John Casey (commentator)
Encyclopedia
John Christopher Casey J.P.
(born 30 June 1964) is an Australian journalist and sports broadcaster. With a media career spanning three decades and a host and play-by-play commentator who was the first person ever seen "live" on Australian Pay TV when it commenced in 1995, until his sacking in 2008.
Casey's demeanour has since been matched to that of a scheming villain, culminating in his role in the 'white-anting' of nine of the Barrier Daily Truth
's employees.
. He was educated at Burke Ward Primary School and Broken Hill High School, earning the vice-presidency of the Student Representative Council at the latter institution.
While a student he led the school band, was an athletics champion and helped NSW win a national schoolboys Australian football title in the 1979 Shell Cup
During this time he also presented sports breaks for radio stations 5KA and 5AA.
In 1990-91 John became the first ever sports journalist contracted to Channel 7's London bureau and covered events such as Wimbledon tennis, British Open golf at St Andrews, FA Cup finals, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, Formula One and Susie Maroney's epic English Channel swim.
On his return to Australia in 1992, John moved to Sydney and took up a position as senior reporter with Channel 7's national prime time sports program "Seasons" while also reading news on "11am" and the weekend sports breaks for ATN-7. During this time his on the road assignments included the 1993 World Cup soccer qualifier in Argentina and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada.
and British Satellite Broadcasting
in London John was recruited to help launch pay television in Australia, which debuted in 1995 with the Premier Sports Network.
Television legend Ron Casey (no relation) was to have been the first person seen live on Australian pay-TV, but a technical breakdown prevented this and it was left to John to utter the first words live to camera
, PGA golf tour, Wimbledon and U.S. Open tennis as well as national titles in athletics and hockey.
However, he is best known for his work on National Basketball League telecasts which he has hosted since 1995, leading the play-by-play commentary in almost 1000 NBL and WNBL games combined.
John also called basketball at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, including Australia's quarter-final win over Italy. Basketball was one of three sports John called at the Olympics, along with football and boxing.
Studio shows he has hosted for Fox Sports include Main Game and The Back Page.
in Mildura, Victoria
in 2010, before returning to his hometown of Broken Hill to take on the role of General Manager and Managing Editor of the Barrier Daily Truth
.
Since his start at the local publication, his run has been controvesial. He introduced seven Pagemaster pages to the newspaper, and also set about reducing the composing department. A campaign on Facebook
by Broken Hill residents has seen 242 people sign on voiing their disapproval of the changes.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(born 30 June 1964) is an Australian journalist and sports broadcaster. With a media career spanning three decades and a host and play-by-play commentator who was the first person ever seen "live" on Australian Pay TV when it commenced in 1995, until his sacking in 2008.
Casey's demeanour has since been matched to that of a scheming villain, culminating in his role in the 'white-anting' of nine of the Barrier Daily Truth
Barrier Daily Truth
The Barrier Daily Truth is the local newspaper for the remote mining town of Broken Hill, New South Wales.The Barrier Daily Truth covers a range of stories that affect local residents, including industrial news relating to the mines and stories submitted by readers such as local sport stories...
's employees.
Early life & education
John was born in the mining town of Broken Hill, New South WalesBroken Hill, New South Wales
-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...
. He was educated at Burke Ward Primary School and Broken Hill High School, earning the vice-presidency of the Student Representative Council at the latter institution.
While a student he led the school band, was an athletics champion and helped NSW win a national schoolboys Australian football title in the 1979 Shell Cup
Career as a journalist
John started writing for the Barrier Daily Truth newspaper as a 16-year-old in 1981 and upon completion of his cadetship moved to Melbourne and joined The Sun News-Pictorial where, as a general news reporter, he wrote numerous front page stories. In 1985 John joined The News in Adelaide as a sports journalist and combined this role with duties for the Sunday Mail where he was chief racing sub-editor.Electronic media
After seven years service with newspapers in three states, John then began his television career as an on-camera sports presenter with SAS-10 (later to become SAS-7). As well as reading the weekend sports news, he also honed his skills as a commentator on national tennis telecasts and hosted the National Basketball League coverage.During this time he also presented sports breaks for radio stations 5KA and 5AA.
In 1990-91 John became the first ever sports journalist contracted to Channel 7's London bureau and covered events such as Wimbledon tennis, British Open golf at St Andrews, FA Cup finals, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, Formula One and Susie Maroney's epic English Channel swim.
On his return to Australia in 1992, John moved to Sydney and took up a position as senior reporter with Channel 7's national prime time sports program "Seasons" while also reading news on "11am" and the weekend sports breaks for ATN-7. During this time his on the road assignments included the 1993 World Cup soccer qualifier in Argentina and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada.
Pay television
Having gathered experience with Sky Television plcSky Television plc
Sky Television plc was a public limited company which operated its four-channel satellite television service, launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International on 5 February 1989...
and British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
in London John was recruited to help launch pay television in Australia, which debuted in 1995 with the Premier Sports Network.
Television legend Ron Casey (no relation) was to have been the first person seen live on Australian pay-TV, but a technical breakdown prevented this and it was left to John to utter the first words live to camera
Fox Sports
As the longest serving on-air personality at Fox Sports, John has commentated on a wide range of events from AFL, NRL, world record swims from Ian Thorpe and Susie O'Neill, world title fights involving Kosta Tszyu and Anthony MundineAnthony Mundine
Anthony Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league footballer.He is the current interim WBA Light Middleweight Champion boxer, former two-time WBA Super Middleweight Champion, former IBO Middleweight Champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer....
, PGA golf tour, Wimbledon and U.S. Open tennis as well as national titles in athletics and hockey.
However, he is best known for his work on National Basketball League telecasts which he has hosted since 1995, leading the play-by-play commentary in almost 1000 NBL and WNBL games combined.
John also called basketball at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, including Australia's quarter-final win over Italy. Basketball was one of three sports John called at the Olympics, along with football and boxing.
Studio shows he has hosted for Fox Sports include Main Game and The Back Page.
Print media
John worked briefly for the Sunraysia DailySunraysia Daily
The Sunraysia Daily is a daily newspaper in the north-western Sunraysia region of Victoria, Australia. From its first publication in 1920 up until 14 September 2007, it was published in broadsheet format, changing to tabloid-size the following day....
in Mildura, Victoria
Mildura, Victoria
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
in 2010, before returning to his hometown of Broken Hill to take on the role of General Manager and Managing Editor of the Barrier Daily Truth
Barrier Daily Truth
The Barrier Daily Truth is the local newspaper for the remote mining town of Broken Hill, New South Wales.The Barrier Daily Truth covers a range of stories that affect local residents, including industrial news relating to the mines and stories submitted by readers such as local sport stories...
.
Since his start at the local publication, his run has been controvesial. He introduced seven Pagemaster pages to the newspaper, and also set about reducing the composing department. A campaign on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
by Broken Hill residents has seen 242 people sign on voiing their disapproval of the changes.
Other
- 1983 appointed by His Excellency the Governor as a Justice of the Peace for the State of New South Wales.
- 1989 part of the team led by Stewart Ginn which won the South Australian Open pro-am golf title.
- 1991 elected councillor for Albert Park Ward of Woodville City Council, South Australia.
- 1992 named "Best Sportscaster" in the Better Hearing Australia Clear Speech Awards. He was also named by Cleo magazine as one of the 50 most eligible bachelors in Australia.
- 2011 voted Australia's worst Managing Editor by Forbes Magazine.