Story by: MICHAEL BODEY from The Australian
IAN Frykberg, former political journalist, founding executive producer of Today, fearsome sports-rights negotiator and a loyal Dynamic client and friend for many years, sadly died in Sydney yesterday.
Frykberg was a former NSW state political reporter before covering federal politics in Canberra. He was regarded by his peers as a great “old school” journo. “The original knockabout,” said one friend, David Hurley.
The former rugby union player moved through the ranks at the Nine Network to become a producer, helping establish the Today Show, Sunday and Business Sunday. He was the head of current affairs and sport at Nine while editing The Bulletin magazine.
He moved to London in the early 90s with former Nine boss Sam Chisholm as they aimed to establish pay-TV provider BSkyB. He became head of news and sport at BSkyB and the duo negotiated an industry-changing deal to broadcast the English Premier League on the pay platform.
Nine chief executive David Gyngell said: “Frykers will be sadly missed but long remembered as a bloke whose integrity was as huge as his frame. He was a great family man and throughout his career always the very best at his game. He was a pleasure to be with, and to deal with.”
The Seven Network’s commercial director Bruce McWilliam said Frykberg was “the ultimate sports insider, trusted by so many organisations and broadcasters to represent them or acquire rights for them”.
“He was admired and respected by everyone and his gruff negotiating style and ultimate card-playing talents for deals left few disappointed.’’
Fox Sports chief Patrick Delany added he was “a gentle giant capable of uniting parties at war”. The “impeccable counsel could say more with half a dozen words than others have achieved with a whole book”.
Frykberg became an intimidating negotiator of deals for the AFL, NRL, FFA, ARU and SANZAR, and representing the International Olympic Committee, Sky Italia, and Sky TV NZ.
One of his most consequential local deals was representing Foxtel in its negotiations with Seven; Foxtel now broadcasts every AFL game live and the TV audience has grown.
A sign of the high regard in which the industry held him was the number of visitors to his bedside this week, including by Gyngell, former News Limited and Foxtel chief Kim Williams, and former Seven chief David Leckie.
Ian became a client of Dynamic Syndications in 2009 with his first purchase the winning mare, Chomp.
During his time with Dynamic Syndications Ian became a great friend to us all, he was always keen for a chat about his horses and his kind and passionate nature was truly infectious. Frykers as he was known to many was also famous for his long lunches, several of which he enjoyed with the company of Dean throughout the years.
Every Tuesday morning the Dynamic Team knew we would be greeted by one of Ian's kind emails thanking us for his horse updates on the previous day.
(Idle Chat - Race by Ian Frykberg)
Ian has enjoyed some great sucess on the racetrack with handy Dynamic gallopers Blowin' Your Mind and Idle Chat, whilst one of his great thrills was the breeding and racing of speedy galloper Zaratone.
(Blowin Your Mind)
Ian will be missed by those that had ever has the pleasure of being in contact with him, a true gentlemen in every sense of the word.
He is survived by his wife, Caroline, and four children, who were at his bedside at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital. His oldest son, Jarrod, has followed him into the sports-rights industry.