Peter Couchman (born 1941) is an Australian journalist, author and presenter. He had a long career with the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

, working on current affairs programs including ''

This Day Tonight ''This Day Tonight'' (TDT) was an Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) evening current affairs program from 1967 to 1978. Founding When ''TDT'' premiered in 1967 it was the first regular nightly current affairs program on Australian TV, an ...

'' and ''

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

''.

Career

Couchman studied at the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

and worked for two years as an actor with the Young Elizabethan Players.Little, John, ''The Man Who Saw Too Much: David Brill, combat cameraman'' Once he decided he wanted to be a reporter, he joined the ABC, starting in their Sydney mailroom. Couchman worked on ''This Day Tonight'', the ABC's evening current affairs program in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1973, he was Singapore correspondent for the ABC. Couchman travelled to

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

in May 1973 with cameraman David Brill to report for ''Four Corners'' on the ultimately successful campaign of the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...

. He was detained while reporting in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in 1973 during a period of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

imposed by President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

.The Age, 2 February 1985
/ref> He was a reporter for ''Four Corners'' for three terms: 1968–1969, 1974–1975 and 1987–1989. He was the host of the Victorian edition of ''This Day Tonight'' during the 1970s. In 1978, he moved to

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

, hosting ''The Peter Couchman Show'', a daytime talk show and the late-night ''Peter Couchman Tonight''. In August 1979, he moved to a prime-time slot with magazine program ''Peter Couchman's Melbourne''. In 1980, Couchman presented an afternoon radio program on

3AW 3AW is a talkback radio station based in Melbourne. It broadcasts on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station. The station is owned and operated by Nine Entertainment Co. Hist ...

. In 1981, he returned to the ABC as compere of ''Nationwide''. There was a contractual dispute between 3AW and the ABC, with 3AW believing that they had an agreement to renew Couchman's contract for 1981. The Supreme Court found for the ABC. When the ABC revamped its news and current affairs with a new program, ''The National'', in 1985, Couchman was appointed Asian correspondent, based once more in Singapore. In 1986, Couchman wrote, produced and presented an ABC news special, ''Coup D'Etat'', a world exclusive following the political crisis in the Philippines, the end of Marcos's regime and the swearing in of new president

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

. The program won a 1987

Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

for Most Outstanding Achievement in Public Affairs. Couchman turned down an offer to present

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

's ''Holiday'' to return to ''Four Corners'' in 1987. From 1989 to 1992, he hosted the eponymous ''Couchman'' forum program with a similar format to Robert Moore's ''Monday Conference'' (1971–1978) and the current '' Q&A''. In January 1994 he hosted the ABC's ''

The 7.30 Report ''The 7.30 Report'' is an Australian week-nightly television current affairs program, which was shown on ABC1 and ABC News 24 at from 1986 to 2011. In 2011, it evolved into ''7.30'', a revamped current affairs program. History ''The 7.30 Report ...

'' in Sydney. In November that year, Couchman was arrested during the "Save Albert Park" protests against the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...

being run at Albert Park in Melbourne. He was released without charge.Going Hammer and Tongs Over Tacks, The Age, 24 October 1995 (login required)
/ref> From 1995 to 1997, Couchman hosted the morning slot on

774 ABC Melbourne ABC Radio Melbourne (official callsign: 3LO) is an ABC Local Radio station in Melbourne, Australia. It began transmission on 13 October 1924, and was Melbourne's second licensed radio station after 3AR. Most Local Radio stations in Victoria sim ...

radio, formerly known as 3LO, taking over from

Ranald Macdonald Ranald MacDonald (February 3, 1824 – August 24, 1894) was the first native English-speaker to teach the English language in Japan, including educating Einosuke Moriyama, one of the chief interpreters to handle the negotiations between Co ...

. He had a combative relationship with the Victorian premier,

Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...

, who was a regular guest on the program. Couchman now works on the speakers circuit as an MC and moderator.

Notable work

This Day Tonight: 50-cent coins
Report by Peter Couchman for TDT in 1968. At that time the fifty-cent coin contained 58 cents' worth of

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

.
Interview
with

Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...

on TDT in 1970.
Peter Couchman Show 1978
Guest appearances by

Denise Drysdale Denise Anne Christina Drysdale (born 5 December 1948) is an Australian television presenter, variety entertainer, actress, singer, dancer and comedian. She is often affectionately known as ''Ding Dong'', a nickname invented by fellow performer ...

and Margo Lee.
Interview
with former PM

Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...

circa 1984.
Nationwide April Fools joke

Coup D'Etat: The Philippines Revolt
(Youtube)
Transcript
of interview with Prime Minister

Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...

, 5 October 1995.
Disasters - ABC reporting on disasters
including Peter Couchman reporting on the 1994 Sydney bushfires.

Personal life

Peter Couchman married wife Trish. They had two children, Sophie and Simon.

External links

Bio on Saxton speakers website
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Couchman, Peter Australian television journalists Australian television presenters ABC radio (Australia) journalists and presenters Living people 1941 births 3AW presenters