www.MelbourneObserver.com.au
Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - Page 23
Death of Melbourne radio veteran
Colleagues mourn Bruce Mansfield ■ The Melbourne radio industry is mourning the death of veteran Bruce Mansfield who died on Sunday at age 71. He had been suffering prostate cancer over the past year. Bruce Mansfield and Philip Brady formed a radio partnership for more than 25 years, hosting 3AW’s Nightline and Remember When toprating programs. Mansfield announced his illness in September 2015 to listeners, after he took ill in Stockholm. He returned to Australia for treatment for deep vein thrombosis and cancer. His appearances on radio, since returning to Australia, have been infrequent. His passing is mourned by wife Jill, sons John and David, daughter Louise, and their families. Listeners and colleagues filled the airwaves with tributes. Born onApril 24, 1944, Mansfield, first went to air in 3UZ’s Quest For A Disc Jockey junior announcer competition in late 1961. As winner, Bruce won £100 in the competition judged by station General Manager Lewis Bennett, Program Manager John McMahon, and Publicity Manager Bill Dodd. Bruce won the quest, after writing an application to Lewis Bennett, pointing out: “I have had experience in microphone work, and although yet in my teens, am very keen to have an opportunity to prove my ability in this.” In that application, Bruce neglected to mention that the “microphone work”, was as a spruiker in his work as a junior at Myer’s and Foy’s. There was also a bit of “who you know” in Bruce’s letter to Bennett: “I appear to have a flair for radio work like my uncle Terry Dear’. Dear (1913-1995) had been a part of Melbourne radio, starting in the early days of 3KZ, then becoming one of the first personalities on GTV9 in 1957. He had actually started at 3UZ in 1933, but within weeks was dismissed as “incompetent”, reported The Age Radio Supplement on July 19, 1956. On radio, Terry Dear was known nationally for the Amateur Hour. On TV, Dear hosted shows such as Concentration and Leave It To The Girls. Bruce’s memory for dates was cloudy, but his 3AW website bio confirms that he joined 3KZ in 1962 as a panel operator and late night announcer.
● Terry Dear, uncle of Bruce Mansfield
PHOTO: ASH LONG
● Bruce Mansfield and Philip Brady had an on-air association of more than 25 years. (In a 1965 press interview, Bruce Bruce Mansfield. 5pm. Continental women’s’ program, followed by Jeff varied his claim to say that he started Program. 6pm. Youth For Christ. Sunderland, Johnny Young, Lawrie at 3KZ in 1960 at age 16. In 3AW 6.15pm. British-American News. Bennett, Barry Seeber, Hal Todd, on-air chats, in recent years he 6.30pm. Bible Speaks To You. and the all-night service presented changed his KZ radio start to age 14 6.45pm. Theo-sophical Society. by Gary Hoffman (who later was in 1958.) 7.00pm. News. 7.05pm. Liberal General Manager of Magic 1278). As an office junior at 3KZ in Party - Political Talk. 7.15pm. Back Bruce moved to GTV-9 in 1968, 1962, Bruce’s duties included run- To God. 7.45pm. Christian Israelite. where he appeared in guest segning messages between the studios 8.00pm. Hebrew Angelistic Society. ments alongside Graham Kennedy at Trades Hall in Lygon St, Carlton, 8.15pm. Enlight-ening Truths. on In Melbourne Tonight. One of and the offices of Val Morgan in 8.30pm. House of Decision. 9.00pm. his roles was also as ‘Big Bad Bruce’ Elizabeth St, City. Oral Roberts. 9.30pm. Back To Bible. and the ‘Chinese Superman’ with a In 1964 compulsory National 10.00pm. Radio Bible Class. young Daryl Somers on Cartoon Service for 20-year-old males was 10.30pm. World Tomorrow with Dr Corner. introduced under the National Ser- Armstrong. 11.00pm. Christ-ian Channel 9 duties for most on-air vice Act (1964). Calvalcade. 11.30pm. National First staff also included shifts at its radio The selection of conscripts was 50 Albums. 