Rob Brough

Last updated

Robert Edward Brough (born 1955) is an Australian journalist, television presenter and rugby league coach.

Contents

Media career

Radio

Brough began his media career in radio in the 1970s as an announcer at radio station 4VL in Charleville, Queensland. He then moved onto 4WK in Warwick, 4BC in Brisbane and then 4GG on the Gold Coast, Queensland. [1]

Sports Journalism

Following on from his radio work, Brough moved into television in the mid 1980s, covering sport for ABC Television in Brisbane before moving over to Channel 9 to present the sports news on National Nine News in Brisbane until 1989. [1]

Family Feud

In 1990, Brough moved away from news reporting when he joined the Channel 7 in Brisbane to host the Australian version of Family Feud , which was seen nationally. Brough hosted the program until 1995 when John Deeks took over until its axing the following year. Bert Newton and Grant Denyer have both hosted revived versions of the program for the Nine Network and Network Ten respectively.

In an opinion piece written for the Sydney Morning Herald, Dominic Knight claimed Bert's Family Feud , the 2006 version of the program, was an awful show but not just because it brought back "unpleasant memories of Rob Brough". [2]

Brough was often parodied by Steve Vizard on Seven's sketch comedy show Fast Forward .

Seven News

Following his job as the host of Family Feud, Brough moved back into news for Seven's regional Queensland affiliate Sunshine Television on the Sunshine Coast. Shortly after Brough joined, Sunshine Television News became Seven News following the purchase of Sunshine Television by Seven and as such, the network's name and look changed to reflect the metropolitan Channel 7 stations.

Initially, Brough presented the local Sunshine Coast edition of Seven News and pre-recorded two additional bulletins for the Wide Bay-Burnett region and the Mackay region. Since then, Seven's regional news output in Queensland has increased and Brough now presents seven separate local editions of Seven News each weeknight from the network's Sunshine Coast studio, which all air simultaneously across the individual regions at 6pm each weeknight on Channel 7, and then repeated at 6:30pm on 7two.

Brough is joined by Joanne Desmond as a co-presenter on the Cairns, Townsville, Central Queensland and Darling Downs editions of Seven News, while Brough continues to present the Mackay, Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast editions by himself. When Brough is away, Steve Titmus joins Joanne Desmond on the editions that she usually co-presents with Brough, while Desmond fills in for Brough by herself on the bulletins he usually presents solo.

With the studio producing seven 30-minute news bulletins each weeknight, along with additional afternoon and evening updates, it's one of the busiest news studios in Australia, making Brough one of the country's busiest news presenters. [3] Brough can now be seen reading regional editions of Seven News as far south as Stanthorpe, as far north as Port Douglas and as far west as the Central Highlands in Central Queensland.

In 2007, Media Watch questioned the credibility of the Townsville edition of WIN News after they convinced local political candidates standing in the 2007 Federal Election to endorse WIN News in on air promos. Media Watch claimed the dubious actions of WIN News outraged Seven Local News but only because they didn't think of the idea first. Media Watch then played a clip of the Townsville edition of Seven Local News with Brough introducing a story about the WIN News controversy. [4]

In 2008, Rob Brough again appeared on Media Watch after a graphics designer mistakenly inserted pictures of dairy cows in an "over-the-shoulder" graphic beside Brough while he was introducing a story on the Townsville edition of Seven Local News. The story was actually about local sports venue Dairy Farmers Stadium preparing for an upcoming NRL match. [5]

In 2015, Brough fronted a campaign launched by Seven Queensland in response to the "Save Our Voices" campaign, which was a joint promotion between WIN Television, Southern Cross Austereo and Seven aimed at encouraging viewers to lobby the Federal Government to relax media ownership laws. The "Leave TV Laws Alone" spot that Seven Queensland ran in commercial breaks featured Brough in the Seven Local News studio claiming Seven Queensland spends more on local news than their competitors. A voice-over that follows states that Seven Queensland doesn't support the bullying by the other networks and said that viewers shouldn't be used as pawns. [6]

Brough has said that his work in the media has been influenced by television presenters Mike Walsh and Mike Willesee. [3]

