Peter Williams has had a long and distinguished career as a sports broadcaster and newsreader. He began his broadcasting career in radio while still in his teens, then joined TVNZ as a sports reporter and commentator in 1979. He went on to present major events such as the Olympic Games and the Rugby World Cup.

Peter Williams has had a long and distinguished career as a sports broadcaster and newsreader. He began his broadcasting career in radio while still in his teens, then joined TVNZ as a sports reporter and commentator in 1979. He went on to present major events such as the Olympic Games and the Rugby World Cup. Since the 90s Williams has read the news on TV ONE’s Breakfast, and on primetime weekend bulletins.

In this ScreenTalk, Williams talks about:

• Being very nervous for his first live studio broadcast
• The stresses of putting together weekend show One World of Sport
• Interviewing Kiri Te Kanawa for A New Zealand Night at Covent Garden
• The unsophisticated yet ground-breaking coverage of the 1987 Rugby World Cup
• Being involved in sports quiz show A Question of Sport
• Preferring the early morning shift of reading the news on Breakfast
• Working with the mercurial broadcaster Paul Henry
• The daily grind of covering the Commonwealth and Olympic games
• Getting the tone right when hosting the Pike River Remembrance
• Seeing himself as a competent but not exceptional broadcaster

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

NZ On Screen: Camera and Editing – Andrew Whiteside