On Monday February 1, 3 News and RadioLIVE will merge and become Newshub, a multi-platform TV, radio and digital news service. This transition will turn MediaWorks' award-winning 3 News and RadioLIVE News services into a combined organisation, built around an integrated newsroom.
Operating 24/7, Newshub will focus on providing the latest, most up-to-date news, in-depth coverage, breaking alerts and more, providing audiences across all platforms with stories and information relevant to them, with a strong emphasis on digital. Newshub will provide great coverage on the web, mobile devices and social media.
Newshub Live at 6pm will be presented by Mike McRoberts and Hilary Barry, who will celebrate 11 years of presenting the news in February.
McRoberts says the integration of MediaWorks' award-winning 3News and RadioLIVE teams will be important.
"Journalism is all about communities, and with our integration our 'community' has just got a lot wider. I'm hoping that will be reflected in the diversity and depth of our reporting," he says.
"People will notice a significant difference when we have the next big breaking news event. Integration means we can throw our full resources into these types of stories and provide New Zealanders with the news and information often so vital to the affected communities."
Newsworthy will be rebranded Newshub Late. Samantha Hayes will now anchor the programme without David Farrier, who is leaving MediaWorks to further his interest in making documentaries (David has a documentary that recently premiered at the prestigious Sundance festival). Newshub Midday will be presented by Jeff McTainsh.
The weekend TV news will be presented by Melissa Davies and Tom McRae, who are both returning from their overseas posts.
Group Head of News Mark Jennings says, "We've brought an entire organisation together from the TV, Radio and Digital newsrooms with a clear vision of how we can best serve the evolving New Zealand audience."
MediaWorks Group CEO Mark Weldon says: "The days of people watching the news and not knowing most of what happened during the day are also over. It's about a different level of depth; it's about the news behind the news."
Newshub will continue to deliver strong news content, with specialist teams providing expert analysis and insight to give New Zealanders the information they want, wherever they may be.
