Hilary & Simon’s NEW GIG
Hilary Barry and Simon Dallow are set to host 1 News’ 2017 election night special, prompting speculation their pairing is a prelude to co- hosting the 6pm news. A source told the Weekend Herald the pair, who are both veteran newsreaders but haven’t presented together before, had been chosen to front TVNZ’s coverage of the September 23 election. It is understood other TVNZ stars, including Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking, will also be part of the coverage. But TVNZ is tight- lipped about its election night line- up. In response to questions from the Weekend Herald about Barry and Dallow, a spokeswoman said: “We’ll release full details of 1 News’ election coverage plans once they’re finalised — that’s expected next week.” The speculation about Barry and Dallow hosting the election night coverage comes on the heels of talk in the industry that the network i s testing the pair’s onscreen chemistry, raising the prospect that they could host the prime time 6pm bulletin together. Barry, who worked in several reporting and presenting positions for rival broadcaster Media Works for 23 years before joining TVNZ in August 2016, currently co- hosts Breakfast with 1 News’ former US correspondent and Newstalk ZB host Jack Tame, while Dallow fronts the 6pm news alongside Wendy Petrie.
When she switched networks, there was widespread speculation Barry would eventually present 1 News at 6pm with Dallow.
In July, TVNZ’s head of news and current affairs John Gillespie poured cold water on claims Barry may take over from Petrie, emphatically denying major changes were planned for Breakfast and Seven Sharp.
But it is understood that meetings were held to discuss a Breakfast “reboot” in the face of strong competition from its Mediaworks rival The AM Show.
Nielsen figures revealed The AM Show, hosted by Duncan Garner, has nearly doubled its audience in the past six months, from 38,000 viewers in February to 69,000 in July.
By comparison, Breakfast drew an average audience of 115,000 viewers in July, down from 137,000 in April.
A spokeswoman for TVNZ reiterated Gillespie’s statements when asked yesterday whether Barry would host the 6pm news.