Open Mike (TV series)
Open Mike was an Australian interview-based talk show hosted by sports journalist and writer Mike Sheahan. Each week during the Australian Football League (AFL) season, Sheahan interviewed a figure in the history of Australian football, discussing their involvement in the game, whether on-field or off-field, as well as their lives and contributions away from the game. History. The series premiered on Fox Sports Australia in 2009, before moving to Fox Sports' dedicated AFL channel Fox Footy in 2012. The show regularly aired on Monday nights at 9.30pm until moving to Tuesday nights at  8.30pm in 2016. Guests have included former champion players Kevin Bartlett, Leigh Matthews and Bob Skilton; coaching greats Kevin Sheedy, David Parkin and Malcolm Blight, and media personalities Tony Charlton, Eddie McGuire and Sam Newman. Former chief executive officer of the AFL Andrew Demetriou, former Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos, and Kevin Sheedy have also appeared twice in two separate episodes. In October 2020, it was announced by Fox Footy that Sheahan would be retiring after an 11 year stint at the station, thus concluding Open Mike. In a fitting farewell, the 234th and final episode turned the tables on  the long-time presenter, with the longtime presenters of fellow Fox Footy program AFL 360, journalists Gerard Whateley and Mark Robinson taking the hosting role and interviewing Sheahan. The episode aired on 20 October 2020. Book. Published by The Slattery Media Group in 2013, "Open Mike: Conversations with Greats of the AFL Game" is a selection of transcripts of "Open Mike" interviews from the first two seasons.