Nine News Melbourne
| Company type | Television news program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcast television |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Melbourne, Tasmania, Victoria |
Key people | Peter Hitchener, Alicia Loxley, Tom Steinfort, Tony Jones, Livinia Nixon |
| Products | News broadcasting |
Nine News Melbourne serves as the primary weeknight news broadcast for the Nine Network in Australia, reaching audiences in Melbourne, Tasmania, and Victoria. This hour-long program airs every evening at 6pm, delivering comprehensive coverage of local, national, and international events alongside segments on sports, weather updates, and financial news.
History
Brian Naylor was the lead anchor for National Nine News Melbourne for two decades, from 1978 until 1998, following his departure from HSV-7. After his tenure, Peter Hitchener took over as the main weeknight presenter, while Jo Hall handled weekend editions. In 2011, Hall scaled back her involvement and was succeeded by Alicia Loxley, who previously read news on Weekend Today. The weather segment was presented by Rob Gell until 2003 before he joined rival Seven News Melbourne; thereafter, Livinia Nixon assumed weather presenting responsibilities.
In March 2011, the GTV studios transitioned from Richmond to a modern facility located in Docklands. May 2017 marked the introduction of Nine Afternoon News Melbourne, the network’s inaugural local afternoon news bulletin designed to compete with Seven’s afternoon offering; Brett McLeod anchors this edition.
By December 2021, Peter Hitchener reduced his on-air presence to four nights weekly—Monday through Thursday—with Alicia Loxley taking over Fridays. In November 2023, it was announced that Alicia Loxley and Tom Steinfort would become the new weeknight anchors starting January 2024, while Hitchener would shift to weekend presenting duties.
Ratings
For many years, Nine News Melbourne maintained its position as the leading local news broadcast, regularly drawing audiences exceeding 400,000 viewers. However, during the mid-2000s, it began to lose market share to competitor Seven News Melbourne, securing just 24 out of 40 weeks in 2006 and narrowly trailing in 2007 with a 19-to-20 week split favoring Seven. Despite challenges at the national level, the Melbourne bulletin remained competitive locally; it was the only metropolitan news program to win any weeks against Seven in both 2008 and 2009. By 2012, Nine News Melbourne had reclaimed its ratings advantage, often outperforming rivals by an average margin exceeding 100,000 viewers.
Current presenters
| Role | Bulletins | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| News | Alicia Loxley (2024–present) Tom Steinfort (2024–present) |
Peter Hitchener (2023–present) | |||||
| Sport | Tony Jones (1990–present) | Natalie Yoannidis (2024–present) | Clint Stanaway (2011–present) | ||||
| Weather | Livinia Nixon (2004–present) | Madeline Spark (2020–present) | |||||
Fill-in presenters
- Brett McLeod (News)
- Stephanie Anderson (News & Weather)
- Clint Stanaway (Sport)
- Natalie Yoannidis (Sport)
- Nathan Currie (Sport)
- Tom Morris (Sport)
- Madeline Spark (Weather)
- Mimi Becker (Weather)
Former Anchors
- Sir Eric Pearce (1956–1978)
- Brian Naylor (1978–1998)
Journalists
- Christine Ahern (Today Melbourne correspondent)
- Jo Hall
- Alexis Daish (A Current Affair correspondent)
- Madeline Spark
- Justine Conway
- Eliza Rugg
- Neary Ty
- Chris Kohler (Finance editor)
- Izabella Staskowski (Today Melbourne correspondent)
- Reid Butler (US correspondent)
- Brett McLeod
- Heidi Murphy (State Political correspondent)
- Stephanie Anderson
- Lana Murphy
- Penelope Liersch
- Mimi Becker
- Gillian Lantouris
- Amber Johnston
- Ollie Haig
Sports
- Nathan Currie
- Clint Stanaway
- Natalie Yoannidis
- Trent Kniese
- Tom Morris (Lead AFL reporter)