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Ross Coulthart joins Seven

Former Sunday reporter Ross Coulthart is joining with Seven for its new Sunday Night programme.

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Former Sunday investigative reporter Ross Coulthart is joining Channel Seven as part of its upcoming current affairs programme, Sunday Night.

Coulthart, also a former journo on Four Corners and Walkley Award winner, is best known for his recent “Butcher of Bega” scandal.

Seven’s new current affairs programme is set to launch next year, despite premature comments by CEO David Leckie that it would begin on November 9th.

The show is to be jointly produced by Mark Llewellyn and Adam Boland for Seven.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be given the opportunity to work with a great bunch of talented people at a network that’s going places,” Coulthart said.

“Sunday Night is a major initiative for us,” News boss Peter Meakin said. “We are determined to produce an informative and entertaining programme, but, with Ross on board, our audience can be confident that we intend to make waves as well.”

Press Release:
One of Australia’s foremost investigative journalists has signed with Seven News.

Ross Coulthart, 46, worked on the iconic but now defunct Sunday programme for 14 years and spent another four years at Four Corners. Most recently, Ross was responsible for uncovering one of the biggest medical scandals in Australia — the story of the so-called Butcher of Bega. Graeme Reeves is now facing criminal charges and Ross has two nominations in this year’s Walkley Awards.

Previous reports led to the Samuels commission of enquiry into the Australian Security Intelligence Service, as well as a Senate investigation of Australian soccer. Ross has already won two Walkley awards, one for a story on media treatment of Pauline Hanson, and another for revelations over the attempted assassination of the Cambodian Opposition Leader, Sam Rainsy. He received a Logie award for his story on misconduct in the Aboriginal Legal Service, as well as a Gold Medal at the New York Film Festival for his report on Indonesian and militia killings in East Timor.

Trained as a lawyer in New Zealand, he is also co-author of the best seller, “Dead Man Running”, an eye-opening account of organised crime in motorcyle gangs.

Married with two daughters, Ross will bring his investigative talents to Seven’s new public affairs programme “Sunday Night”, which launches next year.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be given the opportunity to work with a great bunch of talented people at a network that’s going places,” Ross said.

Seven’s director of News and Public Affairs, Peter Meakin, described Ross as “the best in the investigative business.” “Sunday Night is a major initiative for us,” Meakin said. “We are determined to produce an informative and entertaining programme, but — with Ross on board — our audience can be confident that we intend to make waves as well.”

20 Responses

  2. I need to speak with Ross abouthis story on UFOs in UK. I have doco on the Rendlesham Forest Incident and I have some very interesting stories from my own personal experiences when I was visiting Wiltshire during the summers of 2006 and 2007.

  4. Big loss for Nine!!

    Now will this show be TT on Sundays or 4 Corners quality? Appointing Ross gives the impression it will be the latter, but having Adam Boland at the helm suggests otherwise as he does fluffy Sunrise.

  6. like to see more variety on tv so sick of current affairs and finance doom and gloom shows want to escape reality a bit not be dished up more.

    sunday nights need a bit of a laugh before heading off for depressing mondays, if 10 runs thank god i know what i’ll be watching. Seven are good at these programs but i’d rather somehing else. If Adam boland is doing the show how the heck is he going to stay sane, he must only sleep a few hours a week now!

    With a new show on his hands he’ll be flat out. I hope it’s a success for them.

  8. I agree with Benno and Nick. ACA has become a joke and this new show will likely follow the TT format……with less diet / women / neighbour from hell stories.

  9. before all of the “seven copied nine” comments come rolling out can i just say that a 1hr current affairs program is a very generic concept for 9 to say “we have it therefore no one else can”

    if seven had a show about people fitting through a styrophome wall then you would have a point. almost every country in the world has a show like this ch9 did not invent it.

    I just hope this show does not get carried away and be on every sunday of every month of every year into eternity like 60 mins. people like me will want an alternative and i’m not a huge fan of ch10 reality

    come to think of it ten could pick up big in this timeslot: Thank God Your here?

  10. When i heard about this show i instantly rejected it. but i think it deserves a chance, its better than american garbage on a sunday.

    If channel seven wants the superior network label this show is a MUST

    PS. sorry, i’m a bit behind in my current affairs gossip. but has it been confirmed that Tara Brown and one of the other guys will not be on 60 mins next year, or is that still a rumour

    if they are: change of host seems to be the kiss of death on tv lately (ie. Big Brother, DWTS) this is a good time for 7 to shine!

  11. 60 mins has sent soooo many shows packing over the years i think if one show can crack it, it is Sunday night

    even as the 60mins fan that i am, i am glad for this show it will give something else to watch if 60 mins has a boring/ dry /only there to make you cringe story

    does thin mean that Jana Wendt might follow?, lots of people like her and i think she would work with this type of show.

  13. This sound like a good move if the rest of the crew have good backgrounds like this the show will have a very professional and respectable image, as opposed to TT / ACA.

    I know this show will cause a lot of controversy with loyalty to 60 mins and people that simply cant stand current affairs (let alone on Sundays) but i think it should be given a chance.

    if TT can beat ACA, sunrise and morning show can beat the competition, and 7’s 6:00 news can dominate there is nothing to say that this would not follow suit.

    60 mins rating have no been so hot lately (not to say it can’t bounce back), we can’t really blame it on the competition either. so this might be a better chance than most for 7 to jump in.

  16. Sunday night? Surely they could have thought of a better name than that. Of course they will try not to contrast that show with TT too much (high credibility, low credibility).

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