Archives: Media Releases

The acclaimed team behind the 9News podcast Hannah’s Story has earned three nominations in this year’s Australian Commercial Radio Awards.

Hannah’s Story has been nominated for Podcast of the Year, Best Documentary – Audio, and Best Podcast Producer for Jessica Lodge.

Launched jointly by 9News and 9Podcasts, Hannah’s Story, presented by 9News Queensland presenter, Melissa Downes, produced by Jessica Lodge, with sound editing by Adam Buncher, has captivated audiences with its compelling narrative and meticulous storytelling.

It delves into one of the worst acts of domestic violence Australia has ever seen – the day Hannah Clarke and her three children were set on fire and killed in their car in a quiet Brisbane street by their father, Hannah’s estranged husband, Rowan Baxter. Since launching in 2023, the podcast has dominated the Australian podcast charts, resonated globally, and received numerous national and international accolades.

The three ACRA nominations coincide with the release of the follow-up Downes-Lodge project, The Ultimate Sacrifice, which traces the harrowing events of December 12, 2022, when two Queensland Police officers were shot dead in a shocking ambush at Wieambilla.

With four episodes already released, this podcast explores the haunting question: how did a routine callout escalate into Queensland’s deadliest police shooting and Australia’s first Christian terrorist attack?

From Monday, July 29, The Ultimate Sacrifice will continue, following the four-week coronial inquest into the massacre. Listeners can expect unfolding evidence, testimonies, new details, previously unheard recordings, and crucial insights revealing the heroism and camaraderie displayed on that tragic day.

Melissa Downes said: “What an incredible honour it is for Hannah’s Story to be nominated at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards. The overwhelming response to and unwavering support for Hannah’s Story has been deeply moving. I am particularly proud to see Jess’s outstanding producing talent recognised on a national stage. The timing is especially meaningful as The Ultimate Sacrifice is currently topping the Australian podcasting charts.”

Jess Lodge said: “We’ve seen firsthand the power of this podcast in sparking community conversations about coercive control, particularly as it continues to serve as an invaluable educational resource. Receiving recognition within the audio industry is incredibly gratifying. We take immense pride in our storytelling, so it’s wonderful to see our podcasts being appreciated as much as we enjoyed creating them.”

Nine Radio Managing Director, Tom Malone, said: “This is further testament to the sensitive and powerful storytelling of Melissa, Jess and Adam. Their podcast has won audiences and awards around the world for its detailed and careful examination of coercive control, shining a light on scourge that must be confronted.

“Their latest podcast, The Ultimate Sacrifice, is further proof of their skill in telling harrowing stories with great care and sensitivity. On behalf of everyone at Nine, we are immensely proud of their purpose-driven journalism and consequent accomplishments.”

Hannah’s Story and The Ultimate Sacrifice are available wherever you get your podcasts.  

For further information, please contact:
Claudine Blondeau
Communications Manager, Nine Queensland
cblondeau@nine.com.au

Friday, July 26, 2024

On the eve of the Paris Olympics, Nine Radio has named its new Olympic studio after the legendary broadcaster and commentator David ‘Thirsty’ Morrow.

The Paris Games would have been Morrow’s ninth Olympics as a commentator, over a long and hugely successful career at the ABC and 2GB. 

Morrow, who passed away last week after a battle with brain cancer, was celebrated at his funeral service yesterday where the announcement was made by his close friend and colleague, Mark Levy.

Dozens of former and current colleagues including Jim Maxwell, Warren Ryan, Tim Gavel, Gordon Bray, Peter Wilkins, Mark Levy, Peter Psaltis, Darryl Brohmann and Mark Riddell gathered to honour Morrow. Also present were more recent NRL stars and colleagues Andrew Johns, Paul Gallen and Josh Morris.

Levy shared the poignant news during the service saying, “David was a NSW country boy who moved to the big smoke to realise his dream as a commentator. I wish he was still here to help with our Olympics coverage from our new studio, but he will be with us in spirit. It gives me great honour to announce that our Nine Radio studio at Pyrmont will be known as The David Morrow Olympic Studio.”

