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Who are TV’s news bosses?

It's been a year of upheaval in news departments this year -so who is now running the show?

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2024 has seen big changes in television news departments with the departure of several news bosses in the spate of just six weeks.

So who are the people calling the shots in television News & Current Affairs?

Networks often have different models in this regard.

10’s Martin White as Vice President Broadcast News, reports to US news bosses at CBS / Paramount, while Rashell Habib oversees Digital News.

Seven has only just appointed Anthony De Ceglie to its top position after the exit of Craig McPherson, while Nine is yet replace Darren Wick and has interim arrangements at present.

SBS

Mandi Wicks Director of News and Current Affairs (Sept 2020 – May 2024)

Mandi Wicks is the Director of News and Current Affairs. Prior to this, Mandi was the Director of SBS’s Audio and Language Content for almost 10 years. This included overseeing SBS Radio’s 68 language services and three music channels – SBS PopAsia, SBS PopDesi and SBS Chill. Mandi has more than 30 years’ experience in the media industry, working at four of Australia’s leading networks (SBS, Macquarie Media, Southern Cross Austereo and Nova Entertainment). She worked as a journalist for 12 years before moving to senior management roles.

Mandi is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She oversees a team of journalists delivering news and current affairs on television, online, via audio and social media, with trusted content such as SBS World News, Insight, Dateline, The Feed and Small Business Secrets. Mandi is driven by SBS’s purpose to inspire all Australians to explore, respect and celebrate diversity, and its important role in contributing to a more inclusive society.

10

Wendy McMahon is President / CEO of CBS News and Television Stations and CBS Media Ventures and Ross Dagan is the Executive Vice President and Head of News Operations and Transformation for CBS News and Stations.

Martin White, Vice President Broadcast News (October 2021 – May 2024)

Martin White was previously Executive Producer of 10 News First Sydney, a role he has held since 2019. Prior to returning to 10 ViacomCBS, Martin was a senior figure at both Seven News and Nine News and held various senior roles in the 10 News First Melbourne newsroom.

Rashell Habib, Head of Digital News & Strategy.
With over 15 years’ experience Rashell has held several senior positions at 10 ViacomCBS, most recently Social and Digital Editor, a role she has held since June 2020. She joined 10 ViacomCBS in May 2018 and has also held senior positions at News Corp for over 10 years, including the first social media editor for NewsLocal and leading social media for news.com.au.

ABC

Justin Stevens Director News, Analysis & Investigations (April 2022 – May 2024)

Justin’s first job in the media was in 2005 as a researcher for the Nine Network on Sunday and for Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypotheticals. He joined the ABC in December 2006 and worked as a producer and a supervising producer on 7.30 until 2014. His work there included producing key Australian political and feature interviews for presenters Kerry O’Brien and Leigh Sales, including with Barack Obama, Tony Blair, Sir David Attenborough, Woody Allen and the Dalai Lama, and working on breaking news coverage.

In 2013 he was a producer on the four-part ABC series “Keating: The Interviews” with Kerry O’Brien. In 2014-2015 he was a producer on the three-part series “The Killing Season” with Sarah Ferguson, which won an AACTA Award for Best Documentary and a Logie Award for outstanding public affairs report.

From 2015-2017 Justin worked on Four Corners, producing programs including the Hillary Clinton interview special; a money laundering investigation; the “Leaders” election special; profiles of Clive Palmer and Bill Shorten; and a program on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He produced “The Siege”, the two-part special on Sydney’s Lindt Café siege which won the 2018 Logie Award for outstanding news coverage.

In 2018 Justin was appointed Executive Producer of national nightly current affairs flagship 7.30, leading a team that sets the news agenda, goes in-depth on the biggest stories of the day and investigates and breaks stories of national significance. Under Justin’s watch 7.30 grew its broadcast and digital audience. In 2021 its national audience averaged 980,000 viewers a night with an audience share of almost 13% in metro markets and 12.5% in regional areas.

