Logie Awards
| Logie Award | |
|---|---|
 TV Week Logie Award | |
| Description | Excellence in Australian television |
| Sponsored by | TV Week |
| Date | 15 January 1959 |
| Location | Melbourne (held in Sydney 4 times) |
| Country | Australia |
| Presented by | TV Week |
| First award | 1959 |
| Website | www |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | Nine Network (1959-present) ABC (1961–1965) Seven Network (1989–1995) Network Ten (1981–1993) |
| Runtime | 3 hours |
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first Star of the Year award,[1] the name Logie awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a practical medium. Awards are given in many categories, but the most widely publicized award is the Gold Logie, which is awarded to the most popular personality on Australian television.
Home and Away is the most successful program in Logies history, having won 40 awards since it premiered in 1988, followed by Neighbours with 30 awards since it began in 1985, A Country Practice with 29 awards, and Blue Heelers with 25 awards.
History
The first awards, known as the TV Week Awards, were instigated by TV Week magazine after the first voting coupons were released in the magazine in late 1958, two years after the introduction of television in Australia. The first awards saw no formal ceremony; they were presented on 15 January 1959 on an episode of In Melbourne Tonight. Only Melbourne television personalities were nominated and awards were given in eight categories, including two for American programs.[2]
The following year, Kennedy coined the name 'Logie Awards'. In the same year, the first Gold Logie, considered by some to be equivalent to the 'Star of the Year Award' presented in 1959, was presented.
The Logie statuette was designed by Alec De Lacy, chief designer for Melbourne-based trophy makers KG Luke Ltd.
Logie Institutions
In 1961 the awards ceremony was televised for the first time, with the ABC screening the first half hour of the awards in Sydney. In 1962 Australian entertainer Lorrae Desmond, was the first female star to win a Gold Logie. In 1968, there was no award for the Most Popular Female in Television. According to Bert Newton, who was hosting that year, "it appears no one was deemed worthy enough to receive it". He pleaded with the producers to never be put in that position again.[3] In 1973 the media was invited for the first time to attend the Logies. In 1984 the Hall of Fame Logie was introduced by TV Week to recognise outstanding and continued contribution to television by an individual or program with the induction of producer Hector Crawford In 1985 Rowena Wallace became the first actress (not TV personality) to win the Gold Logie. In 1988 future international pop star Kylie Minogue became the youngest person to win a Gold Logie (aged 19), and in 2010 Ray Meagher became the oldest person to win the award (age 66). Jamie Dunn is the only undefeated man in Logies history, having won 7 consecutive Logies in 7 consecutive nominations for Agro's Cartoon Connection. In 2006, a new Logies category was introduced, named The Graham Kennedy Award for Best New Talent, to honour Kennedy's career and legacy in the 50th Logies year.
Logies Ceremonies by Year
Nomination and voting procedures
Many of the Logie categories are voted by the readers of TV Week magazine using coupons in the magazine and online forms. SMS (short message service) was introduced in 2006. Thus, the majority of Logie Awards are fan awards. The readership of TV Week is a relatively small proportion of the Australian population, and skews heavily to teenage girls.[4] The 'Most Outstanding' categories are voted on by a jury comprising members of the Australian TV industry and are thus industry awards.
In 2008, internet votes could be cast for the first time without having to buy a copy of the TV Week magazine.[5]
To be eligible to receive a Logie, a programme must be Australian produced, set in Australia and have a predominantly Australian cast. Although in other years there has been a Logie for Most Popular Foreign Programme, this award was not part of the 2007 or 2008 awards.
People eligible for a Logie must have appeared on an Australian-produced show that was broadcast on Australian television in the previous year. It's unknown whether someone who isn't an Australian but appears on an Australian-produced show that was broadcast on Australian television can be eligible for the award.
