Rick Ardon

Infobox Person
name = Rick Ardon


image_size = 170px
birth_date = Birth date and age|1959|3|4|df=y
occupation = "Seven News" newsreader
spouse = Erin Ardon

Rick Ardon (born 4 March 1959 in Perth, Western Australia), is a news presenter on "Seven News" in Perth, Western Australia. In 2005, Ardon and his co-anchor, Susannah Carr, celebrated their 20th consecutive year reading the news together on Seven Perth.

Education

Ardon commenced primary school at the Sacred Heart Primary School, Highgate, in 1965 and transferred in 1969 to Christian Brothers High School, Highgate, where he completed his primary and secondary schooling, leaving in 1976.

Media career

Ardon began his media career at the State's daily paper, The West Australian, where he was Cadet Journalist of the Year in 1977. In 1978 he made the move to electronic broadcasting, joining television station TVW-7 as a news journalist. By the end of the year he was also acting as relief newsreader and was rapidly promoted from the minor weekend bulletins to a regular weeknight news presenter role.

His time as a journalist at the Seven Network has seen him cover a number of significant stories, from the Gulf War of 1990-91 to the Bali Bombings of 2005 and the consequent Amrozi trial. When leaving Perth Airport for the Gulf War story, he asked a Customs Officer if covering the "Frede" before "rick" on his passport was OK. An airport employee who misheard the story told local media, with subsequent comic misreporting of "a new passport being issued" and Ardon "being detained".

Other overseas assignments include the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival. During the Sydney Olympics in 2000 Ardon presented the news to Western Australians from the Olympic Stadium. His on-screen work has been rewarded with 10 Logie Awards as Western Australias Most Popular TV Personality. In addition to his news-presenting role he has also written/produced three documentaries for the station:

* Lives in the Balance - The story of 114 whales stranded off the WA Coast.
* Riviera Rich and Raunchy - A look into the life of those on the French Riviera.
* A documentary which he himself filmed on the Pacific.

Ardon lives by the beach in Perth, allowing him to indulge in a favourite pastime, surfing.

Business interests

In 2002, Rick Ardon's wife, Erin Ardon, received approval from the City of Stirling to operate a Bed and Breakfast. [cite news
first = Robert | last = Taylor
title = News in brief
date = 2002-07-09
work = The West Australian] The Beach Manor Bed and Breakfast is operated from the couple's Scarborough property in Perth, Western Australia. [cite news
first = Gary | last = Adshead
title = Fancy a boudoir at Rick's place?
date = 2004-07-10
work = The West Australian
page = 3] On 25 April 2005, the Seven Network lifestyle program "The Great Outdoors" ran a segment which featured the property. Australian Broadcasting Corporation program "Media Watch" reported about the segment, and the failure of the Seven Network to disclose Ardon's business relationship with the property. [cite web
url = http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s1357609.htm
title = Rick Ardon's plug
work = Mediawatch
date = 2005-05-02
accessdate = 2007-01-26] Seven's then Director of Corporate Development, Simon Francis, replied that there was no conflict of interest in the segment.Quote|To suggest that "The Great Outdoors" undertook the segment for any reason other than it's a great place to visit is misplaced. The initial interest in the segment from our producers - based in Sydney - was not based on a need or desire to promote our news anchor in Perth or provide some "plug" for a business run by his wife.|Simon Francis. [cite web
url = http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/img/2005/ep09/francisa.pdf
date = 29 April 2005
author = Francis, Simon
title = Reply to Media Watch
format = PDF
accessdate = 2007-01-26]

See also

* TVW-7 (Seven Perth)
* "Seven News"

References

External links

* [http://www.7perth.com.au/7perth/prog/OpenDocument.cgi?id=V6B1IXZYGQ&tree=/A2H1J9A9H9J9&expand=1&preview=1 7 Perth Profile]