The Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority will honour the lifetime achievements of Ken Cunningham by naming the media centre in the Riverbank Stand the Ken ‘KG’ Cunningham Media Centre.
The naming, which will be formalised at an official unveiling ceremony later this month, recognises the enormous contribution KG has made to South Australian sports media.
“Like Adelaide Oval itself, Ken is a South Australian icon and we’re absolutely delighted that he has agreed to allow his name to adorn our media centre,” said Adelaide Oval SMA Chair Rob Kerin.
“He played cricket here, he umpired football here and he has spent countless hours here behind a microphone or in front of a camera – so it’s entirely fitting that his name will go on being associated with Adelaide Oval in this way.”
The naming of the media centre in KG’s honour was supported by Premier Peter Malinauskas who, together with Bruce McAvaney and Max Basheer, wrote to the Stadium Management Authority in May to recommend the idea.
Their submission was considered and ratified at the subsequent SMA Board meeting, with Ken then being approached for his consent.
“I am extremely humbled to be recognised in this way and at a place that has played such an important part in my life and is so close to my heart,” said Ken.
“Adelaide Oval is special. It is where I played much of my first-class cricket career, it is where I umpired SANFL grand finals, and it is somewhere I have absolutely loved coming to during my time in the media.
“There are so many fantastic sports journalists in South Australia, so to be recognised with this honour means everything to me.”
The official unveiling of the Ken ‘KG’ Cunningham Media Centre will take place on Monday 26 September.
About Ken ‘KG’ Cunningham
If there was anyone whose name would adorn the Adelaide Oval’s media centre, it was always going to be that of Ken ‘KG’ Cunningham.
‘KG’ began his love affair with Adelaide Oval on the cricket pitch. A left-handed batsman, he played almost 100 first-class matches for South Australia between 1961-1974, averaging 37. He captained the team on seven occasions and was three times a member of Sheffield Shield-winning teams in 1963–64, 1968–69 and 1970-71.
Showing his all-round sporting prowess, Ken was also a SANFL umpire between 1961-67, racking up a total of 130 games including four grand finals at Adelaide Oval – often finding himself trying to separate the hard men of South Australian football at a time when there was only one field umpire.
Ken then went on to become one of South Australia’s most respected sports commentators. His first foray was into television, starting with Channel 9 in 1968 where he became one of the station’s most popular personalities. During 45 years with the channel, he presented the weekend sports news and fronted various programs including KG’s Footy Show and The Sunday Footy Show.
In addition to his television commitments, Ken began working in radio in 1977. He started with Radio 5DN where he pioneered the sports talk format before moving to FiveAA in 1991 where he remained as the afternoon sports show host until 2008 – initially alongside David Hookes and then with Graham Cornes. He joined Triple M in 2010 as one of the hosts of the station’s Saturday morning sports program and would remain there until 2018 before returning to 5AA.
Famous for the expression “Strike me pink!” – a phrase that is quintessentially KG – his passion and knowledge established him as one of South Australia’s most loved and esteemed media identities.
He was recognised for his service to the media when he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 1990 Australia Day honours. He was also an inaugural inductee into the Adelaide Oval Media Hall of Fame in 2016.
Media enquiries: Phil Martin, Michels Warren PR on 0418 817 876 or pmartin@micwar.com.au