12 Midnight. News. Al- station, 3AK. The 1971 radio station based on date of birth, and conscripts bums with Barry Seeber. 1am. All line-up of ‘Good Guys’ included Gary Nicholls, newsman Tim were obligated to give two years’ Night Service. In 1967, Bruce’s 11.30am-2pm Hewat, Lionel Yorke, Alan Aitken, continuous full-time service, followed by a further three years on the show was followed by a program Bruce Mansfield (6pm-Midnight), active reserve list. The full-time ser- compered by Ray Lawrence. The and Gary Mac. In 1973, Bruce Mansfield made vice requirement was reduced to 18 pair were in a car crash on the Geelong Road, which landed the move to Channel 0, Nunawadmonths in 1971. Having been born on April 24, Lawrence in hospital for six months. ing, reading the news. Bruce Mansfield walked away from He was first billed as late news 1944, Bruce was 20 in 1964. the smash, and had rarely spoken reader and general announcer, but A 1965 story in The Age has some soon took over as anchor for Eyewitof the jigsaw pieces: “(He) worked with Lawrence since. In 1968, the 3XY line-up included ness News, from Ralphe Neal. in Adelaide for two years, where he He explained his new-look to Patdid some freelance radio work and Paul Konik at breakfast, Bruce Mansfield presenting the ‘morning rice Murphy of the Sunday Observer modelling. “He went on a world tour in 1964, was away for about 12 months and visited over 26 countries.” Bruce was accompanied on the 26-country trip by his father Stan, who operated a printing business, Clyde Press, at 608-610 High St, Thornbury. The business printed the Digger Books series in the 1950s, and many of Christadelphian (‘Brtehren in Christ’) religious publications, authored by South Australian relatives prominent in that faith. Bruce joined 3XY in late 1965 (listed in his 3AW bio as 1964), first as a news reader, and then conducting an afternoon program from 2pm4pm. Some of his colleagues at the time, broadcasting from studios in Faraday St, Carlton, were Vi Greenhalf and Mary Hardy. 3XY had substantial Italian content in those years. The Green Guide program schedule for 3XY (1420 kilocycles) for October 10,1966, lists: 5.30am. National First 50 Albums. Ian Major, inc. News every halfhour. 9.30am. Doug Elliot. 11.30am ● Bruce Mansfield behind the 3UZ microphone
● Bruce Mansfield with Mary Hardy at 3XY who wrote: “Bruce Mansfield began his broadcasting career at the age of 15 on radio 3KZ where he was the late night announcer: “I suppose I’m a more serious person now - with a more serious job to do.” He told Truth: “I have nothing against Channel 9. It’s just that there wasn’t a regular place for me and I felt I was in a rut after my five years with the station. “My new job will give me more on-air exposure and associate me with news in which I have always been interested.” With Michael Schildberger taking over from Mike Willesee as Channel 0 news boss, Annette Allison was teamed with Bruce at the news desk for 12 months. However, TV’s axe swung, and Bruce was relegated to hosting the Midday Movie, and being the announcer for Young Talent Time. A chance meeting with John Blackman led to a 10-year radio partnership at 3AW. Bruce told Helen Thomas of The Herald (in an interview, where the junior announcer competition had found its way to now be 14), that his day was starting at 5am to go to air on radio as ‘Uncle Roy’ with John Blackman in the breakfast session. Some radio work had occurred in 1980 where Bruce joined Philip Brady at the community radio station 3CR to appear on the nostalgia program with Johnny Milne and John Ferguson. Bruce’s time with ‘Blackers’ included the popular Storytime segment which featured fictional characters including Uncle Roy’s adopted daughter, Angela; Dickie Knee; Derek The Derro, Stinky and Sister Narelle. Bruce was appreciative of the radio work, he told the late Amanda Zachariah of TV Week: “I am still ● Turn To Page 24
● “Big Bad Bruce’ at GTV-9
