Nine News Content and Appearance

NINE ANNOUNCES SENIOR APPOINTMENTS IN TV NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

Nine today announced senior appointments within its TV News & Current Affairs division, including a National News Director role, a new Sydney News Director and a new US Bureau Chief.

Nine Director of TV News & Current Affairs Fiona Dear announced Hugh Nailon has been promoted into a newly created role of National TV News Director. Nailon, who will remain as Melbourne TV News Director, will provide dedicated oversight of Nine’s State TV News Directors and will report to Dear.

Highly experienced journalist Michael Best has been appointed TV News Director in Sydney. A 20-year veteran of the industry, Best will oversee the operations of Nine’s largest TV newsroom.

It’s a return to Nine for Best who previously held reporting and leadership roles as Nine’s Europe Correspondent based in London and Senior Reporter in Brisbane, as well as News Director in Perth - a role he held for more than three years. Since leaving Nine in 2022, Best has gone on to senior communications and leadership roles at Tattarang and Minderoo, and Gladstone Ports Corporation.

Kendall Bora has been appointed US Bureau Chief. Currently the Executive Producer of the Today Show, Bora will be relocating to Los Angeles to lead Nine’s US coverage at a crucial time in global affairs.

Fiona Dear said: “These three appointments underline the calibre of people we have leading our News & Current Affairs at Nine.

“Hugh is one of Australia’s most experienced news leaders, with widespread respect across the industry. He was the standout candidate for this national leadership role. Hugh has done a terrific job unofficially acting in this capacity since December, so I am excited to formalise this appointment.

“We’re excited to welcome Michael home to Nine and to 9News Sydney. Michael is a collaborative and supportive leader and a passionate newshound, which is a winning combination for this role. We’re particularly excited about his ability to hit the ground running at Nine, while bringing a new and fresh perspective to the Sydney newsroom.

“Kendall has had a stellar run at Today Show as EP and has spearheaded a number of transformative projects, including the streamlining of the entire Today Show team. With the global focus on all things America, I’m excited about what she can achieve as head of Nine’s famed US bureau.”

Hugh Nailon said: “Working for 9News is an absolute privilege. I am looking forward to continuing in this new role, which allows me to support and inspire the talented teams in Nine’s newsrooms around the country and our foreign bureaus.”

Michael Best said: “I am proud and excited to be returning to 9News. I have always believed in the critical role great journalism plays in society. At a time when we have unlimited access to information, we need a trusted source that we can rely on to make informed decisions every day for our families, our businesses and our lives. Now, more than ever, Sydney needs the facts. That’s what 9News Sydney delivers every single day. I am looking forward to continuing the important legacy of 9News Sydney and building our connection with the people who are the heart of this great city.”

Kendall Bora said “For the best part of a decade, ‘Today’ has been my home. Leaving the sharpest and funniest breakfast show in Australia was a decision I agonised over, but the pull of a new challenge in America was too strong. I’ll be working with what I consider to be the best foreign bureau in the business and am excited to play a role in shaping the network’s foreign content in one of the most dynamic political periods for the US.”

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Following a culture review, I am surprised all the director appointments are males.

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Nine Sydney broke into programming twice this afternoon:

Videos

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Appears to be camera issues on the afternoon news in Sydney. Sophie keeps on looking at different camera but they don’t change?

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On the day Paterson was sacked by Nine, she claims she was asked to attend a snap, seven-minute meeting with Dear, who appeared via videolink from Sydney, and told her employment had been terminated effective immediately.

She was then immediately escorted from the building without a chance to farewell staff or retrieve her puppy from her office, which had been there as part of Nine’s official pets-at-work policy.

Instead, she was forced to wait in the station’s car park while an HR staff member was sent to retrieve the pooch, along with some of her personal affects, and hand them back to her in front of shocked staffers.

She claims Dear cited a string of trivial workplace offences as the reason for her dismissal.

They included failing to complete her in-house online ‘training modules,’ botching the contract extension for one of her staff members, and an office incident in which she made a lighthearted reference to the recent removal of ‘d***heads’ from the company.

Report from today

Sacked Channel 9 journalist Amanda Paterson fights for job in unfair dismissal claim

A senior Brisbane media figure accused of making an inappropriate comment about network “dickheads” as she was sacked late last year is fighting to get her job back.

Nine Entertainment’s former Queensland News boss has had her complaint of unfair sacking mentioned for the first time in the Fair Work Commission.

Amanda Paterson’s case against Nine Entertainment Co Pty Ltd and ex boss Fiona Dear was listed for an in-chambers hearing in Brisbane before Nicholas Lake, a deputy president of the FWC.

Ms Paterson, who was not at the FWC for the hearing, has accused Ms Dear, Nine’s director of news and current affairs, of unlawfully sacking her on November 7.

Escorting her out without allowing her to collect her things does appear a bit tough, given the reason for dismissal.

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Michael Best has come a long way. I remember when he was a junior reporter for 7Qld in Bundaberg.

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Dumped news exec asked to delete audio of her sacking

Recordings of former Nine Brisbane news boss Amanda Paterson being fired have surfaced including the part where she was asked to delete the legally-obtained audio.

Later that evening, Dear became aware Paterson had made an audio recording of the meeting. In Queensland, it is not an offence to make covert recordings of private conversations.

The following day, a representative from Nine’s People & Culture department phoned Paterson, telling her that Dear would like her to delete the recording of the termination meeting.

The recording was not deleted. The Australian has also obtained a copy of the phone conversation between Paterson and the Nine staffer from HR.

The Australian did not receive any of the aforementioned audio recordings from Paterson.

Paterson is seeking a seven-figure sum from Nine for unlawful termination, reputational damage and personal hurt.

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Technical problems at the start of the Melbourne bulletin. Audio during the opening headlines failed to work.

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Sydney sport tonight

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The first few bars of this, was this from Nightline theme? Or just a variant of the regular news theme? Either way they should use it again.

what a great ad

And as of a few weeks ago, no one in the endframe remains at the network.

So? I think that’s to be expected given how old it is.

Did I say it wasn’t?

The breathy “EVERYWHERE” sounds really awful now.

And annoying the amount of times it’s repeated but the slogan much better.

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and the original …

1990 - Promo for “America’s Choice,” ABC News

Nine timed the ad break exactly for the news update about interest rates.

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