Kerry Lonergan OAM is a former journalist, podcast host, and founding father of ABC’s Landline current affairs program.
Kerry is a legend of Australian journalism although you’d never hear that from him. His career started in the 1960s as a freelance writer and he later moved to Brisbane with Channel Nine covering state politics, including the colourful and scandal-plagued era of the Joh Bjelke-Petersen government. That was before Kerry and his colleagues were sacked for writing negative stories about the so-called “Hillbilly dictator”.
After moving to the national broadcaster Kerry successfully started the program that would define his career. Landline, a country program for country people, emphasises positive stories about news in Australians regions and has since become a regular fixture of Australian television, having run now for over three decades.
Kerry is semi-retired but he still hosts a weekly podcast about the Australian beef industry, Beef Weekly, still contributing his vast knowledge of the sector even after all these decades. In 2013 he received an Order of Australian Medal for his services to broadcasting and in 2015 was inducted in the Rural Press Club Hall of Fame.
Our conversation touches upon Kerry’s upbringing in the NSW Hunter Valley, his early love of radio and current affairs and how he learnt to read the Sydney Morning Herald aged five or six; a memorable interview with legendary comedian Spike Milligan; why Kerry thinks the national broadcaster needs more contrarians with diverse political views; why he wanted Landline to be emphasise positive rural stories; the demise of state and local investigative journalism in Australia; and Kerry’s experience reporting on the Joh Bjelke-Petersen government for Channel Nine in Brisbane before being unceremoniously sacked – along with all his colleagues - by the new owner Alan Bond.
For a full episode transcript and links to Kerry's work visit our website: http://bylinespodcast.com
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