Nine News Queensland Explained

Genre:News
Presenter:News:
Andrew Lofthouse (weeknights)
Melissa Downes (weeknights)
Mia Glover (weekends)
Sport:
Jonathan Uptin (weeknights)
Dominique Loudon (weekends)
Weather:
Garry Youngberry (Sunday – Thursday)
Luke Bradnam (Friday – Saturday)
Country:Australia
Language:English
Num Seasons:54
Location:Brisbane, Queensland
Runtime:One hour (including commercials)
Network:Nine Network

Nine News Queensland is the flagship state-based news bulletin of the Nine Network in Brisbane. It is screened across Queensland on weeknights, while on weekends it is also screened on a half-hour delay in the Northern Territory.[1] Like all Nine News bulletins, the Queensland bulletin runs for one hour, from 6PM every day.[2] It comprises local, national and international news, as well as sport, weather and finance.

Unlike the other four metropolitan bulletins, this local edition of Nine News is addressed on-air by its state rather than its city.

Simulcast

The 6pm bulletin is simulcast in Brisbane on commercial radio station River 94.9, across regional Queensland on the WIN Network as well as through Nine Darwin (on weekends only) and throughout remote eastern and central Australia on Imparja Television.

History

Bruce Paige and Heather Foord co-anchored the 6pm bulletin from 1995 until 2001, when Foord joined Mike London as a weekend presenter and Jillian Whiting replaced her on weeknights. London resigned in June 2003 after allegations emerged that he had organised a female friend to complain about the presentation of weeknight presenter Bruce Paige.[3] Foord and Whiting swapped positions in 2004 with Melissa Downes taking over as weekend presenter in 2006.

Foord resigned as weeknight presenter on 5 December 2008[4] and was replaced by Melissa Downes on weeknights with Eva Milic and former ABC news presenter Andrew Lofthouse fronting weekend bulletins. A year later, Bruce Paige stepped down from the weeknight chair (he was replaced by Lofthouse) and Heather Foord returned to present weekend bulletins solo for two years. Paige returned to full-time newsreading in January 2012, fronting Nine Gold Coast News solo until he was paired with Wendy Kingston in July 2016.

In February 2018, in a minor network reshuffle, Alison Ariotti stepped down from the Weekend role. Darren Curtis anchored the bulletin before he was replaced by then-Nine News Regional Queensland presenter Jonathan Uptin.[5] [6]

In January 2023, long-serving sports presenter Wally Lewis resigned from the role, citing health concerns.[7] He was replaced by Jonathan Uptin,[8] who formerly presented the weekend news between 2018 and 2022. His position was subsequently taken over by Mia Glover.[9]

Ratings

Throughout the 1990s, and right up until the mid-2000s, Nine News Queensland was the clear-cut ratings leader in Brisbane.[10] However, when weatherman John Schluter resigned just short of what would have been his 25th anniversary with the Nine Network towards the end of 2006 (subsequently joining the rival Seven News Brisbane),[11] sports presenter Wally Lewis took sick leave after collapsing on-air during a nightly bulletin in November of the same year,[12] and rival Seven Brisbane poached then-Today news presenter Sharyn Ghidella from Nine shortly after to read its weekend news (and later weeknights),[13] the ratings declined, and in 2007, Nine News Queensland would lose its long-standing ratings dominance in the local market to the rival Seven News Brisbane.[14] [15] [16] [17] After Andrew Lofthouse and Melissa Downes took over as the chief co-presenters in mid-2009, Nine News Queensland would start to chip away at Seven's lead,[18] and by 2013 they would reclaim its mantle as the top-rating news bulletin in Brisbane.[19] [20] [21] [22] As of 2018, Nine News Queensland has lost its ratings lead to Seven News Brisbane once again.[23]

