Sam Chisholm
Sam Chisholm (AO) | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel Hewlings Chisholm 8 October 1939 New Zealand |
| Died | 9 July 2018 (aged 78) |
| Education | King's College, Auckland |
| Occupation | Media Executive |
| Known for | Association wth Nine Network |
Samuel Hewlings Chisholm[1] AO (8 October 1939 – 9 July 2018) was a New Zealand-born Australian media executive who was a significant figure in the Australian media.
Career
Chisholm attended King's College, Auckland.
Chisholm had been for several years the sales director of Kerry Packer's Channel Nine before he was appointed general manager in 1977.[2] The network was taken over by Alan Bond in 1988. In mid 1990 he was succeeded as managing director of the network by David Leckie. After this he moved to the UK to work for Packer's rival Rupert Murdoch, rescuing the newly established BSkyB from financial problems after the merger of Sky and British Satellite Broadcasting. In 2005, he returned to Australia as acting chief executive of Packer's Nine Network after having received a double lung transplant.[3]
Awards
On 25 November 2013 he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia.[4] On 19 February 2014 he was awarded the King's College honours tie in Auckland, New Zealand for outstanding achievement in his selected career.[5]
Benefactor
When leading Australian television personality Graham Kennedy became ill in his later years, an anonymous benefactor came forward and donated a substantial sum (reported to be A$150,000) for Kennedy's ongoing support and health care after Kerry Packer, for whom Kennedy had made millions of dollars throughout his career, had declined a plea for financial help. On 27 May 2005, two days after Kennedy's death, his close friend and carer Noeline Brown confirmed that the benefactor was Sam Chisholm.[6]
Death
Chisholm died on 9 July 2018, after a short battle with an illness, with his wife Sue and daughter Caroline by his side.[7]
References
- ^ SAM CHISHOLM AND BSKYB: The Sky chief who held the future of TV in his hand – Sam Chisholm took BSkyB from loss-maker to major innovator, Campaign, 27 June 1997
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald, 8 December 1977, p. 1
- ^ PBL press release, 13 July 2006
- ^ Governor-General of Australia. Retrieved 28 January 2014
- ^ King's College E-News – 26 February 2014
- ^ Kennedy's Final Farewell
- ^ Sam Chisholm dead at 78, Daily Telegraph, 10 July 2018
External links
- Sam Chisholm at Bloomberg Businessweek
- Sam Chisholm, Return of the great sacker, Raymond Snoddy, The Independent, 5 December 2005