The TV Guide

Toni Street and Sam Wallace talk about their roles in covering the Gold Coast Commonweal­th Games on TVNZ.

-

She quit Seven Sharp for a better work-life balance but now Toni Street is returning to prime-time television and she couldn’t be happier.

Street, who co-hosts a weekday morning radio breakfast show, is back on TV to front TVNZ’s nightly in-studio coverage of the Commonweal­th Games, which are being held on Australia’s Gold Coast.

“The last big sporting thing where TVNZ had the sole rights would have been the 2008 Olympics in Beijing which I was also a roving reporter at,” she says.

“Now that they’ve got these rights back, they want to go really big. Never before have we been in such a digital, multi-platform era where people don’t just want to watch on TV. They also want to watch on their online devices as well.

“So I think it is by far the biggest that probably any station or media company has had ever which is really exciting.”

For these Games, viewers can follow the action across four channels – TVNZ 1, Duke, Games Extra and Games Online which is an online-only channel.

Street, a former sports reporter for TVNZ, will not be heading to the Gold Coast while the Games are on – something about which she has mixed feelings.

“Part of me would love to be on the Gold Coast in the sun. The other part of me thinks it will be a lot easier (staying here) with two children,” she says.

“For me, this is an amazing job for my career, being able to host a prime-time show.

“So I was just really

Toni Street is looking forward to hosting nightly coverage of the Commonweal­th Games from the Gold Coast, despite being based in the studio in New Zealand, while Sam Wallace is relishing the prospect of soaking up the sun and the sporting atmosphere in the Sunshine State. They chat to Sarah Nealon about the big, free-to-air sports event.

honoured when I got asked to do it.”

Street, who has two daughters aged five and three, is expecting a third child via surrogate in August.

While the Commonweal­th Games are on, she is taking leave from the radio job she co-hosts with Sam Wallace and Sarah Gandy.

Street is looking forward to watching New Zealand compete at the Games and is optimistic when it comes to the nation’s medal chances.

“The Black Ferns are world champions,” she says.

“They should absolutely be amongst the medals and I’m really hoping Valerie Adams is too. She’s going to be one to watch because she’s just come back from having a baby, so if she can come back in that short amount of time and be able to catapult herself on to that podium to get a medal, that will be just the most remarkable story.

“We’ve seen Eliza McCartney get fourth at the World Indoor Championsh­ips. So I think she will absolutely be amongst the medals. She came fourth. None of the people that finished ahead of her were Commonweal­th Games athletes.” While Street will remain in New Zealand for the duration of the Games, her former Breakfast colleague Sam Wallace will report from the Gold Coast.

“I think the reason they’ve chosen me to do this is because I’m cheap,” laughs Wallace, who can film and edit his own reports.

“That’s what I did for Breakfast for so long. I was on the road and telling stories.

“I like to think my skills have been chosen because of my ability to produce field content. I feel really honoured to be asked.”

Just don’t expect to see Sam commentati­ng on the actual sporting events.

“My job is to do the colour stories and to explore what it’s like being a fan at the Gold Coast. So I’m going and looking at the different events that are set up – the parties around the Games.

“I’m going to try to get a behind-the-scenes tour of where the athletes are staying at the villages and I’m going to pick their brains on their good-luck items – just so people get to know the athletes and what they are like as people. It is an absolute dream job.”

When asked which particular sports he is looking forward to watching, Wallace deadpans, “Well, beach volleyball for obvious reasons.

“But I think the cool thing about the Commonweal­th Games is that you often end up following sports you didn’t traditiona­lly watch.

“Everybody watches the footie, the rugby, the basketball and all those bits and pieces – and I love those sports – but to get in behind the athletics, the swimming, the lawn bowls is a really cool thing.

“You watch these sports and find yourself thinking, ‘You know what. This is a really good watch. Maybe I should watch more of this’.”

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Sam Wallace and Toni Street
Sam Wallace and Toni Street
 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from New Zealand