Queen of Breakfast TV:

Appointed editor of Dolly magazine at the age of 21, Lisa Wilkinson is one of the country’s most admired and respected woman journalists.

She was head-hunted by the late Kerry Packer after tripling Dolly’s circulation and offered the role as editor of CLEO magazine, which she guided to new circulation highs and it becoming the No.1 selling women’s lifestyle magazine per capita in the world.

The mother of three and now Today Show presenter is the second woman journalist to ever be chosen to present Andrew Olle Media Lecture in October. 

The prestigious Andrew Olle Media Lecture is held in honour of one of the ABC’s who died of a brain tumour in 1995. His widow, Annette, set up a Trust to encourage brain cancer research. In recent years the Olle Fund for Brain Cancer Research has supported Dr Kerrie McDonald, who is now Head of the Neuro Oncology (brain cancer) Group at the Lowy Cancer Research Centre (part of the University of NSW). The Andrew Olle Media Lecture focuses on the role and future of the media. The Lecture has continued to grow in stature since its inception in 1996.

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to be asked by the ABC to deliver this year’s Andrew Olle Lecture,” says Lisa Wilkinson.

“I had the pleasure of knowing Andrew and he really was the journalist’s journalist. Looking at the list of past presenters is a little daunting and to be only the second female journalist invited to deliver the lecture makes it even more special and I really hope I can do it justice.”

Lisa Wilkinson follows a long line of distinguished speakers, including Laurie Oakes, Ray Martin and Jana Wendt.

It has been a busy few weeks for breakfast television with Channel Ten announcing its new breakfast show Wake Up will be fronted by Natarsha Belling, James Mathison and Natasha Exelby, as well as Samantha Armytage’s replacement of Melissa Doyle on Sunrise after 14 years at the helm.

Lisa told the Sun-Herald that "you’d be a fool to feel safe on TV, it's a very fickle industry and I accepted that from day one."

Lisa also says she is clear what she wants to say about the industry and recent events, including what happened to Melissa Doyle and a recent article by Geoff Barker, who said he was not able to concentrate on the news with too many blondes with 'big boobs'.