No Man’s Land – Nostalgia Central

1 9 7 3 – 1 9 7 6 (Australia)

This daytime current affairs program produced “by women for women” and presented by an all-female lineup, was conceived as a result of the findings of a survey by the Women’s Electoral Lobby in Australia which showed most women were bored with daytime television.

The broadcast began on GTV-9 Melbourne on Monday 11 June 1973 with Tanya Halesworth hosting. The show – which was broadcast at 1.30 pm each day – was extended to TCN-9 Sydney the following year.

Mickie de Stoop took over as host in May, following Halesworth’s surprise resignation.

A local Sydney version aired briefly in 1974, hosted by Sue Smith, with reporters Maureen Earl, Penny Spence and Maria Quinn (all pictured below).

No Man’s Land achieved spectacular results on a shoestring budget but, unfortunately, was eventually moved to an unworkable 3.30 pm timeslot – arguably the worst time in any housewife’s schedule to sit and watch television, with children to collect from school and people arriving home.

The show was finally axed on 22 May 1976 after running into censorship problems – one segment showed a full-frontal nude shot of a woman bathing, and another featured a couple of four-letter words, earning a knuckle-rapping letter from the Broadcasting Control Board.

Mickie de Stoop and producer Di Rolle moved on to another daytime women’s show, Shoulder to Shoulder (1977­–78), for ATV-0 Melbourne, but were forced by station management to produce lighter, entertainment-driven stories over the more informative, newsworthy content.

Host
Tanya Halesworth (1)
Mickie (Michele) de Stoop (2)
Sue Smith (Sydney)
Reporters
Kay Stammers
Susan Peacock
Andrea Lee-Steere
Carryl Browne
Robyn Miller
Gail Jarvis
Julie Foster
Sandi Ryan
Jan McGuinness
Jeanne Pratt
Deborra-Lee Furness
Maureen Earl (Sydney)
Penny Spence (Sydney)
Maria Quinn (Sydney)