Wide World of Sports (Australian TV program)

Wide World of Sports is an Australian sports television program broadcast on the Nine Network.

Wide World of Sports
Genre	Sports
Presented by	Roz Kelly
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	24
Production
Production location	TCN-9 Willoughby, New South Wales
Running time	60 minutes (including commercials)
Original release
Network	Nine Network
Release	23 May 1981 (1981-05-23) – 1999 (1999)
Release	16 March 2008 (2008-03-16) – 2016 (2016)
Release	3 March 2024 (2024-03-03) – present
Related
Sports Sunday

The show is hosted by Roz Kelly, with former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor, Gus Worland, Chloe Dalton and a roster of rotating panelists.

The show originally aired from 23 May 1981, until the end of 1999. After a nine-year hiatus, it returned on 16 March 2008 and had its last episode in 2016 following Ken Sutcliffe's retirement. It was replaced by a new sport talk show Sports Sunday airing its first episode on 5 March 2017.^[1] It returned on 3 March 2024, after a seven-year hiatus, as a rename of Sports Sunday.^[2]

History

1981–1999 – Weekly shows

Wide World of Sports (WWoS) is a long-used title for Nine's sport programming. All sports broadcasts on Nine air under the WWoS brand. It was also the name of a popular sports magazine program that aired most Saturdays and Sundays. This program filled many of the summer daytime hours. The program premiered at 1:00 pm on Saturday, 23 May 1981, and was initially hosted by Mike Gibson and Ian Chappell, before being hosted in the 1990s by Max Walker and Ken Sutcliffe.^{[citation needed]} Ian Maurice was the regular anchor at the WWOS Update Desk.^{[citation needed]}

After being briefly repackaged in 1999 as Sports Saturday,^[3] the show ended later that year; its purpose largely rendered obsolete due in large part to the rise of subscription sports channels in Australia, including Fox Sports, which Nine's owner owned half of.

It was unrelated to the series Wide World of Sports aired by ABC in the United States, which started in 1961.^[4]

In the early 1980s, well-known hosts and presenters on Wide World of Sports included Mike Gibson^[5][6] and Ian Chappell,^[6] both the inaugural hosts of the Saturday afternoon program in 1981.^[7] Billy Birmingham in 1984 released a comedy album that satirized cricket "and in particular Channel Nine’s iconic commentary team with Richie Benaud the central figure," which became popular in Australia,^[8] A later album was called The Wired World of Sports. Among the hosts satirized were his friend Mike Gibson.^[7] The television show won "Most Popular Sports Program" at the Logie Awards in 1986.^[9]

In 1990s, the Wide World of Sports marketed sports paraphernalia such as signed and framed bats, and items from the Australian Rugby League.^[10] Paul Sheahan hosted Nine's Wide World of Sports program until 1999.^[11] Max Walker hosted until it ended in 1999.^[12][13]

2008–2020 – Show's return to TV

After a ten-year hiatus, it was announced that the Wide World of Sports weekly television program would return to Nine on 16 March 2008,^[14] using the same theme song as the old version, as well as accessing old footage for replays. This show was hosted by the previous host Ken Sutcliffe, with footy show star James Brayshaw as well as former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist. Revolving co-hosts included former swimmers Giaan Rooney, Nicole Livingstone and former cricketer Michael Slater.^[15] The show originally aired for 90 minutes but was recently extended to two hours. It aired on Sunday mornings at 9am till 11am.

In 2009, Grant Hackett^[16] and Michael Slater joined the team as co-hosts alongside Sutcliffe and Rooney.

After she was fired in 2014 as a cost-cutting measure, in 2016 Emma Freedman again signed up with Channel Nine's Wide World of Sports as an announcer.^[17] The weekly show was no longer airing as of 2017. Sports Sunday replaced the show in the Sunday 10am time slot.

In 2019, it broadcast the Australian Open with its own team of commentators.^[18]

Macquarie Media in 2020 began airing an hour-long Wide World of Sports radio broadcast hosted by Mark Levy.^[19][20]

2024-present - Show's second return to TV

In March 2024, after a seven-year hiatus, it was announced that the Wide World of Sports weekly television program would return to Nine on 3 March 2024, as a rename of Sports Sunday, hosted by Roz Kelly. In the first episode of 2024, Kelly was joined by former cricket captain Mark Taylor, AFL great Jimmy Bartel and the Australian Paralympian Ellie Cole.^[2]

Hosts

Current

• Roz Kelly

Past

• Ian Chappell
• Lisa Curry
• Sally Fitzgibbons
• Emma Freedman
• Ian Maurice
• Mike Gibson
• Tony Greig
• Max Walker
• Adam Gilchrist
• Giaan Rooney
• Yvonne Sampson
• Michael Slater
• Clint Stanaway
• John Steffenson
• Ken Sutcliffe
• Richie Calendar

Awards

The show won the Logie Award for the Most Popular Sports Program in 1987, and was nominated for every year from 2009 to 2017.

See also

• Television portal
• Australia portal

References

1. Knox, David (2 February 2017). "Airdate: Sports Sunday". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
2. Knox, David (3 March 2024). "Returning: Wide World of Sports". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
3. "Hills Messenger (Port Adelaide, SA : 1984 - 2011)". Trove. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 15 September 2024. p. 19. Midweek television guide from an Adelaide newspaper.
4. Furlong, William Barry (19 April 1981). "'Wild World of Sports' - Some Hits, Some Errors". The New York Times. p. 27. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
5. "Mike Gibson, veteran sports presenter and commentator, dies aged 75". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 23 September 2015. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
6. Nicolussi, Christian (23 September 2015). "Mike Gibson's ability to empathise with punters made him a storyteller without peer". Perth Now. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2020 – via Daily Telegraph.
7. "Legendary sports commentator and journalist Mike Gibson dies aged 75". Daily Telegraph. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
8. Conkey, Benjamin (9 November 2015). "Billy Birmingham to retire 'The 12th Man'". The Roar. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
9. "TV WEEK Logie Award Winners 1980 to 1989". Now To Love. 1 January 2010. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
10. Wright, Charles (15 May 1999). "The road to riches down memory lane". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
11. "'Tangles' was all heart" (PDF). MCC News. Melbourne Cricket Club. November 2016. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
12. Pierik, Jon (28 September 2016). "Former Australian cricketer Max Walker dies at 68". Stuff. AAP. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2020 – via The Age.
13. "Max Walker dies aged 68". Sunshine Coast Daily. 28 September 2016. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
14. Wilson, Chris (1 March 2008). "A 'Wide World' opens for Gilly". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
15. Knox, David (11 March 2008). "Returning: Wide World of Sports". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
16. Schmidt, Lucinda (19 July 2011). "Profile: Grant Hackett". Money. Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
17. Bucklow, Andrew (2 March 2016). "Emma Freedman back at Channel Nine 14 months after sacking". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
18. Knox, David (9 August 2018). "John McEnroe, Todd Woodbridge sign on Nine's Australian Open team". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
19. Cheik-Hussein, Miriam (16 December 2019). "Nine to bring Wide World of Sports to radio". AdNews. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
20. "Wide World of Sports coming to 2GB and 4BC in 2020". Mediaweek. 17 December 2019. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.

External links

• Wide World of Sports home page.