Aaron Kearney (born 3 July 1971) is a multi-award winning broadcaster, journalist, sports commentator and the 44th MEAA Prodi Journalist of the Year. He has covered some of the world's major sporting events from the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

, to the

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

and

Rugby League World Cup The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by senior men's national teams who each represent member nations of the International Rugby League who run and administer the tournament. The tournament has be ...

s and

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

and

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

. He is the creator of a 'Sports Broadcast for Development Commentary' system used at the 2019

FIFA Women's World Cup The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior list of women's national association football teams, women's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Footb ...

in France. It was first adopted in Australian indigenous communities in

Tiwi Islands The Tiwi Islands ( meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island, Bathurst I ...

and later the basis for Pacific-wide coverage of the

2015 Pacific Games The 15th Pacific Games, also known as Port Moresby 2015 or POM 2015, was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, from 4 to 18 July 2015. It was the fifteenth staging of the Pacific Games as well as the third to be hosted in Port Moresby. More tha ...

in Papua New Guinea. On 7 June 2020, he was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

for service to the broadcast media as a radio presenter. He is currently working in media consultancy, sports diplomacy and broadcast development in Australia and overseas.

Early years

Born in Newcastle, Kearney is the son of journalist Malcolm Kearney and Pennie Kearney, a former schoolteacher and now Chief Executive of welfare organisation Mai-Wel. Kearney's family moved to Woodville, near

Maitland Maitland may refer to: Places *Maitland, New South Wales, Australia **City of Maitland, a local government area * Maitland, South Australia, Australia * Maitland, Tasmania, Australia * Maitland, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada * Maitland, Ontari ...

when he was five years old. He has three younger sisters, Karlie, Salena and Amber. Kearney was school captain of St Peter's High School and earlier attended Maitland Marist Brothers and St John's Primary School. He studied Communications at the

University of Newcastle, Australia The University of Newcastle is a Public university#Australia, public university in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1965, it has a primary campus in the Newcastle suburb of Callaghan, New South Wales, Callaghan. The univers ...

and holds a master's degree and Graduate Certificate in Communications from

Griffith University Griffith University is a public university, public research university in South East Queensland on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of Australia. The university was founded in 1971, but was not officially opened until 1975. Griffith ...

, Australia.

Early Career (1990–2005)

Kearney began his career as a cadet journalist for

Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media (communication), media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The ...

in 1990 and was the Chief Writer and co- Editor of the Hunter Valley Weekend newspaper before joining Prime Television's fledgling Hunter news service in 1993, working as a police a political reporter before becoming the Sports presenter. An all around sports-lover, Kearney has had the opportunity to cover a range of sports across Australian media. In the year 2000, Kearney was the chief reporter for Prime's Olympic Team at the

Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

, and sports presenter and sports editor for

Prime Television Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as '' CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Ca ...

from 1994 to 2001. He was also master of ceremonies for the arrival of the Olympic Torch in the Hunter in front of an estimated crowd of 50,000. He has previously presented and produced Pirate TV, a television show about the now-defunct

Hunter Pirates The Hunter Pirates are a defunct Australian professional men's basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). It was based in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales. Team history The franchise began as the Canberra Can ...

basketball club, and provided radio commentary for National Basketball League games. Kearney hosted a popular sports/talk drive time program on 2HD from 2001 to 2003, and was a sports correspondent for Austereo Stations KOFM and

NXFM Hit106.9 (call sign: 2XXX) is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, on a frequency of 106.9 MHz, and is part of Southern Cross Austereo's Hit Network. History Hit106.9's history can be traced ...

in the early 2000s. His works as a documentary producer and presenter include 'Inner Mongolia' – a one-hour documentary tracing a four-wheel drive expedition from the far south to the northernmost regions of Asia, 'Hunter Holidays' – a Getaway style program that was co-hosted with well-known Australian presenter

Penny Cook Penelope Cook (13 July 1957 – 26 December 2018) was an Australian actress, stage director, TV presenter and writer. She played roles in the soap opera ''A Country Practice'', as Vicki Dean Bowen from 1981 to 1985, '' E Street'' as lead anchor ...