There are long-held suspicions that network publicists engage in mass voting to rig the results. However, no hard evidence has emerged for this, other than the experiment by the satirical newspaper The Chaser, who attempted to have low-profile SBS newsreader Anton Enus nominated for the Gold Logie. They did so by getting their small readership to buy copies of TV Week and vote for Enus for the award. While the attempt failed (they came "reasonably close", to earning a nomination for Enus, according to a "TV Week Insider"), their failure gives some cause for the widespread derision in the industry (particularly the 'quality' end) towards the popular-vote awards.[6]
There is nothing stopping Channel 31 personalities and shows being nominated for Logies, however since their audiences are far smaller than those of the commercial channels and public broadcasters, they are at a tremendous disadvantage. They do, however, have their own community television awards, known as the Antennas. Despite this, in 2009 The Logies were dogged by minor controversy after organisers refused to allow an acclaimed community television show, The Bazura Project, to be nominated in the category of Outstanding Comedy Show, stating; As TV Week does not cover community television within the magazine, we are unable to consider individual programs on this platform. The ABC's Media Watch program first reported the story on Monday 9 March 2009,[7] with many media outlets covering the growing support for the community television program since.
Awards ceremony
The Logies ceremony is televised, and has generally become more elaborate in recent years. The awards have for the past 11 years been held in a ballroom in Melbourne's Crown Casino (rather than a theatre, which is common for the Emmy Awards and Academy Awards). Dinner is served just before the ceremony and drinks are served during the ceremony.
Bert Newton has been strongly associated with the history of the Logies. As well as winning the Gold Logie four times, he hosted the awards a total of 19 times. He has also performed in well-received guest appearances. One notable appearance was with Muhammad Ali as co-presenter in 1979. Newton made a comment "I like the boy!" (in reference to a series of TV advertisements Bert had recently done), that was seen as racist by Ali, although Newton claimed this was not his intention. Ali was upset at the comment and a full apology was issued by Newton and the Awards producers.
In 1973, American actor Michael Cole generated controversy after accepting an award while apparently drunk, uttering the word "shit" in a short, incoherent acceptance speech. This was the first time the word had been said on Australian television.[8] According to Bert Newton, Channel Nine received thousands of complaints about the use of the word, however, when it was edited for the repeat transmission "they got double the calls complaining it had been dropped."[3]
However, the most difficult guest to interact with, according to Newton was Vic Morrow in 1967. He would just stand there saying nothing, silently handing out the Logies. According to Bert, "every so often, I'd say 'how are you going, Vic?' and he would just nod his head."[3]
GTV-9/Nine Network is also strongly associated with the history of the Logies, particularly since the parent company Publishing and Broadcasting Limited now also owns TV Week. Nine has hosted the awards 35 times in their 49-year history.
Public voting for the awards lasts for four weeks, usually beginning in early February, while the ceremony itself is in late April or early May. However, the voting for the 2011 Logie Awards began in December 2010 and ran for 12 weeks.
In 2011 Katy Perry performed an opening number and then presented the Best Children's Show award with comedy personalities Hamish and Andy. The 2011 ceremony also featured Shaun Micallef, Roy & HG, The Chaser and was hosted by Shane Bourne.
2012 saw One Direction and Delta Goodrem perform on the night and appearances of Flo Rida, Tony Bennett and Seal.
In 2013 saw Bruno Mars, Michael Bublé, Birdy and Olly Murs will perform on the night.
In 2014 saw Jason Derulo, Ed Sheeran, Kylie Minogue, John Newman, Tina Arena and MKTO will also perform on the night.