"Choppergate" controversy

The Nine News Queensland bulletins on 20 and 21 August 2011 included live coverage each night by reporters Melissa Mallet and Cameron Price, respectively, from the station's helicopter, which they claimed was "near Beerwah", where the remains of murdered schoolboy Daniel Morcombe had been found earlier that month. The reports were revealed to be fake when, on the second night, rival station Channel Seven recorded video of the Nine helicopter sitting on the helipad outside their studios at Mount Coot-tha at the time of the broadcast. Radar footage also revealed that, on the first night, the helicopter was actually hovering over Chapel Hill, 70km (40miles) away from Beerwah. Both Mallet and Price, as well as news producer Aaron Wakeley, were sacked by the Nine Network following the incident, and news director Lee Anderson accepted responsibility and resigned over the faked reports.[24] Despite the scandal, Nine experienced a spike in its 6:00 pm news ratings in the weeks that followed,[25] [26] managed to win more weeks than it did in the previous three years combined (winning seven of the 32 ratings weeks up to the first week of October),[27] and recovered to reclaim its mantle as Queensland's most-watched news service by 2013.

Current Presenters

Role! colspan="7" scope="col"
Bulletins
MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
NewsAndrew Lofthouse (2009–present)
Melissa Downes (2009–present)		Mia Glover (2023–present)
SportJonathan Uptin (2023–present)Dominique Loudon (2023–present)
WeatherGarry Youngberry (2009–present)Luke Bradnam (2016–present)Gary Youngberry (2009–present)

Fill-in presenters

Should Lofthouse or Downes be absent, the bulletin is presented solo.

The primary fill-in anchors are Wendy Kingston, Aislin Kriukelis and Paul Taylor. Other fill-in presenters include