, 'Knight Fever' – a one-hour documentary tracing the

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in New ...

historic win in the 1997 Australian Rugby League Grand Final, and 'Cape Town to Cairo – The Ultimate African Safari.' The 'Cape Town to Cairo' Series consisted of four one-hour documentaries following a four-wheel drive expedition the length of Africa from the Cape of Good Hope to the Mediterranean Sea. The death-defying six weeks of filming risked Kearney and his teams' lives under extreme circumstances, dealing with everything from wildlife to rebel gangs of militia.

Radio and International Sport Career

Kearney joined the ABC in 2005, initially presenting

1233 ABC Newcastle ABC Newcastle (call sign: 2NC) is an Australian radio station. It is the Newcastle station of the ABC local radio network, and is licensed to, and serving Newcastle and surrounding areas. It operates on the AM band at 1233 kilohertz. Formerly kn ...

's Drive radio program and moving on to present the Breakfast program in 2007. In 2011, the program returned its best ratings in 30 years, beating the main talk rival for the first time. During his time as an ABC Newcastle radio host, Kearney was also a sports commentator for the ABC, having called a range of major sports from the

Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the contin ...

of football (soccer) and

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

, to the

and

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

. This commentary work was recognised by ABC Radio with an Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award in 2006. In July 2011, he was awarded a Gold Medal at the World Radio Awards in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for 'Andrew's Story, a documentary on a young paraplegic man from the Hunter. During his time on 1233's Breakfast program, Kearney has been nominated for 30 major media awards, has won a Walkley Award for Best Use of Media, and was nominated for a Best Radio Reporting Walkley for work covering devastating storms that hit eastern Australia in June, 2007. Kearney is also a freelance writer, with his work appearing in

, football website The Roar and ABC's The Drum. This freelance work was recognised when he was awarded the MEAA Prodi for Best Print Feature Writing 2011 for an

ANZAC The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was originally a First World War army corps of the British Empire under the command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the ...

feature carried by the Fairfax press and the MEAA Prodi Best Specialist Journalist. The judges said: "Aaron Kearney is a deserving winner of this award: he has demonstrated considerable talent, extending across media with apparent fearlessness and aptitude. ewrites with style and verve, shares an intrinsic sense of sentiment and nuance, and challenges modern ideology." Kearney's 2011 piece "Apocalyptic Hyperbole Leave Journalism Speechless" is a widely cited in journalistic and academic circles. Additionally, as a freelance reporter, his work has been carried by SkyNews Australia, C7 Sports Network, TV3 New Zealand, the BBC and NBC America. Kearney worked alongside

Matildas The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) s ...

goalkeeper

Melissa Barbieri Melissa Hudson Melissa Anne Barbieri (born 20 February 1980) is an Australian soccer goalkeeper who has played for Melbourne City in the A-League Women. From 2002 she represented the Australia women's national soccer team (Matildas) and was ...

as play-by-play commentator of ABC TV's W-League coverage in late 2012, while regular commentator Peter Wilkins was calling Champions League Hockey. Kearney is the creator of a Sports Commentary Training Course that has been adopted by the

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

National Broadcasting Corporation and by indigenous broadcasters in the

. An article on his course was featured in the June 2013 edition of industry journal, Walkley Magazine. Kearney was a finalist for Travel Writer of the Year at the Kennedy Awards for "Kicking Tiwi Goals", written for Fairfax. He released a CD, Kokoda – Steps to Healing, after completing the Kokoda Track in 2008. 1233's Breakfast Story Box interview segment was named the Best Two-Way Telephone Talk Interview Show at the 2013 New York Festival Radio Awards. Kearney handed a telephone to a listener in May 2012 and it has been passed from one person to another each day ever since. Each recipient is interview by Kearney live on his show. In early 2016, Kearney transferred from

ABC Newcastle ABC Newcastle (call sign: 2NC) is an Australian radio station. It is the Newcastle station of the ABC local radio network, and is licensed to, and serving Newcastle and surrounding areas. It operates on the AM band at 1233 kilohertz. Formerly kn ...

