Veteran Queensland TV and radio news journalist Chris Adams has died at the age of 78. His wife, Helen Goltz, made the announcement of Chris’ death in a Facebook post: “My beloved husband, Chris Adams, passed away today, 12 September, at 5am…he had a big, enviable life as a journalist and producer that saw him cover many major stories and travel the world”. HIs final radio role was as the news director for both 4BC and 4BH.

In 2007, Jocks’ Journal interviewed Chris about his career. See below.

What’s your place and date of birth?

Melbourne, August 22, 1948

Where and when did you commence your radio career?

– I started as a jock at 4AY in Townsville on Christmas Eve 1970. I moved from Melbourne to take up the role. I started doing nights and ended up doing morning talkback.

What other media roles have you had prior to your news editor role?

– I moved to Brisbane in 1972 but went overseas for a while. When I came back I stated at 4BC as a news cadet. I worked in the Newsroom and filled in for Hayden Sergeant when he was unwell. I got my “break” when Mike Willisee came in for an interview. He offered me a reporting job on his TV current affairs show. I had 21 years in television working for the Nine’s “Today Tonight” in Brisbane from ’79 until ’85 and ran “State Affair” on Seven for a number of years as well. I then took over the role of Defence Department Correspondent for the network, covering Australian defence operations during Gulf War One from on board HMAS Sydney and HMAS Brisbane and our troop operations in Somalia in 1993. I also produced documentaries for the Seven Network and worked on Today Tonight in various producing roles.     

What’s one of the ‘trickiest’ names you’ve had to pronounce on air?

– Funnily enough the word I had the most trouble with… and it only ever happened once… was the word “Vietnam”. For some reason I kept saying Viet-na-nam while I was reading a story. I have no idea why, but I couldn’t get it out properly. Because this kept happening, I was looking for the last time I had to say the word in the story. I got through that OK… but then finished the item by pronouncing the name of the US General in charge Westmore-more-land instead of Westmoreland.    

Which news story has been the most memorable in your career?

– Different stories stick in your mind for different reasons. I covered the Kempsey bus crash for the Seven Network… 35 people died there and for sheer carnage it was about the worst I’ve seen. For outpouring of human sentiment nothing will compare with the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. For human tragedy the famine in Somalia in the early 90’s will be with me forever. We went to one orphan’s camp where they were losing about 60 children a day to starvation. But as an eye opener I was lucky enough to go to China in 1980 at the end of the Cultural Revolution, before they allowed any westerners back in. We went to places where the younger population had never seen Europeans. It was remarkably primitive and to see how they managed to feed a thousand million people every day was just remarkable.    

Which news presenter – radio or TV- do you greatly admire?

– My heroes, if you like, were Tony Charlton and Mike Willessee. When I first saw Jana Wendt reading the Channel 10 news in Melbourne I thought she was the best thing I had ever seen on television. Of the current crop it’s hard to go past Andrew Denton as a TV interviewer and for absolute brilliance on radio Ross Stevenson, who co-hosts breakfast on 3AW, and Greg Cary, who does afternoons on 4BC are my picks as masters of their craft. 

You can read a full detailed story on his life and career at https://brenden-wood.medium.