The David Morrow Olympic Studio will be the heart of Nine Radio’s exclusive Olympic Games coverage, embodying the spirit and dedication that Morrow brought to every broadcast.

Morrow’s illustrious career spanned several decades and numerous milestones in sports broadcasting. He began his career with the ABC, where he quickly made a name for himself as a passionate and knowledgeable commentator. His tenure at the ABC saw him cover a wide range of sports, from rugby league to cricket and the Olympics, earning him a reputation as one of the most versatile voices in the industry.

Nine Radio Managing Director Tom Malone said, “Beyond his professional achievements, Thirsty was known for his generosity, mentorship, and unwavering dedication to sport. He loved athletes and he loved mentoring many young commentators. This is a fitting tribute to a giant of Australian broadcasting.”

The David Morrow Olympic Studio will serve as a lasting legacy, ensuring that his contributions to sports broadcasting are remembered and celebrated during the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics and beyond.

The studio will be officially commissioned tonight, when Ray Hadley and Jane Flemming bring all the action from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

For further information, please contact:
Caitlin Lynch
Senior Communications Manager, Nine
clynch@nine.com.au 

Friday, July 26, 2024

Every four years, the greatest athletes in the world come together to compete against each other. But because they are all great, to our eyes, their brilliance is hard to grasp.

Enter an entirely average person, who is physically bland and unaccomplished, attempting a range of sports to perfectly demonstrate just how brilliant Olympians really are.

Andy Lee is the Comparison Man. 

The 2024 Gold Logie nominee will take up the challenge of the everyday man trying to match the feats of Olympians.

The eight two-minute long episodes, voice overed by renowned commentator Gerard Whateley, will feature throughout the 9Network’s coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 from this weekend. The episodes will see Andy taking on archery, 100 metres hurdles, 100 metres sprint, hammer throw, 10 metre dive, 100 metre butterfly and artistic swimming – and if there’s one thing Andy is a champion at, it is giving it a crack.

“These athletes are so bloody good!” said Andy, “They really deserve an average, bland, unremarkable human to demonstrate that. Here I am.”

He may be more of an Olympic viewer than an Olympic champion, but viewers can help the host of The Hundred with Andy Lee reach gold at this year’s Logie Awards. Viewers can vote for Andy at tvweeklogies.com.au

For further information, please contact:
Alexandra Reed 
9Network Publicity
alexandra.reed@nine.com.au

Friday, July 26, 2024

Following tonight’s NRLW season opener, Nine will step up the NRL action alongside the excitement of the Paris Olympics, live and free on the 9Network.

On Friday Night Footy in Round 21, the ladder-leading Melbourne Storm play the Parramatta Eels. Melbourne at last get superstar Cameron Munster back from injury. Can Clint Gutherson, the captain and heartbeat of the Eels, celebrate his 200th NRL game with a victory, or will the steamrolling Storm pile on another big score after racking up 94 points against the blue and golds in their last two encounters?

NRL on Nine will have live coverage from Commbank Stadium with Danika Mason, Johnathan Thurston and Paul Gallen, plus comments from Billy Slater and Andrew Johns. Peter Psaltis is calling the game, and Brad Fittler and Emma Lawrence will provide sideline updates

On Sunday Arvo Footy, amid Nine’s exclusive Olympic Games coverage, the Dolphins take on the Titans at Suncorp Stadium. While the Dolphins have won their last three clashes, the Titans boast a strong record at Suncorp, aiming for five wins in a row. Titans winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira is on fire, with seven tries in his past four games, while fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is both the X and the wow factor in a Dolphins outfit fully focused on making the finals.

BROADCAST SCHEDULE

Friday, July 26
FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTY – STORM V EELS

Sunday, July 28
SUNDAY ARVO FOOTY – DOLPHINS V TITANS
HOSTPLUS QLD CUP – From 2.10pm. Western Clydesdales v Tweed Head Seagulls, available on the 9Now pop-up channel live and free.

