Michael Schildberger Explained

Michael Schildberger
Birth Name:Michael Julius Schildberger
Birth Date:4 April 1938
Birth Place:Berlin, Germany
Death Place:Prahran, Victoria, Australia
Education:Melbourne Grammar School
Occupation:Journalist, broadcaster
Years Active:1955–2010
Spouse:Julia (deceased)
Children:5
Known For:Host of A Current Affair
Awards:Logie: Best TV interviewer (1976)

Michael Julius Schildberger (4 April 1938 – 2 June 2010) was an Australian journalist, radio and television presenter, and author. He is best known for hosting A Current Affair in the 1970s.

He was the son of Hermann Schildberger.[1] Hermann had had an important musical career in Berlin prior to being brought out to Melbourne in 1939 by Rabbi Dr Herman Sanger,[2] to escape the Nazis. He was accompanied by his wife (check name) and by Michael who was then a babe-in-arms.

Hermann became musical director of Temple Berth Israel in St. Kilda upon arrival in Melbourne in 1939, as well as taking on a number of other important musical roles including being the founding Musical Director of the Camberwell Chorale.[3]

Career

Michael Schildberger began his media career in 1955 when he joined The Sun News-Pictorial as a copy boy and subsequently became a cadet reporter.[4]

In 1958 he moved to GTV 9 where he remained for the next twenty years. During the 1970s he was executive producer and national host of A Current Affair.[4] For that role, he was awarded a 1976 Logie Award for Best TV Interviewer.[5] While at A Current Affair he conducted the first full-length television interview with singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, who had only previously done brief group press conferences. The interview was in conjunction with Diamond's 1975-76 "Thank You Australia" tour and nationally broadcast live concert.[6]

After leaving Channel 9, Schildberger worked for several years as Director of News for ATV 10 and FOX-FM. He then moved to Melbourne radio station 3LO where he hosted the morning program,[4] with a short stint at 3DB.[7]

In 1984 he founded the media production company Business Essentials.[8]

Schildberger was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997.[4] He achieved remission, and became a strong advocate of positron emission tomography.[9] The cancer returned in early 2010. Schildberger died at the Cabrini Hospital in Prahran on 2 June 2010.[4]

Publications

External links

Notes and References

  1. [:de:Hermann Schildberger|a Wikipedia page for Hermann exists, but in German -]
  2. https://au.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=Herman%20Sanger&hspart=fc&hsimp=yhs-2461&type=fc_ABD7BF90295_s58_g_e_d042023_n9998_c999&param1=7&param2=eJwti9sOgyAQRH9lHzUxuIBQiZ9ifKBKlYBivMSmX981beblzJnM6Ie26baBI0ppVFt0C3VjTE14T1gJFJJK%2F%2FNEfiVUNeOomeCaqXseXSJrT8LTEs3p42O0pWII2eWXIV07LAdwZNgACV018NZVDnZdo7vcM%2FijVPLBpIYsTMccC4g%2BOBhdH1IO%2FbSl2ZVccIZ3YLcvu%2Fn%2F5Qsx7DtP
  3. https://www.camberwellchorale.org.au/history/
  4. News: Michael Schildberger, one-time host of A Current Affair, dies aged 72. Muradian. Vanessa. 2 June 2010. Herald Sun. 6 June 2010.
  5. Web site: The 18th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (1976). 12 March 1975. tvweek.ninemsn.com.au. 6 June 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080721050708/http://tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=62242. 21 July 2008.
  6. A Current Affair broadcast 29 February 1976. Also referenced at https://www.iaisnd.com/interviews/michael-schildberger/
  7. News: Schildberger races home. Wilmoth. Peter. 12 January 1984. The Age. 6 June 2010.
  8. News: Michael Schildberger dies at age 72. Espino. Marc. 2 June 2010. ibtimes.com. 6 June 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100607065902/http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/26249/20100602/michael-schildberger-dies-prostate-cancer.htm. 7 June 2010.
  9. News: 'Scientific fraud' hampered spread of cancer technique. Peacock. Matt. 9 July 2007. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 June 2010.