theceomagazine.com | 23legend Muhammad Ali and Collingwood
full-forward Peter McKenna, when asked
to share his three greatest heroes, during
his own segment of This Is Your Life.
“Frank was by far my greatest mentor,”
he says. “The first time I had to go and
report on my own, he came down to give
me a helping hand. He showed me how
to be a reporter, how to break stories,
what to look out for, who to look out
for – all the tricks of the trade.” It didn’t
take long for the fresh-faced reporter,
with an encyclopaedic knowledge of sport,
to be earmarked as a network pin-up.
And the 90s heralded the start of his
transformation from being an interviewer
of the stars to becoming a star himself.
He became president of his beloved
Collingwood Magpies, and started his
long associations with The Footy Show and
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – all while
contributing to the Herald, and working
as a radio commentator.
“It’s been an amazing journey. I mean,
I’ve been privileged to have a ringside seat
to history,” he continues. “As my career
developed, rather than just being a
commentator, I actually started to get in
the paper myself. Then I began meeting
wonderful people, and some of my greatest
friends in life have been people I idolised
as a young boy.”
One of those is well-known TV
personality and former Geelong Cats great
Sam Newman. Eddie is currently relishing
the opportunity to revive the pair’s
captivating on-air partnership, having
returned to The Footy Show panel this
year. “Sam and I have had a lot of success
together; we’ve been through a lot of
ups and downs,” he observes. “It’s good
to be back with Sam. Not only was he
an amazing sportsman, but he’s been a
dominant figure in the media for a long
time. We have to recreate the old show
again, and that brings a lot of challenges,
but it’s a lot of fun.”
It’s also another commitment
to add to an already very full plate,
which includes running his own
production company, hosting a breakfast
radio show, and commentating for Fox
Footy, as well as his presidential duties
with Collingwood Football Club and the
Melbourne Stars. But Eddie’s no stranger
to keeping busy. In fact, his penchant for
multi-tasking earned him the nickname
‘Eddie Everywhere’.
“None of it is compulsory, so I never
whinge about the long hours,” he says.
“Sometimes you get a bit tired, but that’s
what you sign up for. If you do decide to
take something on, then you have to do
it to the best of your ability.” »Cover story