Music

Fans Are Mourning The Loss Of The Iconic Channel [V] After It Was Axed By Foxtel

Former hosts Osher Günsberg, Danny Clayton, and Jane Gazzo have paid tribute.

by Joseph Earp  5 May 2020
Channel [V] host Andrew G

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

Yesterday, Foxtel announced that it was axing Channel [V], the Australian music subscription television service that has been entertaining the nation’s youth since 1995.

It was, in a way, the second death of the channel. Back in 2016, the Channel [V] that viewers knew and loved was shuttered, quickly replaced with [V] Hits, afterwards known as [V]. And now, even [V] is gone — as well as Foxtel’s other much channels CMC and MAX. All channels will officially switch off on June 30.

It’s a sad day. Some 70 workers have lost their jobs, and another key artistic outlet has been lost at a time when the Australian music and arts scene is at its most vulnerable. We needed a channel like [V] more than ever, particularly now we are all stuck in our homes and artists are unable to tour. That we lost the outlet at such a crucial juncture is a genuine tragedy.

Related
Remember When Channel [V] Hosted A Dance Party Called Room 208?

But it’s not only a chance to mourn the loss of the channel. It’s also an opportunity to remember what it was — to honour its crackerjack intelligence and wit, and the launching pad it provided for countless artists and musicians.

That was the sentiment espoused publicly by Osher Günsberg, who launched his decorated career with a spot on Channel [V]’s By Demand, back when he was known as Andrew G.

“It is with a heavy heart that I learned Foxtel is closing their Australian based music channels in a few weeks,” Günsberg wrote, as reported by the Daily Mail. “Seventy jobs are gone, and 25 years of supporting the music industry in this country. Not to mention incubating and launching a massive wave of TV talent both on camera and off camera, people who have taken their careers far and wide since.”

Another one-time Channel [V] host, Jane Gazzo, also shared her commiserations, as did Danny Clayton.

On Twitter, longtime fans of the channel posted little sweet tributes of their own, reflecting on the sheer wealth of talent that [V] quickly became known for.

Goodbye, sweet channel. You are gone, but will not be forgotten.