NRL ROUND 21 
FROM FRIDAY, JULY 25, AT 7.30PM AEST
LIVE AND FREE ON THE 9NETOWRK

Follow NRL on Nine on Instagram, Facebook & X 

For further information, please contact:
Claudine Blondeau
Communications Manager, Nine Queensland 
cblondeau@nine.com.au

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Nine Radio and 9Podcasts have broken their own record with an astounding 41 finalist nominations across 20 categories in the 35th annual Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs), announced today.

From breaking news to investigative journalism, storytelling, production, sports coverage, and diversity and inclusion (both on and off-air), these nominations highlight Nine Radio’s deep connection with its audiences and the triumph of its comprehensive audio strategy.

Leading the charge are 2GB’s Ben Fordham, Ray Hadley and Chris O’Keefe and 3AW’s Neil Mitchell – all finalists for both Best Talk Presenter and Best Current Affairs Presenter. Tom Elliott is also nominated for Best Talk Presenter. Fordham and Hadley are also contenders for Individual Talent of the Year. 

In a nod to the new talent Nine’s stations continue to develop and discover, 2GB’s Chris O’Keefe and 3AW’s Jacqui Felgate are in the running for Best New On-Air Talent.

It’s a big year for Sydney’s top station, 2GB, which is vying for Station of the Year, Content Manager Luke Davis for Best Content Director, with Fordham, Mark Levy and Will Bottom and Hadley also nominated for Best News Event Coverage for their reports on the Bondi Junction Attacks and the Sydney Car Pursuit, respectively.

In sport, the late David Morrow, Mark Levy, Anthony Hudson, and Shane McInnes are all nominated in the Best Sports Presenter category, while the Continuous Call Team’s coverage of 2023 NRL Grand Final is a finalist for Best Sports Event Coverage. 

Nine Radio’s journalists dominate the Best News Presenter and Brian White awards, with David Armstrong, Gail Watson, Rhiannon Soliman-Marron, Ben Fordham, Clinton Maynard and Zac de Silva all finalists.

9Podcasts’ award-winning, critically acclaimed and hugely popular series, Hannah’s Story, adds to its accolades with nominations for Podcast of the Year, Best Documentary Audio, and Best Podcast Producer for Jess Lodge. Producers Sam Stove and Matty White also earned Best Podcast Producer nominations.

Nine Radio’s successful internship program was also nominated in the special category for Diversity and Inclusion.

Nine Radio Managing Director, Tom Malone, said: “This is an outstanding result for Nine’s radio stations and podcast teams. They are a dedicated group of professionals who strive for excellence in all they do. At the heart of their purpose is serving our listeners, as a destination for live and local content – always relevant, always on. These nominations are a huge testament to their hard work and commitment, and a wonderful reflection on them, and all of their colleagues who strive for excellence every day.”

See the full list of Nine nominees here.

The ACRA winners will be announced in Sydney on Saturday, October 12.

For further information, please contact:
Caitlin Lynch 
Senior Communications Manager, Nine
clynch@nine.com.au

Thursday, July 25, 2024

The 2024 NRLW season kicks off on Nine with a prime-time showdown between the reigning premiers, Newcastle Knights, and Sydney Roosters, this Thursday, July 25, from 7.30pm AEST on Channel 9HD and 9Now.

The season opener heralds another absorbing season of women’s rugby league. Nine’s commitment to the NRLW competition means all 48 matches will be broadcast live and free.

In 2024, there will be consecutive Thursday night prime-time fixtures – Round 8 and Round 9 – which will include the 2023 Grand Final rematch when the Gold Coast Titans host the Knights in an NRLW double-header.

Leading the NRLW coverage is host Emma Lawrence, alongside a commentary lineup that includes expert perspectives from Ruan Sims, Allana Ferguson, and NRLW player Millie Elliott, complemented by sideline reporters Marlee Silva and Bronte Gildea.

