Derryn Hinch was asked to be one of founding 60 Minutes reporters
Derryn Hinch describes it as the ‘one that got away’ — the dream TV gig as one of the founding members of 60 Minutes. Here’s why he had to turn the offer down.
Entertainment
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DERRYN Hinch has revealed he was approached to be one of the original three reporters on 60 Minutes but in a twist of fate he had to turn down one of the great jobs in Australian television.
Hinch described the iconic show as “the one that got away” in his illustrious career.
He said he was asked to join George Negus and Ray Martin as the founding trio of hard nosed reporters on the program, however he had already been courted for a radio deal.
“People say, ‘Hinch is bullshitting,’ he did not get asked to do it,” Hinch told the Herald Sun’s Sacked Showbiz podcast.
“It was meant to be Ray Martin, George Negus and Derryn Hinch.
“This was 1978, I imagine, when 60 Minutes started. I had just done a handshake deal with 3XY (radio station in Melbourne) and I felt morally I couldn’t not honour the agreement.
“I had flown down from Sydney and moved to Melbourne (for 3XY) and I got a phone call from Peter Meakin who was the first producer for 60 Minutes and he offered me the job.
“The only way I know, they all know, I was telling the truth, (was) I was talking to George Negus one day - Ian Leslie got the job and I didn’t - and I said to Negus, ‘I am not bullshitting, George,’ I said, ‘I know in 1978 they were paying you $700 a week because they were going to pay us all $700 a week,’ and he looked at me and said, ‘you are right, you are right’.”
Hinch said Kerry Packer, who owned Channel 9, had a unique negotiating tactic with his 60 Minutes stars.
“A couple of years after it (60 Minutes) was going and it was very, very successful, George gets on to (9 executive) Sam Chisholm and Sam calls Kerry and says, ‘well, I got the phone call you expected, Negus wants more money’,” Hinch recalled.
“So they go to the local Willoughby pub near Channel 9 and Kerry and George are there and Kerry says, ‘well, I expected the phone call and expected this meeting. Why don’t we make this simple. You write on this beer coaster what you think you are worth and I will write on my beer coaster what I reckon I can pay you and while you’re thinking about it I am going to the dunny.’
“So off goes Kerry to the toilet and when he comes back he leans over in front of George, picks up his beer coaster, looks at it and says, ‘OK,’ and never shows him his.
“What a classic way to negotiate money.”
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