Ken Sutcliffe

Ken Sutcliffe was born on November 15, 1947, in Oberon, New South Wales, Australia. He began his broadcasting career in 1966 in Mudgee as a radio presenter and disc jockey, followed by a period as a general announcer at 2LF Young. His television career started at local station CBN-8 Orange as a newsreader. In the mid-1970s, he joined TNQ-7 in Townsville. This early experience in regional media laid the foundation for his long and distinguished career in national television.

Sutcliffe joined the Nine Network in 1979 at TCN9-Sydney, initially appearing in ‘World of Sport’ with Ron Casey. In 1982, he began presenting sports on ‘National Nine News’ and also filled in as a co-host on ‘Wide World of Sports’ and the ‘Today Show’. After co-hosting ‘Graham Kennedy’s News Show’ in 1988, he returned to ‘Wide World of Sports’ as its host in 1989, a role he maintained for many years. He also reported on major international sporting events, including multiple Summer and Winter Olympics, America’s Cup, Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon, US Open Tennis Championships, and the Masters telecast. His contributions were recognized with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2019 for his service to broadcast media.

Throughout his 50-year career in broadcasting, with 37 years dedicated to the Nine Network, Sutcliffe became a prominent and respected figure in Australian television. He hosted four Commonwealth Games for the network and presented numerous high-profile golf tournaments, rugby league grand finals, and State of Origin series. He also covered significant swimming events, including the Pan Pacific and Olympic swimming trials, and the World Swimming Championships. His career culminated in his retirement from full-time news reading and presenting at the end of 2016.