[1] Among his reporting assignments was, in 1973, coverage of French nuclear testing at Muroroa Atoll from on board the frigate HMNZS Otago, for which he was awarded the New Zealand Special Service Medal in 2002.
He also received industry recognition for his work as an investigative current affairs reporter and a producer of election night programmes.
[2] During his time at TVNZ, the network was accused by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark of being "shamelessly ratings driven" according to a report.
[citation needed] In 2009, Brown likened the cash-strapped broadcaster to Dickensian character Oliver Twist who kept asking the Australian Government for more funding.
[8] After Brown had announced his retirement, Michael Ebeid, former Australian Broadcasting Corporation head of strategy and marketing, was appointed as the new CEO and managing director of SBS, commencing on 13 June 2011.