SKY News

Elise Holman, Head of News (Sept 2023 – May 2024)

Elise was appointed Head of News at Sky News Australia in September 2023, promoted from her role of Deputy Head of News of which she held for three years. Elise drives Sky News Australia’s TV News strategy and operations across Sky News, Sky News Weather, Sky News Regional, Sky News Extra and FOX Sports News. Elise has been instrumental in creating and driving programs to build the skills and capability required for high journalism performance, as well as a career path for our producers, video journalists, reporters and on-air news talent. She has led the cadetship program between FOX Sports News and the AFLW for the past three years – providing an employment pathway for current AFLW footballers. Elise is a highly regarded news leader with her a depth of broadcast television experience spanning more than a decade, including leading the sports team at Al Jazeera Media Network and as Sports Director at FOX Sports News. Prior to this, Elise worked across a variety of producing and reporting roles at Sky News, after being awarded the Sky News Charles Sturt Journalism Scholarship in 2008. 

Seven

Anthony De Ceglie Director of News and Current Affairs and Editor-in-Chief, Seven West Media
 (April 2024 – May 2024)

Anthony De Ceglie was Editor-in-Chief of The West Australian, The Sunday Times, PerthNow and its suburban newspapers, 19 regional newspapers and SWM’s recently launched The Nightly digital newspaper. He has been with SWM since early 2019, based in Perth. Before SWM, Mr De Ceglie spent more than 11 years in various roles at News Corp Australia.

In his new role, Mr De Ceglie is responsible for Australia’s most-watched News and Public Affairs programs including 7NEWS, Sunrise, The Morning Show and 7NEWS Spotlight, as well as 7NEWS.com.au.

Nine

TBA

Nine is yet to appoint its Head of News & Current Affairs following the departure of Darren Wick in March.

At present all state-based news and current affairs directors / executive producers report to Michael Healy as Director of Television.

They are:

Sydney- Simon Hobbs
Melbourne- Hugh Nailon
Brisbane – Amanda Patterson
Perth – Gareth Parker
Adelaide- Jeremy Pudney
ACA – Fiona Dear
60 Minutes – Kirsty Thompson
Director of Morning TV – Steve Burling

Updated: Nine appoints Fiona Dear as Director of News & Current Affairs.

12 Responses

  1. I just wish whoever is in charge at whatever channel would stop sending their reporters to stop asking inane questions to people who have just come out of court and cannot answer things like “are you sorry” etc and then chase them down the street like demented dogs. It does not enhance the reporting and makes them all look like idiots. It really is my pet hate at the moment, not needed at all.

    1. I’m with you on that score…even more ridiculous reporters standing outside a hospital when someone has been seriously injured…standing near a multi lane highway and traffic buzzing about…or …standing outside a hose fire asking random neighbours (who probably don’t even know the occupants) and complete strangers about the fire while the poor occupants are in shock and often nowhere to be seen all for a 2 or 3 minute segment…just don’t get me started on the latest fad of the “percentage tally” they do on everything from running red lights., people evading paying tolls and last night it was boom gates being hit by cars and trucks at level crossings…but I get it appeals to some number boffins and bean counters who lap up those stats.

    1. Wouldn’t be surprised if David personally knows TV Nut, and knows he’s joshing.

      On paper it appears to go against this website’s Comments Policy, so there’s got to be more to it to allow it through.

      Maybe he submitted this article to Red Symons New Blog Articles?

      1. I don’t. There’s no policy about critiquing me or articles, although it’s important to remain respectful. The replies are equally as robust as the original comment. I’m not sure it was understood that italics = copy, not editorial.

        1. Maybe you might need to moderate TV Nut’s remarks because his comments may have gone against the Comment’a policy. I read through it and I was very annnoyed about his remarks.

  4. Was a great read. Good to learn about the boss at Sky News Australia too. Special note to TV Nut above. We come to intelligent sites like TV Tonight to learn and stay away from nobs. It’s just a pity you won’t get to see the comments from people saying things like, “You won’t be missed.”

  5. What a tedious read – what a tedious website. Manages to be servile to the TV industry & snarky to its readers. Which pretty much says it all. From today, I’ll never click on TvTonight again. Good riddance.

    1. Pick up the dummy you just spat..gather your toys you throw out of your pram…and move on…as Demon said..you will not be missed…have a good life.

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