Meet the Press (Australian TV program)

Meet the Press

Company type	Television program
Industry	Television broadcasting
Founded	1957
Headquarters	Sydney and Melbourne , Australia
Products	Political and current affairs talk show

Meet the Press was an Australian Sunday morning talk show that concentrated on national politics, current affairs, sports, and lifestyle topics.

History

Initially launched in 1957 during the dawn of television, Meet the Press was broadcast simultaneously on radio and TV through 3DB and HSV-7 in Melbourne. The program’s first host was Frederick Howard, a journalist from the Herald and Weekly Times. While the radio broadcast had a brief run, the television version persisted.

The Network Ten edition debuted in October 1992, airing Sundays at 10:30 am with former news presenter Kathryn Robinson as host. The premiere episode featured then-Prime Minister Paul Keating as the guest. The show’s usual format involved two interviewees—typically a politician paired with another politician or a sector specialist—questioned by a panel of two journalists alongside the presenter.

Prior to 2013, hosting responsibilities alternated between Paul Bongiorno, Parliament House bureau chief and political editor, and Hugh Riminton. Production took place in Sydney studios from 1992 until 2011, shifted to Melbourne’s ATV10 studios in 2012, and later returned to Sydney at Fox Sports studios following News Limited’s acquisition.

David Johnston served as host until 1996 before Bongiorno assumed the role. Between 2000 and 2009, Deborah Knight, formerly of Ten Eyewitness News Sydney, co-hosted alongside Bongiorno. Hugh Riminton joined as co-host in 2010 as a senior political correspondent. In 2013, Kathryn Robinson became the sole presenter.

The program paused in 2014 and has not been revived since.

See also

• The Bolt Report
• List of Australian television series
• List of longest-running Australian television series