Sky News, Harvey Norman and Sony Music are teaming up with some of the country’s biggest music stars as part of the Paul Murray Live Our Town broadcast initiative touring the country in 2019.
Paul Murray Live Our Town will see the #1 Sky News program and its host Paul Murray visit 10 regional locations in 10 months, celebrating the uniqueness of each town while hearing from residents about the issues and challenges facing Australia’s heartland.
First stop on the Paul Murray Live tour is Toowoomba with the special episode broadcasting on Wednesday 20 February from 9pm AEDT on Sky News Live on Foxtel and on regional free-to-air channel Sky News on WIN.
As part of the initiative, principal partner Harvey Norman is joining forces with the Country Women’s Association (CWA) to help raise funds for families in those towns and nearby regions who are in need whether it be due to drought, flood, fire or other issues that have impacted on the area.
Katie Page, Harvey Norman CEO said: “The Harvey Norman brand is in over 110 country towns Australia-wide. Through our franchisees we see first-hand how every rural city and town has a different profile and unique community experience. We are proud to partner with Paul Murray Live Our Town for 2019 – so together we can give these vital cities and towns the national platform they deserve.
“The first stop on the ten-stop tour is Toowoomba, Harvey Norman has been operating in this thriving regional city since 1988. Our franchisees and their staff are part of the local business and social networks. We know through our franchisees, their staff and associates that the surrounding districts have been hit hard by the drought. We will partner with the Country Women’s Association in every district on the Our Town tour to understand where we can make a lasting contribution to the women and children of the local area. Every town will be different, but we will leave it up to the experts – the CWA and our franchisees and their staff to determine how we deliver real support.”
In each episode host Paul Murray will be joined by a Sony Music artist who will give a live, on location performance and interview during the broadcast. Artists joining the tour will include some of Australia’s biggest names in music and rising stars including Conrad Sewell, Jessica Mauboy, Samantha Jade, Daryl Braithwaite and Dami Im. Acclaimed country-music star Adam Harvey will join Paul Murray for the first Our Town show in Toowoomba.
Denis Handlin, chairman & CEO, Australia & New Zealand and president, Asia, Sony Music Entertainment, commented: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Sky News and Paul Murray Live for this exciting new series, Our Town. This monthly show will be an enriching and emotional experience for both our artists and the people of regional Australia. We look forward to working with Paul Whittaker, Paul Murray and the brilliant team at Sky News to bring the power of our artists and their music to the communities that are very much the backbone of Australia.”
In a partnership first for Harvey Norman and Sony Music, the sponsorship extends across Sky News-owned assets including integrated broadcast content with amplification across Sky News digital and social platforms.
Paul Whittaker, Sky News chief executive said: “We’re thrilled to have two leading brands partner with Sky News to bring Paul Murray Live Our Town to life. Together with Harvey Norman and Sony Music, this tour will not only have a positive impact on the local communities we visit, it will be must watch TV.”
Paul Murray added: “I’m excited and honoured that organisations of the class and standing of Harvey Norman and Sony Music are backing us up for Our Town. They, like Sky News are both deeply invested in the communities, little towns and big cities that make Australia the special place this is. We are all committed to making this a celebration of those places and a night to remember in every town we are showcasing. I can’t thank Katie Page and Denis Handlin enough for their passion and drive to make Our Town something special.”