Jana Wendt Biography – Jana Wendt Wiki
Jana Wendt born Jana Bohumila Wendt is an Australian Gold Logie award-winning television journalist, reporter, and writer. Beginning as a researcher for ABC, her television career started as a news presenter for the ATV-10 evening news. In 1982 she then went on to be one of the first reporters on the Australian Nine Network’s version of 60 Minutes, as well as filing stories for the American CBS 60 Minutes. She was the host of A Current Affair, also on Nine, until 1993, and host of Australian Dateline on SBS and Witness on Seven. She also did a number of specials for the ABC. She returned to Channel Nine in 2003 to host Sunday.
Rumors of her departure from Nine started in June 2006, when the network announced it would merge its Sunday and Business Sunday programs. Leaks to the print media, reportedly from high levels within Nine and described by journalists as “ham-fisted”, revealed that the network wanted to replace Wendt with Ellen Fanning. Then CEO Eddie McGuire in particular was accused of trying to “white-ant” Wendt. On September 1, 2006, it was announced that she would leave the Nine Network. News reports suggested she would receive a payout of more than A$2 million in lieu of the remaining two and a half years of her contract.
The absence of Wendt on the Sunday program’s relaunch on September 3, 2006, was met with an unprecedented number of complaints that flooded the Nine Network’s switchboard. She was then sacked from her regular “Lunch” column for The Bulletin magazine, due to the association the magazine has with the Nine Network; both had the same parent company, PBL.
On September 12, 2006, just ten days after she left the Nine Network, Wendt agreed to appear on stage at the Seven Network’s 50 Years of Television presentation, where she co-presented the News and Current Affairs section with Sydney news presenter Ian Ross, another former Nine Network employee.
Wendt presented the Logies Hall of Fame award to the program 60 Minutes at the 2018 Logies. In 2004, a painting of Wendt by artist Evert Ploeg won the Packing Room Prize at the Archibald Prize. She won the 1992 Gold Logie Award for her role as host of A Current Affair. She was not at the presentation to accept her award, citing commitments to A Current Affair, based in Sydney, while the awards were being presented in Melbourne. In 1997, she delivered the second Andrew Olle Media Lecture.
She has authored two books: A Matter of Principle, Melbourne University Press, 2007, and Nice Work, Melbourne University Press, 2010. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts (French, Honours) in 1979.
Jana Wendt Age
She was born in Melbourne, Australia on May 9, 1956. She was born in Melbourne to Czech parents who emigrated to Australia in 1949.
Jana Wendt Husband
She got married to producer Brendan Ward in 1984 and they have one son.
Jana Wendt Children
She is a mother to one son, Daniel Ward.
Jana Wendt Nationality
She is of Australian nationality.
Jana Wendt Instagram
She is not active on social media platforms.