Award categories
Current categories
Public voted categories
- Most Popular Personality on Australian Television (Gold Logie)
- Most Popular Actor
- Most Popular Actress
- Most Popular Presenter
- Most Popular New Talent
- Most Popular Drama Program
- Most Popular Light Entertainment Program
- Most Popular Reality Program
- Most Popular Sports Program
- Most Popular Lifestyle Program
Industry voted categories
- Most Outstanding Actor
- Most Outstanding Actress
- Most Outstanding Newcomer
- Most Outstanding Drama Series
- Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie
- Most Outstanding News Coverage
- Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report
- Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program
- Most Outstanding Sports Coverage
- Most Outstanding Children's Program
- Most Outstanding Factual Program
Discontinued categories
- Best Australian Drama (1961–1976)
- Most Popular Australian Program (1961–2004)
- Most Popular Live Show (1966–1967)
- Most Popular Overseas Drama
- Most Popular Comedy Personality
- Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality
- Most Popular Comedy Program
- Most Outstanding Sportscaster
- Most Outstanding News or Public Affairs Broadcaster
- Most Popular New Male Talent (1999–2013)
- Most Popular New Female Talent (1999–2013)
- Most Popular Factual Program (2008–2013)
Most Wins
Programs
As of (and including) the 2014 Logies, Home and Away is the most successful program in Logies history, having won 40 awards since it premiered in 1988. Neighbours is the second most successful having won 30 Logies since it began in 1985. A Country Practice follows as the third most successful programme, having won 29 awards throughout its twelve-year run. Blue Heelers is fourth with 25 Logies.
People
Television personalities with the most national wins (excluding state-based Logie awards) are:
| Rank | Name | Total Wins | Awards Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rove McManus | 10 | 3 Gold Logies (2003 – 05) and 7 consecutive Most Popular Presenter (2003 – 09) |
| 2 | Bert Newton | 9 | 4 Gold Logies (1979, 1981, 1982, 1984), 4 Best Compere (1970, 1972 – 74), Hall of Fame inductee (1988) |
| 3 | Graham Kennedy | 8 | 6 Gold Logies (1959, 1960, 1967, 1969; 1974, 1978), 1 Special Gold Logie - Star of the Decade (1967), Hall of Fame inductee (1998), 10 state Logies |
| 3 | Daryl Somers | 8 | 3 Gold Logies (1983, 1986, 1989), 3 Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality (1993, 1995 – 97), 1 Most Popular Light Entertainment/Comedy Personality (1990) and 1 Most Popular Comedy Personality (1995) |
| 3 | Ray Martin | 8 | 5 Gold Logies (1987, 1993 – 96), 2 TV Reporter of the Year (1981, 1983), 1 Most Popular Light Entertainment Personality (1995) |
Actors / Actresses with the most national wins:
| Rank | Name | Total Wins | Awards Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisa McCune | 10 | 1 New Talent (1995), 5 Most Popular Actress (1996 – 2000) and 4 Gold Logies (1997 – 2000) |
| 2 | Georgie Parker | 7 | 1 New Talent (1990), 4 Most Popular Actress (1991 – 1993, 2001), 2 Gold Logies (2001, 2002) |
| 3 | Asher Keddie | 6 | 4 Most Popular Actress (2011-2014), 1 Most Outstanding Actress in a Series (2014), 1 Gold Logie (2013) |
| 4 | Kate Ritchie | 5 | 2 Gold Logies (2007, 2008), 3 Most Popular Actress (2006 – 2008) |
| 4 | Martin Sacks | 5 | 5 Most Popular Actor (1997 – 2001) |
See also
References
- ^ "Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding New Talent". ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009.
- ^ Crook, Frank (2 May 2008). "Logies celebrate 50 years". The Daily Telegraph. News.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2008.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c TV Week magazine, 13 March 1993, pages 16-18. "The Way We Were" text by Bert Newtson, edited by Chrissie Camp.
- ^ "TV Week Media Kit" (PDF) (Press release). ACP. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
- ^ "Logies voting switch a boon". Herald Sun. News.com.au. 4 February 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Taylor, Chris (17 May 2003). "The insider". smh.com.au. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
- ^ "Project Logies, Media Watch Episode 05". 9 March 2009.
- ^ "The Logies". ABC.
Other references
- "The Insider", Chris Taylor, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May 2003 - article describing the Logies, as well as a comic attempt to rig the Gold Logie voting process
- IMDB page on the Logie Awards