Brian Henderson

Brian Henderson, newsreader legend, retired from reading the news at Sydney's TCN9 on Friday 29 November 2002 after a career with the station that dates back to 1957.

Born in New Zealand, Henderson worked in radio in New Zealand before heading to Sydney in the early 1950's. Television had arrived in Australia in 1956 it didn't take long for Henderson to move from radio to the new medium, joining Sydney's TCN9 in 1957. One of his first duties at TCN9 was to read the weekend news bulletins.

Despite initially being considered too conservative to host a pop music TV show, Henderson was chosen to host TCN9's new teenage music program Accent On Youth which quickly became known as Bandstand. Both Henderson and Bandstand became household names across Australia as Bandstand became one of the first 'national' programs on Australian TV.

By 1964, while still continuing his role on Bandstand, Henderson was appointed TCN9's main nightly newsreader. A role that he would make his own for the next 38 years.

In 1968 the national popularity of Bandstand resulted in Henderson winning a TV Week Gold Logie in 1968 for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.

Bandstand ended after a fourteen year in 1972, but Henderson continued at the TCN9 newsdesk including a brief stint as co-newsreader for the joint Sydney-Melbourne news bulletin News Centre Nine in 1976, sharing with Melbourne-based Peter Hitchener.

The constant presence of Henderson at TCN9 has helped it maintain a strong lead in Sydney's TV news ratings for the past forty years.

Links:

Listen to 2UE's John Laws show the day Hendo dropped in!

The Australian: Richard Morecroft: 'Night Brian, and thanks for the news - 29th November 2002

Inside Film: Brian Henderson - Toasted and Roasted - 26th November 2002

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