Vincent Smith

Vincent Smith (21 March 1943 – 20 April 1991) was an Australian journalist and broadcaster.

Early life Vincent Ross Smith was born in Perth, Western Australia on 21 March 1943. Smith was born in the Tresillian Hospital, Nedlands, to parents Ross and Ina.

Both his father Ross Smith (Charles David) and grandfather Charles Patrick Smith were involved in the newspaper business in Perth, with Charles Patrick Smith the managing editor of West Australian Newspapers Ltd.

Vincent grew up in the Perth suburb of Claremont, where his grandfather also had a home. Smith's father, Charles David Ross, is listed on the 1963 Electoral Roll as a journalist living in Claremont.

While working in Canberra, Smith met Susan Marks. They married on 22 July 1968 in Mount Kisco, Westchester, New York.

Later life

Newspaper journalist

Smith began his journalistic career with the West Australian in the 1960s, before switching to The Australian followed by The National Times.

Radio announcer

In the early 1970s, Smith became an announcer for an afternoon radio show on 2UE in Sydney – a current affairs program, working with his close friend Mike Carlton. "For news director Vincent Smith, the newsroom revamp is a major step and will bring about a dramatic change of image. 'We want to develop a concept of authoritative, mature news,' Smith said, "I've tried to recruit a team of mature on-air journalists. TV news today seems orientated toward youth which can give a naive image. Our new look will be unlike anything seen before on Australian television. We'll reinforce a business-like authority so viewers can look toward us as an authoritative news coverage.'"ATN-7 reportedly spent $500,000 in the revamp of its newsroom. The revamp included the following changes: Departure of veteran news presenter Roger Climpson as dual newsreader; Ross Symonds took over as chief news presenter; Ten new journalists, including Kerry O'Brien (formerly 4-Corners on ABC-TV), Jim Cannon (Perth), Michelle Schofield (ABC) and Kay Stammers (TEN-10).

In December 1981, speculation was rife surrounding the future of George Negus on Nine's 60 Minutes, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting Smith and Negus had been seen having lunch at media hangout Eric's Seafoods Fish Cafe in Crows Nest, significant (the article implied) because Smith was news director ATN-7

The meeting with Negus was also seen in the context of Smith's revamp of Seven's newsroom the previous month. He is reported to have said "There was just one lunch – and we're just good friends", and in the same article Jacqueline Lee Lewes writes that "Smith, who, it must be said, is rather enjoying all the fuss that this one matey meeting has caused".

Smith hosted the Seven network news program 11AM for several years during the 1980s.

Return to radio Smith left Seven in 1986 and returned to radio, becoming the producer for the John Laws show at 2GB in Sydney.

Kepert described one of Smith's descriptive and more anthropomorphic paragraphs as "gush like a breathless romance": "She reflected on the set of his head, the way it thrust powerfully forward and down from his blowholes to the fine line of his tightly closed jaw ... Nika noted in Musco that the smug expression was tempered somehow by an overall look of good humour ... She liked this whale."

Tributes On 21 April 1991 the Canberra Times published an article headlined "'The thinking man's broadcaster dies at 48".

The South Australian premier at the time, John Bannon, repeated the compliment, going on to say "He dealt with serious events and put all points of view" and "He knew which issues touched people. He could boil complex arguments down so ordinary people could understand them, both on the air and in print.".