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Brian Naylor to be inducted into Hall of Fame

Exclusive: The late Brian Naylor will be posthumously inducted into the TV Week Logies Hall of Fame.

Exclusive:  Brian Naylor will be inducted into the TV Week Logies Hall of Fame.

The late newsreader reigned in the Melbourne television landscape for nearly three decades and hosted Carols by Candlelight to a national audience for ten years.

TV Tonight
can reveal his induction will be formally announced by TV Week magazine tomorrow.

Naylor’s posthumous induction follows an outpouring of emotion from the industry after he tragically perished in the Black Saturday bushfires alongside his beloved wife Moiree. At the time many noted his success, dignity and professionalism.

At the time Nine News presenter Peter Hitchener said everybody respected Naylor, regardless of network rivalries, and describing him as warm and gracious.

“The mark he made on our town and our state and our news in Victoria is quite incredible,” he said.

TEN News presenter Mal Walden said, “He was the best communicator of the lot – a born communicator. That’s why he rose so far. We were good friends despite the fact we were competitors.”

Michael Venus, director of news at Channel Nine in Melbourne, said, “Brian Naylor was the consummate professional – he’s the best I’ve ever seen and I doubt in my lifetime if I’ll ever see anyone better.”

Naylor first entered television in 1958 after just two years in radio. He retired in 1998.

Logies host Bert Newton, remembers his Nine colleague, whom he first met at Channel Seven.

“We met at the start of television,” he tells TV Week. “Brian had come to Channel Seven in Melbourne to do a program called Swallows Juniors -it was basically an early version of Young Talent Time. He also worked on The Late Show with me and we hit it off.”

Newton also recalls Naylor’s dominance of the Melbourne news landscape after he was poached from Seven by Nine.

“He actually made the Channel Nine News in Melbourne number one,” he recalls, “and it stayed number one for all of the time he was at the desk.”

Nationally Naylor is best remembered for hosting the annual Carols by Candlelight, prior to Ray Martin.

His induction into the Hall of Fame follows the first-ever leak of a short-list of contenders. The Australian recently reported a list which included Brian Henderson, Ian Ross, George Negus, Ian Murray, Ray Meagher, Ken Sutcliffe, Maggie Tabberer and Prisoner.

This year is the only year in which Naylor can posthumously be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which would have no doubt influenced the voting jury.

The TV Week Logie Awards will be presented at Crown Casino on May 2nd.

21 Responses

  1. I grew up in Melbourne and always watched ABC news. Brian’s nomination doesn’t mean much to me, but I’m sure it means a lot to his family and friends.
    Bellbird would be a great choice, I loved that show.

  2. I reckon that shows like Prisoner and Bellbird and A Country Practice leave their mark in such a way that recognition via a Hall of Fame would be a proper way to honour them – not just parade a few when a reunion opportunity arises or the endless litany of archival clipshows trot out some of them. I know people get very attached to their newsreaders – but have always found it odd that it is the older, male readers that provide the respect or gravity that many people want when hearing and seeing the news of the day. I never got the Hendo appeal, I suspect Naylor provided that authority with a fatherly grace that Roscoe and others have possessed.

  3. There is something very Melbourne centric about this decision, but as a Sydney sider I am only too aware of the Sydney centric approach in considerable media forms in this country. It was something I tried to be conscious of and not perpetuate in my 2 decades in broadcasting. The Logies of course is so Channel 9 – so a combo of these two factors make for an odd choice to me.
    Prisoner would have been a more exciting option – getting the surviving gals on stage would have been amazing.

  4. Nope Sorry i don’t believe he deserves to be inducted into the hall of game.

    I believe there are others out there who have done a hell of a lot for TV, much more than Brian Naylor.

    Before He died, i have never ever heard of him.

    Thumbs down for this decision.

    Perhaps Ray Martin would have been a more worth inclusion. Well known, a multiple gold logie winner, and much respected person on TV.

  5. I’m pleased Brian Naylor’s being inducted-sure he may have been known better in Victoria than in other states.

    A great way to remember him posthumously.

  6. Agree with everyone else Prisoner should have got in being such a popular Australian drama in this country and the world over and the best drama we have ever made. Hardly anyone even knows Brian Naylor outside of Victoria but oh well there’s always next year. The critics always panned Prisoner and I guess it was those same critics that were voting. Good luck to them.

  7. Why not look at a multi-induction of News Readers? Hendo and Nayls?

    The ‘Brian told me so’ is the greatest combination of news reading power on the east coast.

    youtube.com/watch?v=viDHbHLKeH8

    Mr Do-Bee, ‘poor’ choice of words. He’s a deserving nominee at the least and the others will get their chance. Christ, Neighbours is in there, and it was good for 3 of the 20 years at that stage…

  8. Even though Reg Watson sadly misses out on receiving a Hall of Fame award again, which he deserves, Brian Naylor is a good choice.

    I would accept him getting it more than I would Steve Irwin who got it posthumously several years back.

    Naylor made a far bigger contribution to the TV industry than Irwin ever did – although I know others would politely disagree with my view.

    Still, will be good to see someone more deserving of the award receive it this time.

  9. Nine have nothing to do with who win the logie awards nor do they have a say in who is inducted into the hall of fame. In recent years Nine haven’t won many logies (thats a fact) and that will be the case again this year because they have not been nominated many times. Also in previous years after the logies event channel nine have been bagged out for not winning much at all.

    Nice exclusive David. lol

  10. I don’t think it’s fair to say that Brian Naylor only got the award because he was on Channel 9.

    The 5 previous Hall of Fame inductees are all predominantly identified as being from other networks… Bill Collins, John Clarke, Steve Irwin, Play School, Neighbours.

  11. Well deserved,Brian was the best newsreader we have ever had here in melbourne, He was a tv legend,buts it sad he wasnt given the award after his retirement from the newsdesk,strange how this voting jury works!!!

  12. He may be a legend in Victoria but his is relevance outside of that state is limited. Poor choice. The Logies are a running joke. A bad joke.

  13. I don’t believe in posthumously awards/recognition.What is the point when the actual person is not there to accept or at least acknowledge?
    It is rather sad that Prisoner missed out considering the popularity of the show still,worldwide,the fact that it was the blueprint for Bad Girls,the fact that a great number of the cast & the characters are household names…The Freak,Vinegar Tits,Bea,Lizzie,Doreen,Frankie to name a few.Shame,real shame.
    Certainly a bench mark in Oz tv along with The Sullivans & many more from that era.

  14. i admit i am very dissaponted that it wasnt prisoner i am glad that Brian is getting the recognition that he deserves i was only going to watch the logies if prisoner got the hall of fame so i wont be watching it now

  15. “This year is the only year in which Naylor can posthumously be inducted into the Hall of Fame”.

    Why? Is it only awarded to people who are still alive?

  16. great exclusive David.

    i was hoping for prisoner but i guess that can always be up next year. brian is deserving and if he didn’t get it this year probably never would have.

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