Vale: Michael Schildberger
Former A Current Affair host, journalist and broadcaster Michael Schildberger has died, following a long battle with prostate cancer, aged 72.
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Former A Current Affair host, journalist and broadcaster Michael Schildberger has died, following a long battle with prostate cancer, aged 72.
The Herald Sun reports he died early this morning in Cabrini Hospital, Prahran, where he had spent the past six weeks.
Schildberger joined GTV-9 in 1958 and remained with the Nine Network for 20 years. He was best known as an executive producer and host of ACA winning a Logie for the best TV interviewer in the 1970s.
He was also Director of News at ATV-10 before, hosted breakfast radio on ABC and established Business Essentials advising media production companies.
Former ABC radio colleague, Richard Brown, says Schildberger was a talented broadcaster.
“He was a consummate professional,” he said.
“I learned a lot from Mike about the profession of journalism. He’s been as you probably know, news director at Nine and had a very high profile as a newsman, and when he came to 3LO he brought a lot of that professionalism with him.”
In 2007 The 7:30 Report noted that Schildberger had been one of the first patients to undergo treatment through the PET machine at the Peter MacCallum Hospital.
He said, “The alternative would have meant all sorts of procedures which wouldn’t have been necessary, a whole heap of things that would have damaged my body. For heaven’s sake, I might not be here today.”
His son, Nick Schilberger, says his father fought prostate cancer for 14 years.
“He didn’t let things get him down. He was the most positive and optimistic person I’ve ever known,” he said.
“He refused to give up and outlived and out-performed every doctor’s expectations.”
Source, photo: Herald Sun, ABC
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- Tagged with A Current Affair, Logie Awards, Nine News, TEN News, The 7.30 Report
4 Responses
@Steven: I’m not aware of Michael having any direct employment with GLV10 but given that ATV0, which he was working at the time, was funding the conversion of GLV10 to GLV8 it is probably understandable that he appeared on-air on GLV in some capacity regarding the changeover.
I remember reading about Schildberger hosting “Newsbeat” on GTV9 way back in the 60s, but I’m sure he also had a bit of a stint on GLV10 (now Southern Cross Ten) in Traralgon (did he not?). I used to pick up that station very well from where I am in Croydon (though it was always a slightly weak signal) and also remember him appearing on GLV back in January 1980 to remind viewers that the station was going to move to channel 8 (when ATV0 became ATV10), so surely he had a lot to do with GLV’s earlier topical output. I knew he had cancer and I too was so confident that he would fully recover but now I’m very shocked to hear about this. My condolances go out to his family. Rest in Peace Mike.
there’s a name from my formative years – he was the convivial current affairs host – not provocative but an intelligent and likeable presenter. Also was the subject of send ups as he was quite short in stature. He will not be forgotten.
Poor man. Condolences to his family,
I’m old enough to remember him on ACA (back when Michael Willisee was running it and ACA was worth watching) as a reporter and later as the “half-man half-desk” host. Do you remember Paul Hogan lampooning him as ‘Michael Cheeseburger’? He was one of the old school TV people who had ethics and sense. RIP.