Sandra Sully and Angela Bishop reflect on 60 years of Network 10
Sandra Sully and Angela Bishop have reflected on their most memorable moments with Channel 10 as the network celebrates 60 years on the air.
As the network looks back on 60 years servicing and informing the country, two of their long-running powerhouses have looked back on their careers at Network 10.
Both Sully and Bishop have been fixtures of the 10 network since the 1990s, both carving out such influential roles within the Australian mediascape that they’ve earned Order Of Australia medals, honouring their work within the industry.
The two journalists have looked back at some of their most memorable moments in their careers, ranging from covering breaking international news, keeping industry secrets and their hardest interviews.
When asked about her most memorable news broadcasts, Sandra said that informing Australia about the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 is something that will stick with her forever.
“News strikes without warning,” Sandra tells PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“I was the deer in the headlights and in the chair that night, and it all unfolded while we were live on air. So I had to go with it.”
Sully, who was part of the Ten Late News team at the time, said she remembers her broadcast on each anniversary of the devastating attacks.
“It’s something that is actually always with me,” she continued.
“September 11 every year is always a kind of sad time for me because we all thought World War Three was going to erupt that night, that what we were watching was the beginning of World War Three."
“And I don’t think generations these days could ever fully appreciate what that was like, because news is so instant now. They can get it all day, every day, on any platform. And so it’s hard for them to appreciate what actually happened that night, and the world’s moved on. For me, it was equally daunting, challenging and rewarding.”
When working in the media industry, one thing that comes with showbiz is keeping secrets, which is something Angela Bishop learned all too well in 2010 when Oprah Winfrey was planning her trip Down Under.
“I’ve never kept something more in the vault in my life,” Angela said with a laugh.
“Oprah rarely did interviews back then because at that time she had her show on every day, she just felt she didn’t need to, because people got to see her every day. I got a great one-on-one interview with her when she came out, and then I covered her tour.
“That was an absolute pinch me moment being interviewing her up on Hamilton Island when she arrived, as two koalas started having sex right next to us in the tree.”
While secret keeping is only part of Bishop's job, she has had decades of experience interviewing celebrities around the world.
And while all of her interviews are memorable, not all of them are for the right reasons, as she explained how she struggled interviewing Sacha Baron Cohen during his pressrun for Borat in 2006.
“He was in character the whole time, from when I met him to when it ended, and I had to keep up with him, just doing all of the Borat things that Borat does,” she explains.
At one point, Borat asked her: “Where is the journalist?” and when Angelia replied that she was the journalist, Borat feigned surprise.
“We say to let a woman be a journalist is like to let a monkey fly a plane,” he quipped.
Angela said of the infamous interview, “I just had to think on my feet and in the sand while there was people around, interacting with us and everything.”
Angela and Sandra both spoke candidly about why they've stayed with the network for so long, as Angela said, “It’s the cheekiness and the risk-taking nature of the network. It’s a bold place.”
“And it’s just family. I lost my husband back in 2017 to cancer and it was really a crucial part of my healing how much support I got from 10. It felt like family here, they really looked after me during that time and so did the viewers. Channel 10 viewers are quite something.”
Sandra added, “It’s always been the culture, and it’s always been the teamwork. Television news is the epitome of teamwork."
“I’m really thrilled, honoured, privileged to be a part of the 10 family and to have been there so long. I try not to think about how long it is, and the poor audience have to put up with me, but it has been an absolute joy, because 10 have always taken it to the edge. They’ve always redefined what television is in Australia. They’ve done it with irreverence and humour, but also a strong sense of ethics and respect for the audience.”
Image credits: Network 10