News Breakfast
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | November 3, 2008 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia, Asia-Pacific region |
Key people | James Glenday (co-host), Bridget Brennan (co-host), Emma Rebellato (news presenter), Catherine Murphy (sports presenter), Nate Byrne (weather presenter), Tyson Shine (executive producer) |
| Products | Morning news show |
| Website | www |
News Breakfast is an Australian morning news show aired on ABC TV and the ABC News channel from 6:00 am to 9:00 am AEST or AEDT on weekdays. The program, hosted by James Glenday and Bridget Brennan, is also available for live streaming via ABC iView within Australia and broadcast across the Asia-Pacific region on the ABC Australia channel.
History
Premiering on 3 November 2008 under the title ABC News Breakfast on ABC2, the show originally featured Virginia Trioli alongside Barrie Cassidy (Monday to Thursday), Joe O'Brien (Fridays), sport presenter Paul Kennedy, and weather presenter Vanessa O'Hanlon.
Currently, James Glenday and Bridget Brennan serve as co-hosts, accompanied by news presenter Emma Rebellato, sports presenter Catherine Murphy, and weather presenter Nate Byrne. The executive producer role is held by Tyson Shine.
In January 2009, Joe O'Brien took over full-time co-hosting duties from Barrie Cassidy, who remained as political commentator. By June 2010, Michael Rowland replaced O'Brien when he transitioned to hosting ABC's News Mornings.
The broadcast moved to ABC in May 2011, with children's programming relocating to ABC2 and ABC3. Later that year, in November 2011, the brand expanded with the introduction of Weekend Breakfast, hosted by Andrew Geoghegan and Miriam Corowa.
A major studio redesign was implemented in January 2014, adding three separate presenting zones while preserving the original couch setup. In April 2017, following a refresh of the ABC News branding, the show was renamed News Breakfast.
Virginia Trioli left in May 2019 to join ABC Radio Melbourne, with Lisa Millar stepping into her role in August of that year. Bridget Brennan joined as news presenter and part-time co-host in November 2023 during Millar’s other commitments.
Lisa Millar announced her departure in July 2024; Brennan was appointed as her successor. Michael Rowland declared his exit in November 2024 after nearly fifteen years with the program, concluding his tenure in December 2024. Starting January 2025, former ABC correspondent James Glenday will assume Rowland’s position. Catherine Murphy became the sports presenter in 2025.
Format
News Breakfast offers comprehensive coverage including breaking news, detailed analysis, discussions, financial updates, sports highlights, and weather forecasts by utilizing ABC’s extensive national and international newsroom network.
The show broadcasts live year-round on ABC TV and ABC News channel across New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, and Tasmania. In winter months, it is aired with a 30-minute delay in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Queensland receives a live broadcast during winter but experiences a one-hour delay during summer daylight saving time; meanwhile, Western Australia airs the program two hours later in winter and three hours later during summer. The Northern Territory has a 30-minute delay in winter and a 90-minute delay during summer daylight saving periods. Nationwide live coverage is provided on the ABC News channel starting at 6:00 am AEST/AEDT.
Weekend Breakfast
Weekend Breakfast offers a blend of live breaking news, interviews, weekend sports coverage, and weather updates. The program, hosted by Johanna Nicholson and Fauziah Ibrahim, premiered on 4 February 2012. It broadcasts on weekends from 7:00 am to 11:00 am via the ABC News channel, with a simultaneous airing on ABC TV Sundays between 7:00 am and 9:00 am.
The Breakfast Couch
Debuting on 12 August 2017, The Breakfast Couch presents curated highlights focusing on arts and entertainment segments originally featured on News Breakfast.
News Breakfast
| Presenter | Role | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| James Glenday | Co-host | 2025–present |
| Bridget Brennan | Co-host | 2024–present |
| Emma Rebellato | News | 2024–present |
| Catherine Murphy | Sport | 2025–present |
| Nate Byrne | Weather | 2017–present |
Weekend Breakfast
| Presenter | Role | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Johanna Nicholson | Co-host | 2019–present |
| Fauziah Ibrahim | Co-host | 2020–present |
| Jared Coote | Sport | 2019–present |
| Daniela Intili | Sport | 2019–present |
Substitute presenters
Recent substitute hosts for News Breakfast have included Emma Rebellato, Stephanie Ferrier, Stephanie March, David Speers, Catherine Murphy, Margaret Paul, Iskhandar Razak, and Daniel Ziffer.
For Weekend Breakfast, fill-in roles have been covered by Kathryn Robinson, Thomas Oriti, Greg Jennett, Dan Bourchier, Nick Dole, and Richard Davies.
Additional stand-in presenters by specialty:
- News: Charles Brice—an Adelaide-based wheelchair athlete raising funds through a planned Perth to Sydney handcycle expedition—Sana Qadar, Thomas Oriti
- Sport: Charles Brice, Arianna Levy, Tom Maddocks
- Weather: Stephanie Ferrier, Danny Tran
Notable previous fill-ins for News Breakfast include respected journalists such as Ali Moore, Jeremy Fernandez, Kumi Taguchi, Del Irani, Paul Kennedy, Emma Alberici, Hamish Macdonald, Mary Gearin, Madeleine Morris, Zoe Daniel, John Barron, Georgie Tunny, Greg Jennett, Sara James, Beverley O'Connor, Tracee Hutchison, Frances Bell, Karina Carvalho, Melissa Clarke, and Tamara Oudyn.
News Breakfast
| Presenter | Role | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Barrie Cassidy | Co-host | 2008 |
| Joe O'Brien | Co-host | 2008–2010 |
| Virginia Trioli | Co-host | 2008–2019 |
| Lisa Millar | Co-host | 2019–2024 |
| Michael Rowland | Co-host | 2010–2024 |
| Vanessa O'Hanlon | Weather | 2008–2016 |
| Paul Kennedy | Sport | 2008–2021 |
| Del Irani | Finance | 2015–2019 |
| Madeleine Morris | Finance | 2019–2023 |
| Tony Armstrong | Sport | 2021–2024 |
Weekend Breakfast
| Presenter | Role | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Miriam Corowa | Co-host | 2012–2018 |
| Andrew Geoghegan | Co-host | 2012–2019 |
| Josh Szeps | Co-host | 2019 |
Regular Contributors
The show includes recurring segments and expert guests who analyze current events and political topics:
- Alice Zaslavsky – Culinary Insights
- Barrie Cassidy – Political Analysis
- Katherine Tulich – Entertainment Updates
- Sose Fuamoli and Lucy Smith – The Beat Segment
- Zak Hepburn – Film Reviews