Good Morning Australia (1981 TV program)
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | 1981-02-23 |
| Defunct | 1992-12-18 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Breakfast television program |
| Parent | Network Ten |
Good Morning Australia (GMA) was a breakfast television program in Australia that aired on Network Ten from 23 February 1981 until 18 December 1992. It functioned as Australia's equivalent to ABC's Good Morning America and ITV's Good Morning Britain.
History
Initially, Good Morning Australia was a weekday morning show combining news and entertainment, broadcast from 7:00 to 9:00am. The program debuted with co-hosts Gordon Elliott and Sue Kellaway, alongside Di Morrissey serving as a field reporter. After Kellaway's early departure, she was replaced by Kerri-Anne Kennerley, who stayed until 1991 before handing over hosting duties to Sandra Sully, Joy Smithers, and then Sully once again.
Among the male presenters were Tim Webster, Mike Gibson, Terry Willesee, Mike Hammond, and Ron Wilson. The show mainly competed against the Nine Network’s Today, generally placing second in viewership ratings.
In 1992, the show’s timeslot was adjusted to run from 6:30 to 8:30am, coinciding with the debut of Bert Newton’s The Morning Show. Later that year, the original breakfast news format was discontinued. Subsequently, Newton’s program adopted the Good Morning Australia title and was rebranded as Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton, continuing until 2005.
After the conclusion of the original GMA, other morning programs such as Sunrise, ABC News Breakfast, and weekend editions including Weekend Today and Weekend Sunrise entered the market.