Past Presenters

News

Sport

Weather

Reporters

News

*Bold indicates the senior reporters

Sport

Notable former reporters

Notes and References

  1. News: 2017-07-11 . Nine News Darwin to no longer have standalone bulletin . . live . 2017-07-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170712073357/http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/nine-news-darwin-to-no-longer-have-standalone-bulletin/news-story/a61d0dd81497f042cfe90cd33642614f . 2017-07-12.
  2. News: Kalina . Paul . Ellis . Scott . 2014-01-06 . Nine quietly switches to hour-long news . . Fairfax Media . live . 2014-01-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140107231620/http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/nine-quietly-switches-to-hourlong-news-20140106-30dg0.html . 2014-01-07.
  3. News: Miles . Janelle . Connolly . Steve . 2003-06-04 . Newsreader quits after complaint scandal . . . live . 2014-05-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160110055102/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/03/1054406186422.html . 2016-01-10.
  4. News: Tucker-Evans . Anooska . 2008-11-23 . Heather Foord moving forward after co-anchor's gaffe . . https://archive.today/20121230235508/http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,24690975-3102,00.html . dead . 30 December 2012 . 2008-11-23.
  5. News: Butt . Phillippa . 2018-02-25 . No more Jonathan Uptin on our weekday TV . . 2018-02-25.
  6. 929450153215344640 . AlisonAriotti . Thrilled for a change in 2018 .. Job sharing daytime news on @9NewsQueensland with my gorgeous friend @EvaMilic9 !! Thanks @Amanda9Paterson & @kblooch !! #WorkLifeBalance #lovemyjob #hoorayforweekendsagain . 2017-11-12 . 2017-11-12 . Alison . Ariotti.
  7. Web site: EXCLUSIVE  - WALLY LEWIS steps down as sports presenter of 9NEWS Queensland – effective immediately. TV Blackbox. Robert. McKnight. 23 January 2023. 23 January 2023.
  8. Web site: Perry . Kevin . 2023-01-30 . JONATHAN UPTIN confirmed as replacement for WALLY LEWIS on 9NEWS QUEENSLAND . 2023-01-30 . TV Blackbox . en-AU.
  9. Web site: Revealed: Channel 9 shakes up weekend news bulletin. The Courier Mail. 1 February 2023. 1 February 2023.
  10. News: Strutt . Sam . Shearer . Geoff . 2011-08-27 . Choppergate scandal began with quiet backyard barbecue . . 2016-12-03.
  11. Web site: Sij . 2007-02-06 . Schulter shafts Cummins . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928161607/http://www.australian-media.com.au/index.php?c=home&p=news&article=1962 . 2007-09-28 . 2007-02-26 . Australian-media.com.au.
  12. News: 2006-12-01 . Wally Lewis on leave after on-air mishap . . dead . 2007-04-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090901052531/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200612/s1801798.htm . 2009-09-01.
  13. News: Butler . Dianne . 2006-11-15 . Seven poaches Nine newsreader . . https://archive.today/20120722231301/http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/seven-poaches-nine-newsreader/story-e6freoof-1111112531592 . dead . 22 July 2012 . 2011-07-03.
  14. Web site: 2009-11-30 . SEVEN WINS THE 2009 RATINGS YEAR IN SEQ . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170818045501/https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/6719108/seven-wins-the-2009-ratings-year-in-seq/ . 2017-08-18 . 2017-08-18 . Yahoo!7.
  15. Web site: 2009-01-16 . 50 Years of Brisbane TV-Part 1 Good night and Goodbye: Farewells from the newsdesk... . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170818045258/http://kuttsywoodscouch.blogspot.com.au/2009/01/50-years-of-brisbane-tv-part-1-good.html . 2017-08-18 . 2017-08-18 . Kuttsywood's Couch . Blogspot.
  16. News: Shearer . Geoff . 2009-06-17 . Broom sweeps through Channel Nine as Bruce Paige quits . . dead . 2017-05-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170730110534/http://www.news.com.au/news/broom-sweeps-through-channel-nine-as-bruce-paige-quits/news-story/9362db9ada0e1f72b1766eb6e5d24a50 . 2017-07-30.
  17. Web site: Knox . David . 2008-11-28 . Melissa for weeknights on Nine . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170730114451/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/11/melissa-for-weeknights-on-nine.html . 2017-07-30 . 2017-05-11 . TV Tonight.
  18. News: Shearer . Geoff . 2011-09-10 . Choppergate victim Melissa Mallet hired by Seven Network that got her sacked from Nine . . 2017-10-09.
  19. Web site: Knox . David . 2013-11-19 . Nail biter in Brisbane news battle . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170730105334/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2013/11/nail-biter-in-brisbane-news-battle.html . 2017-07-30 . 2017-05-11 . TV Tonight.
  20. News: Bodey . Michael . 2015-07-20 . TV ratings: Nine's the one again when it comes to news . . subscription . 2017-06-07.
  21. 904219998121426947 . HowieBennett9 . Congratulations @9NewsQueensland team winning 7 day ratings year @AlisonAriotti @DarrenCurtis9 @9MelissaDownes @Loftea #9NewsAt6 . 2017-09-03 . 2017-09-03 . Howie . Bennett.
  22. Web site: Knox . David . 2014-09-16 . Nine News wins battle for Brisbane . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181013211610/https://tvtonight.com.au/2014/09/nine-news-wins-battle-for-brisbane.html . 2018-10-13 . 2018-10-13 . TV Tonight.
  23. Web site: McKnight . Robert . 2018-10-10 . 7 News Brisbane wins 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190702132354/https://www.tvblackbox.net/7-news-brisbane-wins-2018/ . 2019-07-02 . 2019-07-02 . TV Blackbox.
  24. News: Cooper . Nathanael . 2011-08-26 . Channel 9 sacks three, news director resigns over 'Choppergate' scandal . . . dead . 2016-11-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220134807/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/channel-9-fake-news-cross-will-anyone-be-chopped/news-story/23e0914d06115e393dfe6086125cb853 . 2016-12-20.
  25. News: Baumgart . Sean . 2011-08-30 . Nine ratings rise despite choppergate . . live . 2017-05-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170810000749/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/nine-ratings-rise-despite-choppergate-20110829-1ji4q.html . 2017-08-10.
  26. News: Cooper . Nathanael . 2011-09-03 . Nine's choppergate scandal impacts worst on network that broke story, ratings leader Seven . . 2017-05-27.
  27. News: Hunter . Clare . 2011-10-03 . Seven dominates Nine in TV ratings . QUT News . . live . 2017-08-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181013211529/http://www.qutnews.com/2011/10/03/seven-dominates-nine-in-tv-ratings/ . 2018-10-13.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nine News Queensland".

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