Mike Munro

Mike Munro

biography

Mike Munro is the co-host of Seven's public affairs program, Sunday Night. Alongside Chris Bath, Mike teams up with a pool of hand-picked, award-winning producers and reporters to deliver stories that matter and moments to remember. He also files investigative reports for what is now the flagship show in Seven's news and public affairs line-up.

"It's great to be back on the road doing investigations and covering major issues," Mike says. "I love the fact that it's so flexible and so different - and at 6.30pm on a Sunday."

"And what a year it's been for Sunday Night so far. Not only have we been so well-received by the viewing public, but some of our breaking stories - like the Britt Lapthorne investigation - have certainly rocked a few boats. We have also done some good in the community. There's no doubt, according to the Australian Prostate Foundation, that our piece on prostate cancer saved the lives of many men who had themselves tested after seeing our story. But the best is yet to come ...".

Mike began his journalistic career in 1971 as a 17-year-old copy boy on The Australian and The Daily Mirror newspapers. Following the completion of his cadetship, he remained with the Mirror for seven years before joining Channel Ten News in Sydney in 1978. Just three months later, he returned to newspapers and was posted to New York by Rupert Murdoch to work in News Limited's American bureau and as a reporter on The New York Post.

In 1982, Mike and his wife Lea returned to Australia to start a family and he again joined Channel Ten News. After two years there, Peter Meakin, then Nine's Director of News and Current Affairs, persuaded him to join the network's Willesee show.

Soon after starting at Willesee in June 1984, Mike won the Thorn Award for Best Current Affairs Report for his investigation into a Sydney child pornography racket. He also won the national Thorn Journalist Award for his report on "Heroin '84".

In 1985, he secured the Logie for Reporter of the Year and the Penguin Award for Best Current Affairs Journalist. Following in May 1986, Mike left Willesee to replace George Negus at 60 Minutes. During a seven year stint on the public affairs show, he produced many standout stories including "Ward 10B: the cover up" about a bizarre psychiatric unit in Townsville and an expose on the bungled "Mr Bubbles" case, one of the most notorious child sexual abuse cases in Australian history.

Mike also gained a reputation for his candid and cheeky interviews with some of the world's most famous women, including Katharine Hepburn, Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand. His sit-down chat with Jan Murray, former wife of the Hawke Government's Minister for Sport, John Brown, created front-page headlines with her "love on the desk" revelations.

Another Mike favourite was when he was part of the only TV crew in 20 years to go on an actual shooting and training mission with the IRA in North Armagh, Northern Ireland.

"I interviewed one of the seven members of the army command and accused him of being everything from a terrorist to a coward to a murderer," he says. "He was wearing a balaclava. We never saw a face the whole day."

But spending eight months each year away from his family finally took its toll and in 1993, Mike left 60 Minutes to join A Current Affair. In January 1999, Mike became host of A Current Affair. As well as presenting, he continued to report for the program, with up to 50 tape stories a year.

He covered hundreds of yarns, including the investigation that exposed paedophile Phillip Harold Bell and his 20-year link with a police paedophile ring. Mike's feature alerted authorities to Bell and led the NSW Police Royal Commission to investigate, capture and convict him.

In 2003, he returned to 60 Minutes to file special investigative reports and in 2004, began reading Nine's 4.30pm News. Soon after, he started presenting the network's 6pm weekend news - a role he remained in until he left Nine in October 2008.

In 2005, he hosted four hours of live coverage of Schapelle Corby's sentencing, another live one hour special on the Corby verdict and was heavily involved in anchoring news reports during the Beaconsfield mine disaster.

As well as reporting and presenting across an entire spectrum of news and publics affairs programs during his time at Nine, Mike hosted 'This Is Your Life' for 12 years, the real-life drama series Missing Persons Unit for three years and co-hosted the news-based program What a Year.