The Coolangatta Gold

While working at Gold Coast radio station 4GG, Brough made an appearance in the 1984 Australian film, The Coolangatta Gold starring Joss McWilliam and Colin Friels. The movie is about the annual Gold Coast sports event with the same name. A close-up of Brough standing on the beach is seen in the movie as he plays the role of a roving sports reporter, previewing the event while holding a 4GG microphone. [7]

Brough has said it was Michael Edgley, whose production company Hoyts Edgley produced The Coolangatta Gold, who suggested and encouraged a move from radio to television. [3]

Rugby League

Brough is also a rugby league coach and is currently the head coach of the Kawana Dolphins, a team that plays in the Sunshine Coast–Gympie rugby league competition, as part of the larger Central Division of Queensland Rugby League. [3]

Brough began coaching on the Sunshine Coast after earning a reputation as a skilled coach after establishing Mountain Creek State High School's "Rugby League School of Excellence" and coaching junior sides. In 2005, after Brough ran a one-off pre-season session with the Kawana Dolphins' senior team, the club asked him to consider coaching the team permanently. Brough accepted the job and began coaching the Dolphins A-grade side. [8]

In 2013, he faced some criticism for not seeming to have a positive attitude towards his team despite the team's above-average performance during the season. [9]

In 2016, Brough's Kawana Dolphins narrowly missed out on claiming victory over the Maroochydore Swans in the grand final, losing the game 18–14. Brough said Maroochydore played some fast footy which put Kawana on the back foot, and unable to catch up.

Brough has always had an interest in rugby league. In a 1994 interview, Brough said he had always wanted to go to Sydney to play rugby league as he had always wanted to play for the St. George Dragons. However, Brough did play some grade football in Brisbane, with Easts. Brough claims he got his love of rugby league from his grandfather who took him to the Brisbane grand final between Redcliffe (captained by Arthur Beetson) and Norths in 1965. [3]

Personal life

Brough and his brother Mal grew up at Slacks Creek in a little fibro house.(Fibro is a colloquial Australian term for fibre cement) Their father grew vegetables which he sold to support the family, but due to being crippled by poliomyelitis, he had to slide around his vegetable garden on his backside while tending to it. [3]

Rob Brough's son Sam died on his third birthday in 1989, after suffering from health issues. Brough has two other children Jess and Tyson. [3]

In 2014, Brough attempted a 1,200 kilometre charity bike ride from Sydney to Brisbane. "Rob's Ride for Kids" was an attempt to raise money for the Children's Hospital Foundation in memory of his son Sam, who died 25 years prior. Due to illness, Brough pulled out of the ride without completing it but still managed to raise $16,000 for the charity. [10] [11]

Brough's brother Mal Brough was a Federal Member of Parliament from 1996 until 2016. Due to his brother's involvement in politics, Brough has had to introduce numerous local news stories about his brother, including those that have detailed controversies such as Mal Brough's involvement in the James Ashby affair. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STQ</span> Television station in Regional Queensland

STQ is an Australian television station, licensed to, and serving the regional areas of Queensland. The station is owned and operated by the Seven Network from studios located in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. The callsign STQ stands for Sunshine Television, Queensland.

Nine News is the national news service of the Nine Network in Australia. Its flagship program is the hour-long 9News bulletin at 6 pm, with editions produced by Nine's owned-and-operated stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin; regional editions for Northern NSW and the Gold Coast air under the name of NBN News and are produced in Newcastle. A supplementary regional news program for the Gold Coast in Queensland also airs each weeknight. National bulletins air throughout the day and evening, presented from Nine's headquarters in Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland Cup</span> Australian rugby league competition

The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by fifteen teams, thirteen of which are based in Queensland, with one based in New South Wales and one in Central Province, Papua New Guinea.

Seven News is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BTQ</span> Television station in Brisbane, Queensland

BTQ is the Brisbane television station of the Seven Network in Australia. BTQ was the second television station to launch in Brisbane, going to air on 1 November 1959, after QTQ launched three months earlier and before ABQ launched just 1 day after BTQ's launch.