This season Nine’s coverage will feature a roster of callers: Mat Thompson, Peter Psaltis, Brenton Speed, Anthony Maroon and Drury Forbes. They will be supported with comments from rugby league legends including Phil Gould, Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler, Billy Slater and Darren Lockyer.

In addition to Nine’s live game coverage, NRLW fans will get exclusive content in the weekly Westpac NRLW Wrap, which dives into matches with analysis, player interviews, and exclusive behind-the-scenes access.

Plus, the NRLW Weekly podcast, hosted by Marlee Silva and Ruan Sims, will debate the hot topics, profile the players, and provide insights from the experts who know women’s rugby league best.

Wide World of Sports’ Head of Partnerships & Strategy, Simon Fordham, said: “The 2024 NRLW season on Nine will continue the momentum of the historic first-ever, three-game Women’s State of Origin series that smashed attendance and ratings records.

“Nine’s commitment to women’s rugby league is unmatched and Nine is the only place to see State of Origin and every NRLW game until 2027. This commitment extends beyond rugby league to the Olympic Games, where you’ll be able to watch every match featuring our female superstars including the Rugby Sevens, Hockeyroos, Matildas and Opals during Paris 2024, which starts this week.

“This depth of coverage cements Nine as the trusted home where Australians can unite to witness and cherish unforgettable sporting moments.”

NRLW 2024: EVERY GAME, EVERY ROUND
LIVE AND FREE ON THE 9NETWORK AND 9NOW
FROM THURSDAY, JULY 25, 7.30PM AEST 

For further information, please contact:
Claudine Blondeau
Communications Manager, Nine Queensland 
cblondeau@nine.com.au

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

James Chessell has been appointed Editor-in-chief of The Australian Financial Review after Michael Stutchbury called time on his extraordinary 13-year leadership of Australia’s premier business, financial and political publication.

Managing Director of Nine Publishing, Tory Maguire, said Stutchbury, 67, was leaving the Financial Review in a powerful position and deserved enormous credit for building the masthead into arguably the most successful digital subscription publication in the country.

“Michael Stutchbury’s legacy at the AFR is immense, having led the newsroom through a period of ever-accelerating change in the way audiences consume and pay for journalism. He did this by ensuring the AFR is essential reading for anyone with an interest in corporate life, finance and politics,” Maguire said.

“Everyone in corporate Australia knows that to be in the conversation they need to read the AFR. You can see this when you look around  at any AFR event and spot the countless decision makers in the room. 

“Stutch’s fierce belief in what the AFR should be – high quality, relevant, fair and energetic – drove his approach to pushing the masthead to its full potential, including the development of the Financial Review’s highly successful Ventures events business. He is a giant of Australian journalism.”

Stutchbury is the Financial Review’s longest-serving editor or editor-in-chief in the masthead’s seven decade history. Along with his previous five and a half years as editor of The Australian, he is Australia’s longest-ever serving national newspaper editor or editor-in-chief.

After taking a break he will return to the Financial Review in a writing role as Editor-at-large later in the year.

Stutchbury said the Financial Review’s achievements rested on its reporters, photographers, artists, designers and editors, including former long-time Editor Paul Bailey and current Editor Fiona Buffini along with Managing editor Cosima Marriner. 

“After facing a potential loss just over a decade ago, the Financial Review has never been more profitable as it has built a business model around premium digital subscriptions,” he said.

“As the team has managed the shift out of print, the masthead has never had more paying subscribers. It has doubled its audience share compared to its national rival. It has been judged Australia’s most-trusted newspaper brand.

“This fundamentally rests on the Financial Review’s high-quality journalism that has never won more plaudits and awards than in the past year. This has been led by the story of 2023, the PwC tax leaks scandal, that is now being capped by the story of this year, the CFMEU investigation. 

“It is not easy to walk away from the privilege of leading a newsroom that has delivered so  much. But, after 13 full-on years, now is the right time for someone with fresh energy and new ideas to lead the Financial Review’s next phase of growth.

