News Director quits TEN Adelaide

Network TEN has announced Director of News at ADS Adelaide, Grant Heading, has resigned, to be replaced by Jeremy Pudney from 1 September 2011.

Heading joined TEN in 1988 as News Editor before stepping into the role of Adelaide News Director two years later. In 1990, he launched the TEN News at Five hour with George Donikian and more recently oversaw the restructure of the local newsroom for TEN’s short-lived 6:30 Evening News.

ADS General Manager, Frank Filosi, said, “Grant has been a stalwart of the Adelaide media scene for over 40 years, first with the ABC and then with Network TEN.

“His enormous contribution to TEN’s news brand over the past 23 years has been significant, and we wish him all the best with his future endeavours. We will miss Grant, but fully understand his wish, after a lengthy and successful career with us, to give away the daily grind of running a busy newsroom.”

Heading said: “Now it’s time to take a break and explore other opportunities. It’s been a privilege to lead a team of dedicated and gifted journalists over two decades, and I leave the Network with many wonderful memories.”

Pudney joined TEN in 2000, where he worked as a journalist in the Adelaide and Melbourne newsrooms, before becoming Melbourne Chief of Staff. In 2010, he was appointed Executive Producer and News Editor – Adelaide. He is also the author of a Snowtown murders account.

Pudney said: “I’m excited to be taking on this role and to be leading and working with our outstanding news teams both here in Adelaide and across the Network. I look forward to continuing the standard of news established by Grant during his tenure with the Network. We’ll continue to deliver a high quality, comprehensive local news service to the people of South Australia.”

The Advertiser recently reported five Adelaide newsroom staff had accepted voluntary redundancies at TEN.