David Koch (television presenter)
David 'Kochie' Koch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 March 1956 |
| Occupation(s) | Seven Network Journalist financial commentator |
David James Koch, (pronounced Kosh), nicknamed Kochie (pronounced Kosh-ee), (born 7 March 1956) is an Australian television personality and financial commentator. He currently presents Seven Network's Sunrise morning program each weekday, as co-host with Melissa Doyle. Koch and Doyle also co-host another Seven Network production Where Are They Now. Koch hosts Australia's top-rated small business show, Kochie's Business Builders, which airs on Sundays on the Seven Network.
Financial journalism
Koch founded Personal Investment magazine and My Business magazine, the largest-circulation small business magazine in Australia. He also provides business and financial commentary for several publications, including Pacific Magazines and AFR Investor. He was formerly associated with Palamedia, a media organisation devoted to business and financial news.
Koch was a director of the NSW Small Business Development Corporation for eight years after its inception in 1996. As a former business owner and operator and now director of Pinstripe Media Pty Ltd, David speaks regularly at corporate events about small business, finance and investment issues.
Recognition
Nominated for a Silver Logie in 2004 and 2005 for Best TV Presenter, Koch has helped Seven and Sunrise's ratings against the Nine Network's Today program.
Koch has written several practical books on family and business financial management; he has also published a book of jokes compiled from his daily joke segment on TV, this was parodied in an episode of the Chaser's War on Everything where reading jokes from "Kochie" was the only thing that got a laugh at a stand-up comedy club. In a survey conducted by Money Management newspaper, his peers recognised him as one of the 10 most influential people of all time in the financial services industry.[citation needed]
"Kochie" as he is known, is frequently parodied on the television show Comedy Inc., played by Paul McCarthy. Reader's Digest listed him in the top 50 Most Trusted Australians.[citation needed]
In 2007, readers of Banking and Finance Magazine voted Koch Australia's Best Finance Journalist while the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia presented him with the "Small Business Champion award" in recognition of his support of Australian small business.[citation needed]
He was named 2007 Australian Father of the Year by the Australian Father's Day Council on 31 August, 2007.[1]
He appeared on Australian soap opera Home and Away in 2007 and he appeared on All Saints in 2004 as an Elvis impersonater.
Koch is a die hard supporter of Port Adelaide Power in the AFL.
Criticism
Since leading Sunrise to ratings success over rival Nine Network program Today, Koch has become a frequent target for criticism from management and on-air talent from the rival network and from the ABC series Media Watch.
In April 2006, Koch walked the Kokoda Track in remembrance of Anzac Day. He was accompanied by his son A.J., his brother, his nephew, fellow newsreader Natalie Barr's husband Andrew, politicians Joe Hockey and Kevin Rudd, and Rudd's son. Their journey was documented for Sunrise and finished with a televised Anzac Day service, during which Koch's group controversially wore t-shirts advertising Seven News, which were prominently visible in the Sunrise program's broadcast. Koch strenuously denied any impropriety.
In May 2006, Koch and Sunrise program co-host Melissa Doyle were acquitted of contempt charges in a Melbourne Local Court. The charge arose after the name of a 14-year-old boy was published in a case in which the boy sought a guardianship order against his parents. The Seven Network and the show's producer were found guilty of the offence and convicted.[2]
On May 9, 2006, Koch covered the Beaconsfield mine rescue live from Beaconsfield when the trapped miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb were rescued. Todd Russell was a fan of Sunrise, and had been sending messages to Koch while trapped through rescue workers.[3] While being transported to the hospital, Koch claimed that Russell invited him into the ambulance.[4] After Koch's claim was not able to be verified by the emergency workers in charge of the vehicle, the Nine Network later aired an advertisement showing Koch jumping into the ambulance, describing him as an "ambulance chaser".[5] Koch later appeared on the ABC's The Glass House and talked about the incident, defending his actions.
In an October 2007 column for The Sun-Herald, Koch plagiarised verbatim three lines from a column in The Sunday Telegraph. He stated to Media Watch: "... it has since been pointed out to me that these 3 sentences look as though they came from a similar story in another newspaper. While that was not obvious in the research brief it isn't an excuse and I take full responsibility for the mistake."[6]
References
- ^ "Kochie named Father of the Year". Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- ^ Channel 7 Stars Cleared in Contempt Case. ABC News Online. Accessed 2006-12-12
- ^ Meade, Amanda (11 May 2006). "Eddie gets the media brawl rolling". The Australian. p. 2.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Tippet, Gary (9 May 2006). "Free at last". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1.
[Todd Russell] opened the side door and beckoned to the waiting Channel Seven Sunrise presenter David Koch to come over. Koch hopped into the vehicle and the two exchanged warm greetings for a few moments before he got out again.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Connolly, Ellen (2006-05-28). "TV ratings war gets personal". The Sunday Mail. p. 11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Media Watch: Koch-y Kat (15/10/2007)". Retrieved 2007-10-27.