“As a Walkley award-winning former Europe correspondent and Business editor for the Financial Review, James Chessell is the ideal person to take on this exciting challenge. The Financial Review is his natural home.”   

Chessell was until January the Managing Director of Nine Publishing and prior to that Executive Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He has also worked for The Australian and was part of Financial Review teams that won the 2014 Walkley Award for Business Journalism and the 2013 Citi Journalism Award for Excellence.

Maguire said Chessell’s experience, including editing two of Australia’s biggest mastheads combined with his time running the publishing business, makes him uniquely qualified to step into such an important role.

“Having worked for James for more than five years while he was both executive editor and managing director I know him to be the most energetic, talented and determined person to take the AFR on the next phase of its growth. He understands audiences and believes in storytelling of the highest standard.

“He also has the best contact book of any journalist in business, which is essential for the Editor-in-chief, and his love of being in a newsroom is boundless. The publishing team is incredibly lucky James is willing to return to Nine and lead the AFR.”

Stutchbury’s last day leading the Financial Review will be August 9 and Chessell will start on August 12.

“I’m very excited about taking over from Stutch who is the best editor I’ve worked for bar none,” Chessell said.

“He made the Financial Review sharper and smarter than at any other time in its 73-year history and I’m delighted he will be writing for the masthead for many years to come. The AFR has done an outstanding job exposing corporate and political profligacy under Stutch without forgetting its mission to champion authentic innovation, entrepreneurism and success.” 

“The Financial Review has always been a critically important voice in the financial and political conversations that matter in Australia through rigorous news, analysis and public interest journalism. The current media landscape means the work is not without its complications but there is no better editorial team to face up to these challenges than the Financial Review newsroom.

“I’m also very excited to be reunited with Tory and the Nine Publishing team, who are the best in the business. I’m incredibly lucky to be stewarding a masthead in such great shape but there is still plenty of work to do and I can’t wait to get started.”

For further information, please contact:
Caitlin Lynch 
Senior Communications Manager, Nine
clynch@nine.com.au

Monday, July 22, 2024

Nine as today announced accomplished media executive Mason Rook as CEO of Pedestrian, Australia’s leading voice in youth publishing. He will take up the role effective Monday, 29 July.

With an extensive background in the publishing industry and a passion for driving youth engagement in today’s biggest issues, Rook brings a wealth of experience and innovation to the role.

This appointment marks a significant milestone in Pedestrian’s journey as it refocuses on building out its owned and operated business across publishing and television, leveraging the breadth of Nine’s assets as Australia’s Media Company.

Rook joins Pedestrian from The Guardian, where he held the position of Commercial Director and played a pivotal role in the growth of its Australian business. His leadership was instrumental in driving strong commercial outcomes, fostering creative client collaborations and championing initiatives that resonated with brands.

He has previously held senior commercial positions at ARN, The Daily Mail, and Nine, where he was Sales Director.

As Pedestrian CEO, Rook will spearhead strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing content quality and alignment, diversifying the publisher’s commercial base and leveraging Pedestrian’s entire suite of unique assets to better connect leading brands with the youth of Australia. A commitment to inclusivity and innovation aligns perfectly with Rook’s mission to inspire and entertain the next generation of content consumers.

“We are delighted to welcome Mason back to the Nine business in his new role with Pedestrian,” said Alex Parsons, Nine’s Chief Digital Officer and Chair of Pedestrian. 

“Mason’s impressive track record and forward-thinking approach makes him the ideal leader to guide us through the next, exciting phase of our growth. He is without doubt one of the most talented media operators I have worked with.”

Of his appointment to CEO, Rook said, “I am thrilled to be joining Pedestrian and to have the opportunity to lead such a dynamic and impactful organisation. I’ve been a personal fan of the business for many years and I look forward to working with the talented team to deliver exceptional content and connect Australia’s best brands to these audiences in new and exciting ways.”

For further information, please contact:
Caitlin Lynch
Senior Communications Manager, Nine
clynch@nine.com.au 

Monday, July 22, 2024