Barry Muir was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. An Australian and Queensland representative halfback, he played in 22 Tests between 1959 and 1964, as captain on two occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Flannery (rugby league)</span> Australian rugby league footballer and administrator

Chris Flannery is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s.

Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, with four commercial radio stations, four narrowcast radio stations, three community radio stations, five Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio stations, three commercial television stations, a regional daily newspaper and a community weekly newspaper. There are no local Sunday papers although the Sunday Mail publishes a North Queensland edition, which is printed and distributed from Townsville. Townsville also has extensive outdoor and indoor advertising media, ranging from taxi advertising to large-format billboards.

There are several Australian rules football leagues in regional Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine Coast Region</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia.

RTQ is an Australian television station broadcasting in regional Queensland in Australia. The network was owned by Star Television, before being purchased by the WIN Corporation on 5 October 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby league in Queensland</span>

In Queensland, Rugby league was introduced in 1908 and is the most watched winter sport in the state and the second most participated football code after soccer. Within its first decade it surpassed rugby union there to become the most popular football code as players switched to play professionally in the Queensland Rugby League (QRL). In the 1920s, Queenslanders began leaving to play professionally in the New South Wales Rugby League which became a more popular competition. However Queensland maintained a strong rugby league culture, with the state continuing to perform well in interstate rugby league. The later advent of the State of Origin series ensured that players would return to represent their state. Regarded as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”, the term "Origin fever" is used by the media to describe the passion of the Queenslanders public for the competition and the chant "Queenslander!", attributed to Billy Moore in 1995, has become the state's battle cry. The Queensland Rugby League is the governing body and has 58,912 registered tackle players. Rugby league authorities often count an additional 70,000 registered touch football players as participants, though that sport is only loosely affiliated and is governed by Touch Football Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine Coast Stadium</span> Sports venue in Bokarina, Queensland, Australia

Sunshine Coast Stadium is a multi-sport venue located at Bokarina in the Kawana Waters urban centre on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The stadium is the main venue in a sporting precinct that also includes seven fields.

Peter Alexander Byrne is an Australian television presenter and meteorologist. Byrne was most notable for being a weather presenter for WIN Television from 1990 until 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Molo</span> Cook Islands international rugby league footballer

Francis Molo is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the St George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for both the Cook Islands and Samoa at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvonne Sampson</span> Australian television sports presenter

Yvonne Sampson is an Australian television sports presenter and commentator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Smoothy</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Tyson Smoothy is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has previously played for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent Loiero</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Trent Loiero is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock and second-row forward for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL).

The 2023 Queensland Cup season was the 28th season of Queensland's top-level statewide rugby league competition run by the Queensland Rugby League. The competition, known as the Hostplus Cup due to sponsorship, features 15 teams playing a 26-week long season from March to September. The Brisbane Tigers won the competition for the first time in their history, defeating minor premiers Burleigh Bears in the Grand Final on 17 September.

References

  1. 1 2 Holmes, Peter (24 July 1994). "Rob's other game plan". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Would the last viewer to leave Channel Nine please turn out the lights?, Dom Knight, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 March 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2016
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hill, Janine (16 December 2007). "Brough and ready". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  4. ↑ Vote 1: WIN News, Media Watch, ABC Television, 5 November 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  5. ↑ Footy Lovin' Cows, Media Watch, ABC Television, 17 March 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2016
  6. ↑ "Leave TV laws alone." Seven Qld returns fire at regional campaign, David Knox, TV Tonight, 17 August 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2016
  7. ↑ The Coolangatta Gold, Peter Schreck, Hoyts Edgley, 1984
  8. ↑ Why Rob Brough wants to coach first grade football, Sunshine Coast Daily, 25 August 2005. Retrieved 16 October 2016
  9. ↑ Why Rob Brough has plenty to smile about, Mark Bode, Sunshine Coast Daily, 12 August 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2016
  10. ↑ Rob's Ride For Kids, Facebook page. Retrieved 16 October 2016
  11. ↑ Facebook post, Rob Brough, Rob's Ride for Kids Facebook page, 8 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  12. ↑ Crabb, Annabel (30 June 2007). "In the eye of the storm". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 February 2010.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.