Mike Gibson (27 May 1940 – 23 September 2015), often also known by the nickname "Gibbo", was an Australian

sports journalist Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

, columnist, commentator, and radio and television presenter.

Media career

Gibson began his media career as a print journalist covering

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...

and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

. He moved to the

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radio breakfast show in the 1970s before going to

2GB 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by parent company Nine Radio, a division of Nine Entertainment Co., who also own sister station 2UE. 2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM. In 2010, 2GB held 14.7% of the total rad ...

in 1979. He began hosting ''Wide World of Sports'' in 1981. He also wrote a regular column for ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...

'', having previously written columns for two Sydney daily newspapers. He co-hosted '' Good Morning Australia'' with

Kerri-Anne Kennerley Kerri-Anne Kennerley (née Wright; born 22 September 1953) is an Australian television and radio presenter, actress and singer. She has more than 50 years in the industry, and is an inductee into the Logie Hall of Fame. Kennerley was a co-host ...

for several years from 1988. He was an original presenter of the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

's program ''

Nine's Wide World of Sports ''Nine's Wide World of Sports'' is a long running sports anthology brand on Australian television that airs on the Nine Network and streaming service Stan. All major sports, events and series covered by the network are broadcast under this br ...

'', opposite Australian cricket captain

Ian Chappell Ian Michael Chappell (born 26 September 1943) is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation. Born ...

. He hosted '' The Back Page'', with friend and comedian

Billy Birmingham Billy Birmingham (born 1953) is an Australian humourist and sometime sports journalist, most noted for his parodies of Australian cricket commentary in recordings under The Twelfth Man name. Early career He wrote the pun-laden comedy hit " Au ...

, on

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for 16 years. Birmingham parodied Gibson on the program in a segment called "The Wired World of Sports". In 2007, he was awarded Australian Sports Commission Media Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. Gibson retired in 2013.

Personal life and death

Gibson separated from his wife, Helen, in 1989 and was the father of five children, including Courtney Gibson, who had also worked at the Nine Network. Gibson, aged 75, committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at his home on the Central Coast,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, on the morning of 23 September 2015 after a long period of depression.

References

1940 births 2015 suicides Suicides in New South Wales Australian columnists Australian television presenters Australian rugby league commentators Nine's Wide World of Sport Australian radio personalities 2015 deaths {{Australia-journalist-stub