Seven were in two minds about keeping the programme in 2013. Helen really didn’t get a chance to settle in.
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The year with Helen seemed to be plagued by technical problems and production issues, plus an inability to cover breaking news events such as the Labor leadership spill.
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I’ve always wondered why the Perth edition of Today Tonight (and, IIRC, the revived Queensland edition in 2013) omitted the electric guitar riff from its theme compared to the East Coast edition.
Perth theme; courtesy: 7newsPerth
East Coast theme; courtesy: antblog701
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What actually happened to Naomi after she left TT? I don’t think she ever recovered from a video that was leaked of her swearing.
That’s right. Her reputation was tarnished. Not just swearing, but laying into colleagues.
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I know she did some factual narrative work on Seven, as well as appearing on Dancing With the Stars and filling in for Kylie Gillies once on The Morning Show in 2009.
that was many years before she left TT? plus well before viral video times, I think it was a non issue.
People in newsrooms wouldn’t want to be too precious about the swearing habits of someone else…
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Exactly right!
If anything it made her more of an icon of the time. Everyone knew who she was.
Unfortunately, both Naomi and Anna had a hard time in the press. They hammered both of them with criticism.
That all but evaporated when Matt White joined… if that happened now it would be unacceptable. But back then it was seemingly ok.
That second shot’s quite unfortunate… looks like James Packer is patting Chris’ backside. 
Well Anna certainly had the last laugh… headhunted by CNN, where she worked as an anchor and correspondent in Hong Kong for many years, and now she’s at CBS.
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I remember a moment on Sunrise in 2010 when Kyle and Jackie O rang the show (presumably during their own live morning show on 2DAY FM) just before the 8:30am newsbreak, with the former asking if his two acts on The X Factor could perform on the show the following day.
Courtesy: Sunrise
It was also in May that year that Samantha Armytage was first paired with Kochie as a fill-in for Mel.
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Sam would co host from August 2013-March 2020
March 2021.
IIRC, Sam only announced that she was stepping down at the start of the week in which she would depart (announcement March 8, 2021, final show just three days later).
As for Kochie, he announced his departure in late-May (can’t remember the date) with his final show being June 9, 2023, while Mel announced her departure in June 2013 with her final show being on August 9.
Found this switchover from 7 News Melbourne to Today Tonight from February 2013. Notice the TT opener was pre-recorded.
Courtesy: MelbTV
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Great set up back then. Shame it didn’t workout.
Helen (and the Melbourne team) really didn’t get much of an opportunity. Seven at this time we’re in two minds about keeping the program.
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I believe the 2013 TT set was in the same space where the 2002-06 TT set was, with the show being produced from Martin Place in Sydney in between (when Naomi Robson quit the show and Anna Coren took over as the show’s host).
In Sydney, the TT set would be close to the entrance to the studio.
The BCM studio was originally designed to accommodate the two programmes.
I’m not sure if the South Melbourne studios pre 2002 had separate studios? I remember seeing a clip of Hinch and 7 Nightly News side by side in the one studio.
At least in 2000, Seven News and TT’s sets were next to each other.
Courtesy: matt01video
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