Page 24 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, April 20, 2016
www.MelbourneObserver.com.au
Death of Melbourne radio veteran ● From Page 23
● The ‘new-look’ Bruce Mansfield at Channel 0 with Channel 10 doing hosting announcements and Young Talent Time, but if it hadn’t been for the success we have had on the breakfast show I could be just another hack announcer.” Times were good. Bruce told Dave Pincombe of Melbourne Winners Weekly: “I’m very satisfied with what I’m doing and I’m making the most of it. You never know when it will stop.” And stop it did. Junior Herald reporters Andrew Bolt and Terry Friel, in a story headlined ‘The day they had each other for breakfast’, reported on John Blackman’s shock departure from the 3AW partnership with Bruce Mansfield, to defect to a new ill-fated network being assembled by Kerry Packer. Bruce stayed on for another four years, teaming with Darren James. When sacked by 3AW General Manager Mike Petersen, the pair took their program across to 3AK. Within a year, that was all over when Italian businessman Peter Corso bought the radio station from Alan Bond - and the entire 3AK staff was fired. And that was the end of the era for ‘Uncle Roy’. Or as Damien Murphy of The Herald wrote: “Radio is probably the most cut-throat and no-beg-pardons of the media industry.” But ... as is often the case ... something better was just around the corner. On a Sunday night at Christmas 1990, Bruce Mansfield teamed with Philip Brady to present the Remember When program on 3AW. Says Bruce: “We were employed really on a two-week basis. Every two weeks if the sponsors renewed it meant they had the budget to re-employ us. “And then for about the first two months of the program, we were really flying by the seat of our pants, because we didn’t know whether our next show would be our last.”
Bruce Mansfield and Philip Brady re-ignited their 3AW Nightline partnership, just 12 months later. They have regularly been at or near the top of the ratings tree, which meaures the number of listeners turned in to the station. Since commercial radio started 86 years ago in Melbourne in 1925, only a handful have been able to hold a career stretching 50 years. Late in 2015, the 3AW management cut the Mansfield-Brady on-air time to two hours, to make way in the early evening for a talk program hosted by Steve Price, featuring Andrew Bolt. Ratings for the abbreviated Nightline program in 2016 have increased. During Bruce Mansfield’s illness, relief personalities to team with cohost Philip Brady have included Patti Newton, Andrew McLaren, Mike Brady, David Mann and Simon Owens. A part of Melbourne radio has now gone forever.
● Bruce Mansfield returned briefly to the studio in early 2016
● John Blackman and Bruce Mansfield topped 3AW ratings with their 1980s breakfast show When Alex Kenworthy was sacked in controversial circumstances from the Nightline program by 3AW in 1991, 3AW boss Tony Bell said Bruce Mansfield and Philip Brady would be taking over the program “until a permanent replacement can be found”. Twenty years on, the search must be ongoing. Bruce and Phil are still there - produced by Simon Owens. Other producers over the years have included Wes Turnbull, Paige McGinley, Ken Francis, Peter Adams and Nathan Zwar. One year (2000) in the 20-year chain was broken when Bruce Mansfield was at 3AK after the contra-for-comment controversy. He had been sacked by AW for accept● Geoff Manion interviewed on the Mansfield’s Melbourne ing goods and services from sponsors, in return for on-air mentions. TV program on Optus Channel 50 in 1997
● Interviewing the Rev. Jeremy Whales, Mayor of Cheltenham, UK, from BBC Studios, Gloucestershire
● TV producer Gavan Disney with Bruce (as ‘Uncle Roy’).
● Airline chief Niki Lauda provided free flights for Bruce.
● Broadcasting back to 3AW from BBC Gloucestershire
● Bruce Mansfield and Ash Long appeared on Bert Newton’s Good Morning Australia in the late 1990s