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TEN signs controversial NZ presenter for Breakfast

Lachlan Murdoch offers controversial NZ presenter Paul Henry a seat on the Breakfast couch.

Controversial New Zealand TV presenter Paul Henry will join Andrew Rochford on TEN’s 2012 morning programme, Breakfast.

Currently host of a drive programme on the Radio Live station, Henry confirmed on NZ’s 3News on Saturday he will be paid paid more than $NZ1 million ($A767,813) after Lachlan Murdoch called to offer him the job.

He will conclude his radio show in March.

Henry, has previously hosted the NZ show of the same name, Breakfast, from 2004 to 2010 but it ended in controversy after his pronunciation of New Delhi’s chief minister Sheila Dikshit, which resulted in the New Zealand government apologising to India.

He has previously referred to homosexuals as “unnatural” and Susan Boyle as “retarded” -both of which resulted in complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Authority- and questioned the ethnicity of NZ Governor-General, Sir Anand Satyanand, born in Auckland to Indo-Fijian parents.

After being suspended Henry was forced to resign and apologised.

“It is also difficult for TVNZ to get on with the business of being a first-class broadcaster as long as I remain. I have apologised twice, and have meant every word. I again apologise to all those who were genuinely hurt by what I said.”

While working for TEN, Henry will also continue to work for TV3, filming his new Sunday night show in Sydney.

“The great thing about TEN is that they are edgy and prepared to have a laugh at life and themselves,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.

A female co-host for Breakfast is yet to be announced.

Source: NZ Herald, AAP

83 Responses

  1. Clearly, Ten thinks it can whip up some ratings with manufactured “controversy” as Henry goes about being his crass, boorish, offensive self. I suppose they decided that “if it worked in NZ it can work here”… which only goes to show how little they know.

  2. @Peter Ford
    He may be funny but that won’t stop his right wing views from creeping in on certain subjects. Ten News is supposed to be about news but now they run a daily “opinion” piece from right wing Andrew Bolt.

  3. Looks like Murdoch has learned nothing from his One.Tel days.

    I like Andrew Rochford but waking up to another Andrew Bolt would be too much for me.

    Thank goodness for Virginia and Michael over on the ABC.

    No wonder the ABC is beating Ten nowadays.

  4. I adore Paul Henry….as a regular visitor to NZ, breakfast was boring as bro without him. Now I can watch him every morning here. Bold move 10, well done.

  5. “It is also difficult for TVNZ to get on with the business of being a first-class broadcaster as long as I remain.”
    Apparently TEN has no such ambitions.

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