to ABC International. Here he developed a sports broadcast for development commentary system called 'Commentary for Good'. It was first adopted in Australian Indigenous communities in the

and then used for the Pacific-wide coverage of the 2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea. It will be used again at the

Women's World Cup in 2019. He has also created Sport Storytelling programs that have been adopted in six Pacific nations. His work on the Pacific Sports Partnerships earned two New York Festival World Radio Awards for Best Sports Coverage and Best News Report/Feature and two nominations, including Best Digital Sports Coverage, at the Australian Sports Commission Media Awards.

Media consultancy and sports diplomacy

In April 2019, Kearney left his full time role at ABC Newcastle to start a media and sports diplomacy consultancy AKS Media International. Kearney has worked for the Griffith Asia Institute as a Sports Diplomacy researcher. His 'Sports Broadcast for Development Commentary' system will be used at the 2019

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Personal life

He has two daughters and is married to ABC and former BBC journalist Karen "Kip" Shrosbery.

Awards

*2020

for service to the broadcast media as a radio presenter. *2019 AIPS Sports Awards – Switzerland – Audio Silver – Orchids Bloom *2018 UNESCO Photography Award *2018 Bronze Medal – New York Festival Radio Awards 2018 for "World's Best Radio Programs" – Best Sports Feature *2017 – Australian Sports Commission Media Awards – Finalist – Best Coverage of Sport for People with a Disability. *Bronze Medal – New York Festival Radio Awards 2017 for "World's Best Radio Programs" – Best Sports Coverage * Australian Sports Commission Media Awards – Finalist – Best Coverage of a Sport by an Individual * Silver Medal – New York Festival Radio Awards 2015 for "World's Best Radio Programs" – Social Issues * Kennedy Awards – Travel Writer of the Year 2013 – Finalist * Silver Medal – New York Festival Radio Awards 2013 for "World's Best Radio Programs" – Best Two-WayTelephone Talk Interview Show * Gold Medal – New York Festival Radio Awards 2011 for "World's Best Radio Programs". * Walkley Award – Best Use of Media – 52nd Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism * MEAA Prodi Journalist of the Year 2011 * MEAA Prodi Best Print Feature Writing 2011 * MEAA Prodi Best Specialist Journalist 2011 * MEAA Prodi Best Radio Journalist 2011 * MEAA Prodi Best Radio Current Affairs Special 2011 * ABC Radio Best Use of Medium Finalist 2011 * Commonwealth Government Sports Achievement Award – 1233 Challenge Cup – 2011 * Yooralla Media Award – Best Radio Documentary – 2011 * Two-time winner Australian Sports Commission Media Award for football coverage/commentary – 2007 and 2009 * ABC Radio 2010 Broadcaster of the Year Finalist * Walkley Award Nominee – Radio News Reporting – 52nd Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism- for coverage of June Long weekend Storms * ABC Radio Award – Outstanding Contribution to Sport −2006 * 2009 MEAA Prodi Awards – 2009 Radio Journalist of the Year * 2009 MEAA Prodi Awards – Radio Current Affairs Special of the Year * Paul Bodington Award for Outstanding Radio Feature/Package 2009 * 2009 Voiceless Media Awards – Finalist * ABC Radio – Program of the Year Finalist – 2008 * OPSO Media Award – Inter-Generational Journalism- 2008 * ABC Radio Award – Best New Talent finalist – 2006 * Key contributor to ABC Radio Metropolitan Station of the Year Award won by 1233. * Australian Deaf Association Clear Speech Award – First Sports Presenter to win the award in 30 years – previously won by the likes of Trish Goddard and Ross Symonds * Australian Lawn Bowls Reporter of the Year * Speedway Journalist of the Year * Australian Journalists' Association Highly Commended Sports Feature of the Year * Australian Journalists' Association Prodi Sports Feature Writer of the Year * Australian Journalists' Association PF Adams Prize for Cadet Journalist of the Year

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Aaron Living people 1971 births Australian sports broadcasters Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia