Newshub’s last day of broadcast has got off to an emotional start, with AM show hosts Melissa Chan-Green and Lloyd Burr bidding their viewers farewell just a few hours ago.
Later tonight, the final Newshub bulletin will air at 6pm before the newsroom closes its doors for good, leaving close to 300 people, from journalists to production staff, out of work.
Tomorrow, Kiwis will bear witness to a new era as Stuff and Newshub’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery launch their new offering, ThreeNews.
It feels a bit like déjà vu, seeing as the news offering was previously called 3 News before its rebrand to Newshub in 2016, a move to make the news offering channel agnostic and leave the numbers behind.
ThreeNews is a nod to the newsroom’s storied history, but is also different enough that this isn’t just a continuation of the previous news offering, says Juliet Peterson, Warners Bros. Discovery Vice President.
The 30-minute news bulletin will run daily at 6pm on Three and on demand platform ThreeNow. Former Newshub presenter Samantha Hayes will present the bulletin solo but is joined by fellow Newshub colleagues Jenna Lynch, Laura Tupou, Ollie Ritchie, Juliet Speedy, Zane Small and Heather Keats.
Newshub’s Europe Correspondent Lisette Reymer joins the team as Senior Journalist, International and National Affairs and AM’s Burr as Explainer Editor.
For Burr, who only joined AM five months ago, his journey with the newsroom was over even before it began – something he called a damn shame during this morning’s show.
“We were on to something awesome… It’s you who are watching who I want to thank the most, for letting us into your lives.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t save it.. We tried, we really did.”
His co-presenter, Chan-Green teared up during her goodbye, trying to sum up all of the aroha and mahi that has gone into the show. She thanked her husband for his support and expressed her empathy for the others in the media industry who have lost jobs, reminding them while the lights are going out here at AM and Newshub, that “we’re all in this together.”
Launched by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery in 2017, the AM show has been a popular breakfast news show for Kiwis across the country. It has been hosted by a range of well-known media names, including Ryan Bridge, Bernadine Oliver-Kerby, Duncan Garner and Amanda Gillies.
During AM’s last week on air, it invited many past presenters and local talent to reminisce about their time on the show and to say goodbye.
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