Samuel Hewlings Chisholm AO (8 October 1939 – 9 July 2018) was a

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-born Australian media executive who was a significant figure in the Australian media.

Career

Chisholm attended King's College, Auckland. Chisholm had been for several years the sales director of

Kerry Packer Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer (17 December 1937 – 26 December 2005) was an Australian media tycoon, and was considered one of Australia's most powerful media proprietors of the twentieth century. The Packer family company owned a controlling ...

's Channel Nine before he was appointed Managing Director in 1975. During this time the Network enjoyed a period of unprecedented ratings and revenue success to become Australia’s No 1 television network. In 1988 Kerry Packer sold the Network to Alan Bond In 1990 Chisholm moved to the UK to work for Packer's rival

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, rescuing the newly established British Sky Broadcasting

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from financial problems after the merger of

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and

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. In 2000, he returned to Australia, and in 2003 received a double lung transplant.

Awards

On 25 November 2013 he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

. On 19 February 2014 he was awarded the King's College honours tie in

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for outstanding achievement in his selected career.

Benefactor

When leading Australian television personality Graham Kennedy became ill in his later years, an anonymous benefactor came forward and donated a substantial sum (reported to be 150,000) for Kennedy's ongoing support and health care. On 27 May 2005, two days after Kennedy's death, his close friend and carer Noeline Brown confirmed that the benefactor was Sam Chisholm.Kennedy's Final Farewell
/ref>

Death

Chisholm died on 9 July 2018, after a short battle with an illness, with his wife Sue and daughter Caroline by his side.Sam Chisholm dead at 78
''

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'', 10 July 2018

References

External links

Sam Chisholm
at ''

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''
Sam Chisholm, Return of the great sacker

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, ''

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'', 5 December 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Chisholm, Sam 1939 births 2018 deaths Australian media executives Honorary officers of the Order of Australia Logie Award winners Lung transplant recipients People educated at King's College, Auckland