Cordeaux's undisclosed personal sponsorship deals with the likes of Adelaide Casino, Network Ten, GIO and Optus had influenced the content on his programs. [20] The ABA found 5AD to have breached the codes of practice on twelve occasions, prompting another enquiry into both 5AD and 5DN. [20] In response, Cordeaux rejected his actions were "cash for comment", saying it was advertising rather than commenting. [21]
Cordeaux later said in a 2004 interview that there was nothing covert about the relationship he had with the businesses as everyone had known about his close association with the sponsors. [4] He said although the rules changed, he was not breaking any rules in place at the time. [4] However, he said he applauded the ABA for the changes as they require announcers to be more transparent, removing any ambiguity. [4]
In May 2017, Cordeaux was convicted after pleading guilty to one count of driving with excess blood alcohol. He had recorded a reading of 0.102 during a breath test on 15 December 2016, while returning from a Christmas party. Cordeaux was issued with an immediate loss of licence for a period of six months. The magistrate recorded a conviction and fined Cordeaux $950. Cordeaux was ordered to pay $520 in court costs. [22]
The conviction and punishment were handed down in Cordeaux's absence, as he had failed to attend the court appearance at Adelaide Magistrates Court. [22] He later complained about not knowing about the scheduling of the court proceedings, and said he had expected someone from South Australia Police to inform him when he was due to appear. [22]
Cordeaux faced a similar drink driving charge in 2005, after he allegedly recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.085 during a random breath test in late 2004. [23]
Cordeaux is known for his collection of vintage and classic cars, which he keeps in a purpose-built showroom, collectively valued at approximately $2 million. [24] [25]
In 2011, Cordeaux was involved in a legal dispute with Vartzokas Constructions over leaks in his custom-built showroom. [26] [27] [28]
In July 1995, Cordeaux's two Jack Russell Terriers "Bollie" and "Bellini" were killed by an Angora goat breeder Peter Dansie, who claimed the dogs had killed two goats and injured ten others on his property. [29] The man claimed he used a rabbiting knife to kill the two dogs, but would have shot them had he had a gun. [29]
Cordeax won a Walkley Award in 1984 for Best Current Affairs Report for "Conversation with William Miller". [30]
He won three Gold Medals from the International Radio Festival of New York in 1987, 1988 and 1989 for Best Talk Show Host in the World. [5]
Cordeaux became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on 12 June 2006, in recognition for his service to the broadcasting industry, and for his support of various charitable organisations. [31]
He was inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame at the 2015 Australian Commercial Radio Awards. [32] [33]
Cordeaux was also knighted in 2003 by the Order of St.John (KGSJ) for services to broadcasting and the community.
Nine Radio is an Australian media company, owned by parent company Nine Entertainment Co. and headquartered in North Sydney, New South Wales. The company operates radio stations nationally in the capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, as well as regional Queensland.
Media Watch is an Australian media analysis and political opinion television program currently presented by Paul Barry for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The program focuses on critiquing the Australian media together with its interconnections, including with politics.
Radio Adelaide is Australia's first community radio station. The signal reaches across the Adelaide metropolitan area to the Mid North, the Yorke Peninsula and Fleurieu Peninsula, the southern Barossa, Kangaroo Island, Riverland and parts of the Eyre Peninsula broadcasting at 13 kilowatts on 101.5 MHz FM. The transmitter power was only 7 kW until an upgrade on 2 November 2006.
Cruise 1323 is one of Adelaide's longest running radio stations. In its 80+ years it has changed considerably. It was the first commercial station to begin broadcasting in South Australia.
David Penberthy is the former editor-in-chief of News Limited news site news.com.au and the former opinion website, The Punch. He was editor of The Daily Telegraph in Sydney, Australia, from April 2005 until November 2008.
1116 SEN is an Australian radio station in Victoria, Australia. Owned and operated by Sports Entertainment Group, it broadcasts a sports radio format. It commenced broadcasting on 29 November 1931 as 3AK, the station currently broadcasts from studios in South Melbourne.
Kelly Nestor is an Australian television and radio presenter and is working for ABC Radio Adelaide.
FIVEaa is Adelaide's only commercial talkback radio station. The station has a range of programs including news, sports, current affairs, social issues, football calls, gardening, lifestyle, cars, travel and health. It is owned by Nova Entertainment.
Mix 102.3 is a commercial FM radio station in Adelaide, Australia, owned by ARN.
Mark Aiston is an Australian sports journalist and sports presenter.
ABC Sport, formerly ABC Radio Grandstand, is a live radio sports focused commentary and talk-back program which runs on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) local radio network across Australia and on one digital-only station.
Robert Neville "Bob" Francis was an Egyptian-born Australian radio presenter and talk back host in Adelaide. He is remembered for his activism in getting the organisers of The Beatles' tour of 1964 to reverse their decision to bypass Adelaide.
ABC Radio Hobart is the ABC Local Radio station for Hobart, Tasmania, owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Peter Goers is a South Australian arts critic, producer, director, columnist and author who hosted The Evening Show for over twenty years on ABC Radio Adelaide, broadcasting throughout South Australia and to Broken Hill. Goers presented his final Evening Show with a live audience at Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide on Thursday November 30, 2023. His career spans over 40 years in the entertainment industry across a range of different mediums and formats including television, print, radio and theatre, and he is frequently engaged as a guest speaker. In the Australia Day Honours, 2013, Goers was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his "service to the community as a radio broadcaster".
Keith Martyn was a radio and television news presenter who was the weekday weather presenter for Adelaide, South Australia television for 27 years. He is also known for 23 years of Keith Martyn's South Australian Almanac ISBN 1-921008-63-6. Martyn was with Nine News Adelaide between 1996 and 2007, and with Channel Seven for 16 years before that. He also co-presented breakfast shifts on 5DN and 5AD with Jeff Sunderland.
Murray Nicoll was an Australian journalist and broadcaster whose career spanned more than 45 years. He was best known for providing reports on 5DN radio from his own burning home during the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983. His reports on the fire and the destruction of his house earned Nicoll the 1983 Walkley Award for best radio news report.
John Kenneally is an Australian radio presenter based in Adelaide, who after many years on ABC radio, moved to commercial radio in 2010.
Will Goodings is an Australian television and radio presenter.
John Riddell is an Australian former television and radio presenter.