Highly respected journalist George Donikian has over twenty years experience in both radio and television. He is currently the anchor for Adelaide's Channel Ten News.
Having commenced his media career as an announcer with Radio station 4AM in far North Queensland in the mid 70's, he was soon lured in a southerly direction and arrived at 2WL in Wollongong. A move to Sydney followed where George worked on the newest commercial station 2WS, as an announcer, newsreader and sports reporter.
George's television career began in 1980, when during a chance meeting he impressed the late Bruce Gyngell, who saw him as the ideal presenter for his multi cultural IMBC television Network which launched in Melbourne and Sydney in 1980.
The network quickly evolved into the Special Broadcasting Service, where as the first news anchor he read the critically acclaimed SBS World News, for the first eight and a half years. During his time at SBS, he hosted a number of special events for the Multicultural network and also called four seasons of NSL football plus a host of other sports.
Leaving SBS midway through 1988 to join the Nine Network, George featured on the Wide World of Sports, Sports Sunday, Graham Kennedy's Coast to Coast, the National Nine "morning news" bulletin and the Today Show. While at Nine in Sydney, George also freelanced as morning news presenter on the top rating radio 2DAY FM and did a number of talkback radio stints with Radio 2GB as a stand in for John Tingle.
George also played a part in Nine's commentary team for the 1988 State of Origin Rugby League series, then again during the Test Series England versus Australia in the same year, and was on hand in Rome to cover the 1990 World Cup Soccer Finals in Italy, both for the Nine Network and Sydney radio.
Other career highlights, include:
- guest presenter stint on Tonight Live on Seven, as a stand in for host Steve Vizard
- a number of talk back radio stints on Radio 5AA in Adelaide
- hosting the "inaugural" Ethnic Business awards on SBS in 1989
- co-presenter and reporter on the special 3 network coverage of the bi centennial celebrations (SBS joined the ABC and the Nine Network to create the program 'Celebration of a Nation" 1988)
- 7 years on the Immigration Review Panel, set up originally by Federal Minister Ian McPhee
George was the voice of the Olympic Soccer Tournament held at the MCG, during the Sydney Games in 2000, and the voice of Telstra Dome, during the Rugby World Cup in 2003.
George hosted the official street party organised by the Melbourne City Council and the State Government in the heart of Lonsdale Streets Melbourne, when Greece beat Portugal to win the European Championship in Lisbon, in 2004. The same year he also covered the opening ceremony and the Athens Olympics for Melbourne commercial radio. On his return from Greece, was elected President of the famed South Melbourne Club based at Bob Jane Stadium at Albert Park.
