A media veteran with experience spanning back to 1948, Nigel Dick, AM, has passed away aged 89.
Nigel was born 15th March 1928 in the UK, and immigrated to Australia aged 12 in the late 1940s. He became an Australian citizen in 1949.
In 2016, Nigel distilled insights from his 60-year career into a University of Melbourne PhD thesis (titled ‘Media Mavericks’), who then at age 87, was one of the oldest people to complete a doctorate at the university.
Back in 2011, Nigel shared some of his many notable career experiences with radioinfo.
He described working in numerous companies as a radio and TV executive, and as manager and then CEO of Packer-owned GTV9 in Melbourne, was an instrumental figure in acquiring 3AK Melbourne in the 1960s.
In 1969/70 Nigel accepted the role of Director of Television and Broadcasting for the Herald and Weekly Times Ltd and Chairman of HSV7 Melbourne.
He had responsibility for chairing the 3DB/3LK board of management. In hindsight, Nigel described as a ‘masochistic moment’ his return to the Packer group, with responsibility to the Packers for all their television and radio interests.
When Nigel and Sir Frank Packer came to a ‘parting of the ways’, he turned down an offer from the Ansett group to become CEO of Austarama Television (ATV). Instead, Nigel went to Victorian Broadcasting Network Limited (VBN) as its managing director and later its executive chairman.
And it was Nigel who instigated the change in the VBN name to Southern Cross Communications Ltd (with Pride in Australia under the Southern Cross).
From 1986 to 1978 Nigel spent time as the Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). He had accepted a three year contract while the Corporation was undergoing change under the Lange Labor Government.
After returning to Australia, Nigel worked as a consultant in the radio and television industries. He also became the chairman of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria .
In 1994 Nigel, was made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the media and the community, and was on the Media Studies Advisory Committee at RMIT University for over a decade.
Nigel was diagnosed with dementia and moved into a nursing home, passing away just before his 90th birthday.
Nigel was husband to Beverley, father to Peter, Garry, and Debbie, father-in-law to Chris (dec), Gary and Jennifer, grandfather to David, Daniel, Sarah and Joel, step grandfather to Larisa and Natalie, grandfather-in-law to Alex.
Details of memorial service to be advised.