Susannah Carr
Susannah Carr | |
|---|---|
| Born | Susannah Mary Carr 21 July 1952 Rochford, England, UK |
| Occupation | Newsreader |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Website | http://www.7perth.com.au |
Susannah Carr (born 21 July 1952) is a Western Australian television news presenter. Since 1985, Carr has co-presented Seven News in Perth with Rick Ardon.[1] On 16 February 2015, Carr and her longtime co-presenter Ardon celebrated three decades consecutively as co-anchors for 7 News Perth.
The on-air duo hold the world record for the longest news anchor partnership. They were previously only surpassed by WNBC former co-anchors Sue Simmons and Chuck Scarborough, with a 32-year partnership, which they surpassed in 2017.
Early years
Susannah was born in England. She arrived in Western Australia from the UK with her parents when she was 7 months old. For her schooling, she attended North Cottesloe Primary for Years 1 and 2; Cottesloe Primary for Year 3 and Iona Presentation College for Years 4 to 12. She studied for a Bachelor of Arts at University of Western Australia and is also a qualified architectural draftsperson.[2] She is a granddaughter of the singer Robert Carr (baritone) and niece of the detective novelist Antony Carr.
Media career
Susannah's media career began in 1974 with ABC Radio in Perth as an announcer. Just two weeks after joining the station, she was broadcasting on Christmas Day – the same day when Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin.[3]
She worked in both radio and TV in Perth for the ABC becoming that station's first ever female TV news presenter in Perth for the ABC (and the second only by a day for the ABC nationally.) Susannah was asked to join TVW 7 in 1985 and is now a face of Channel 7 news in Perth along with her long-time co-anchor Rick Ardon.[4] Under their guard, the then-second-rate bulletin (Seven Nightly News was second to National Nine News in Perth as recently as 1990) rose to the top of the ratings in Perth, where it remains as of today.[5]
In 1986, she won the Logie Award for Most Popular Female, Western Australia. In the same year, her co-anchor Rick Ardon won the Logie Award for Most Popular Male, Western Australia. In 2000, she was inducted an Honorary Member by the Edith Cowan University chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society.[6][7]
Susannah broadcast live from South Africa during that country's first all-race elections and reported from London in the week after the death of Princess Diana.
She also headed a film crew to Moscow, Russia, where they were granted unprecedented access inside the Kremlin, to make the documentary "The Secret Treasures of the Kremlin".
Susannah presented coverage from Perth nationally during the 2014 Sydney hostage siege due to Seven News Sydney studios in Martin Place being evacuated. Susannah was part of the Seven News team whom were awarded a Walkley Award in 2015 for their coverage that night.
Susannah is also a regular public speaker on media issues and Master of Ceremonies.
See also
Notes
- ^ Daily News 30 June 1988, p.17
- ^ Jones, Sally Ann (1987) Susannah Carr – biography of television announcer The West Australian 16 June 1987, p.59
- ^ Anne Conti (1985) – "interview with Anne Conti and Susannah Carr" in The Western Mail (Western Australia) 18–19 May 1985, p.23
- ^ Biographical details in The Daily News 30 June 1988, p.17
- ^ Bodey, Michael (20 July 2015). "TV ratings: Nine's the one again when it comes to news". The Australian. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Bell, Nicholle (2001) Seven News keeps on delivering for Susannah in Standard (West Perth, W.A)
- ^ Kent, Melissa (2005) The anchor woman in the West Magazine, in The West Australian 7 May 2005, p.12-14