James Bracey hosted his final SportsNight on Sky News last night bringing to an end a four-day festival of Bracey after Paul Murray first revealed last Monday that Bracey would be leaving the news channel.
Bracey’s guests on his final show were former Sydney Swan Tadhg Kennelly and Sydney Morning Herald sports reporter Andrew Webster.
The final SportsNight started with tributes from Bracey to some of the people who supported his career at Sky News where he started as a teenager 12 years and eight months ago. They included former Sky News sports chief Craig Norenbergs (who has worked for the ABC, New Zealand Racing Board and is now with Al Jazeera in Doha since leaving Sky), Sky colleague Paul Gregg and Sky News chief Angelos Frangopoulos, who signed the cheques to get Bracey to five Olympic summer and winter games.
Bracey also paid tribute to Foxtel CEOs who also supported his career – Kim Williams, Richard Freudenstein and Peter Tonagh – Foxtel executive director of television Brian Walsh and finally his wife Margot, who Bracey is looking forward to spending evenings with after four years of SportsNight.
The SportsNight slot will be filled next year by a second hour of Paul Murray‘s PM Live.