Shaun Brown: TV newsman turned network boss...

Interview – 2014

Shaun Brown’s distinguished television career spans 45 years, beginning as a reporter with the NZ Broadcasting Corporation. In his early days as a journalist, he covered a number of historic stories including nuclear bomb tests on Mururoa Atoll, and the funeral of Prime Minister Norman Kirk. Brown moved from reporting to producing, followed by executive roles as the Head of TVNZ News and Current Affairs, then TVNZ's Head of Television. He then moved to Australia to head up public service broacaster SBS.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Brown talks about:

The challenges of using basic technology in the early days of NZBC news
Creating global coverage of the Mururoa Atoll bomb tests
Causing a ruckus by changing the presentation team on Fair Go
The rationale behind creating the late news show Eyewitness News
Coordinating the response to the competition from fledgling TV3, while running TVNZ News and Current Affairs
Starting the Holmes show
Controversially introducing advertising into programmes, while leading Australian television and radio broadcaster SBS (Special Broadcasting Service)
Being disappointed at the lack of true public broadcasting in New Zealand

This video was first uploaded on 8 December 2014, and is available under this Creative Commons licence. This licence is limited to use of ScreenTalk interview footage only and does not apply to any video content and photographs from films, television, music videos, web series and commercials used in the interview.

Interview, Camera and Editing – Andrew Whiteside

...on the day that the bomb went off, which we observed, I was allowed on the bridge. I think there were three or four of us allowed on the bridge in full anti-flash gear and thick goggles that were designed really to make sure that our eyes weren't damaged by the flash, because we really didn't know what the impact would be.
– Shaun Brown on covering the Mururoa Atoll nuclear bomb test from a navy frigate

Shaun's Full Profile