Bruce Mansfield

Bruce Mansfield (born 24 April 1944) is an Australian television and radio personality and voice-over.

Early career

Mansfield began in radio at age 16, when he won a junior announcer's competition at radio 3UZ in 1960. The prize was 100 pounds ($200) and a week on-air. Bruce then joined radio 3KZ in 1962 as a panel operator and late night announcer.^[1] In 1964 he joined radio 3XY presenting the mid-morning program.

In 1968, he moved to television appearing on Graham Kennedys In Melbourne Tonight on the Nine Networks Melbourne station GTV-9.^[1] He was also known for his portrayal of the Chinese Superman on Channel 9's Cartoon Corner.

Newsreading

His television career then took a different direction in 1974 when he joined the Nine Network Melbourne ATV-0 as chief newsreader on Eyewitness News. In 1979, Mansfield and his newsreading partner Annette Allison were reassigned to other roles at the station. Mansfield went on to become a voice-over announcer at ATV and also a participant on game shows such as Personality Squares. He was also the announcer for Channel Tens long-running dating show Perfect Match.

Return to radio

Breakfast show

Mansfield co-hosted (with John Blackman) the breakfast program on radio 3AW as alter-ego Uncle Roy. The pair dominated Melbourne breakfast radio for several years before Blackman departed to rival station 3AK in 1986. Mansfield continued in the role at 3AW with Darren James until the station changed from "Personality Radio" to "Thinking Persons Radio" and the pair were dropped.

Both Mansfield and James were picked up by 3AK in 1989. The program lasted until the middle of 1990 when 3AK was taken over by new management. He then became presenter of the drive-time program on community radio station 3INR-FM, broadcasting from the Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg.

Remember When/Nightline

In 1990, Mansfield joined another TV veteran, Philip Brady, to present the Sunday night nostalgia program Remember When on radio 3AW. Six months later they also took over Nightline on a caretaker basis, but went on to stay as the program's full-time presenters; a role which they continue to the present day.

Later in the 1990s, Mansfield made a return to television introducing late night movies and also hosting an infomercial program, Mansfield's Melbourne, on Channel 31 in Melbourne.

In 1999, Mansfield was sacked from 3AW over allegations that he gave on-air interviews in exchange for free goods and services, in a later development in the cash-for-comment investigations conducted by the then Australian Broadcasting Authority.^[2] He went on to present an afternoon program, Mansfield's Melbourne on 3AK in 2000, before returning to his former role as Nightline and Remember When co-host on 3AW in 2001.^[3]

Bert Newton and Rove

He featured as a contributor on Bert Newton's Good Morning Australia, presenting a segment called Collectables a nostalgic related segment. In 2004, Mansfield did the voice-overs for a segment on Rove Live called "Who's in the Swivel Chair?".

Awards

In 2003, Mansfield, with on-air partner, Philip Brady, won the Australian Commercial Radio Award for Best Networked Program (Nightline).^[4]

Community work

Bruce is an Australia Day Ambassador. On Australia Day Ambassadors go to various Victorian communities to spread the message of national pride, participate in local activities and give a short speech on what being Australian means to them.^[5]

In March 2013, Mansfield agreed to become an Ambassador for the Northern Health Foundation, with a focus on the Foundation's bequest program. Northern Health is one of Victoria's busiest public health services.^[6]

References

External links

• IMDB Profile of Bruce Mansfield