National Nine News

With Ten vacating the 5pm news timeslot on the weekends, Nine have decided to fill in the gap.

From this Saturday, Feb 12, Nine will now present a national news bulletin at 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays – quite fittingly called Nine News: First at Five.

Nine’s local 6pm weekend news remains, with programming like Antiques Roadshow at 5.30pm in between the two news bulletins.

UPDATED: In QLD this Saturday Feb 12, due to live coverage of the Indigenous All Stars Rugby League Match from 6.30pm QLD Time, Australia’s Funniest Home Videos will ba a half hour show, airing at 5.30pm between the 5pm and 6pm news. In other locations, the Video show remains at 6.30pm.

On Saturday Feb 12 and Feb 26, Nine has Horse Racing during the day, with the Orr Stakes day from 1pm NSW & VIC (12pm QLD) on Feb 12 and the Blue Diamond Stakes Day on Feb 26 at the same times (other areas check local guides closer to the date).

The Media is really running wild with this story…

You can understand at the beginning that it would be a big story with a world renowned/famous golfer being in the public eye for doing something wrong. However, this has been daily news for the last 2 weeks.

It may have been a big story then but now….!?! If more evidence comes to light abour different information about the case like he has been golfing whilst on drugs or attacked someone and somebody was getting their own back by meddling with his car that caused the incident then that is acceptable.

But if you have to keep babbling about “oh a new person has come forward in the Tiger Woods sex scandal” then there is something wrong.

Obviously we have now found out he has some huge problems, but should we not give him and his family space to be abel to sought through them problems without hundreds of people watching their every movement? Clearly they need their privacy, clearly the wife would be so distraught about what has happened, do you think when she switches on the TV and sees the headlines “11th female comes foward declaring she had sexual deliances with Tiger” it is going to help her through the process?

We as a global population just care too much about what is happening in everyone elses lives and trying to keep people down when they have hit that point. Yes its big news, yes it deserved to be in the press. However, as a result these females are now going to probably get rich through releasing their own “tell all stories” and why? Because we want to hear about it, but why?

Why is it such a big thing that we need to know every single little detail of what goes on in a celebrities daily life? I know there are people who earn a living doing this but when is enough enough?

Channel Nine news and current affairs veteran, Mike Munro, has announced his retirement today after an outstanding 22 years at the Network.

Munro said, “It’s the perfect time for me to go because the network is in such great shape, and I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while and wanted to go at my choosing while I still felt useful. I’m still working on two national programs, (This is Your Life and MPU), and reading the New South Wales and Northern Territory weekend news. So I’ve given the network three months notice and plenty of warning because of my love for Channel 9 and my respect for the staff. David Gyngell was wonderfully understanding and made it clear that I’d be welcome back to contribute whenever I’m asked.”

Channel Nine CEO, David Gyngell said, “I have begrudgingly accepted Mike Munro’s early retirement. All power to him! Mike will always be part of the Channel Nine family and we hope to see him back here, if and when, he gets bored.”

Mike began his career as a Copy Boy at News Ltd in 1971, and never lost sight of, or the passion, of wanting to be a journalist. He joined Channel Nine in 1984, after a stint at Channel 10 News, to work on Nine current affairs show Willesee.

Over the years, Mike has worked on many of Nine’s flagship shows – including being a reporter on 60 Minutes, and A Current Affair, which he also hosted from 1999 till 2003.

While breaking news stories, Munro also found the time to host This is Your Life for the past 12 years, and Missing Persons Unit for the past 3 years.

Mike will finish up at Nine on October 31st this year. He will continue to read the weekend National Nine News until that date.

Video-on-the-net leaders Ninemsn and the Nine Network have combined for another industry breakthrough – the live streaming of the flagship National Nine News bulletins at 6pm.

For the first time in Australia, the main evening TV news bulletins are being streamed live on the internet.

Ninemsn streams 10 million videos a month – twice the number of nearest rival Yahoo7 – and through its close relationship with the various Nine newsrooms is setting new standards in delivering all forms of video online.

Ninemsn Editor in Chief Max Uechtritz said video was a key component of a rapidly converging industry and that the integration of the ninemsn and Channel Nine newsrooms had kept them ahead of the industry curve.

“There has been a remarkable uptake of our unedited news vision, called 9RAW, as well as individual packaged stories on demand, while a lot of Australians also click onto our daily live streams of major news events from around Australia and the world,” said Mr Uechtritz. “This can only happen because the teams work hand-in-glove so that audiences can get their video when and where they want. Now we’ve taken it a step further by providing the day’s flagship bulletins as they happen.”

“The Net has changed the way we live our lives and gather information,” said Nine Network Director of News and Current Affairs John Westacott. “These days, many people are still at their desks at 6pm each night. Now our audience will be able to watch the main news bulletin of the day at a time, and place, of their choosing.

“Interstate or international, business people and travellers can keep up with latest Nine News simply by clicking on our ninemsn site.”

With an internet connection, people now can watch their local Nine bulletins from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane on a desktop or laptop.

There’s finger tip access whether still at the office desk, waiting at the airport, online at an internet café, or even in another room at home while the kids rule the TV remote.

A ninemsn user simply clicks on the live bulletins tag then selects a tab to get the Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne news at 6pm. Ninemsn has invested in the latest technology, through its joint partner Microsoft, to provide the best viewing experience for people regardless of the bandwidth of their connection.