Westacott named Nine news chief
Aug 27
Long-time 60 Minutes executive producer John Westacott has been named the director of news and current affairs at the Nine Network.
“John is highly experienced in television and we are delighted he is taking up this key management role,” Nines executive director Jeffrey Browne said in a statement posted at NineMSN. “He is one of the most proven executive producers in news and current affairs in this country, and will provide strong, experienced leadership for this team.”
Westacott, who led 60 Minutes for more than 15 years, said he was looking forward to being a key part of a team that “is rebuilding Nine to its position of pre-eminence in commercial television”.
“Nine has a great pool of talented journalists, editors and crews, and I look forward to working with them to provide the best news and current affairs programs, particularly in this election year.”
Westacott’s extensive early experience in newspapers included a stint as assistant editor at The Australian. He moved to television in 1982, where he worked at the ABC and then several Nine programs. Westacott replaces outgoing news chief Garry Linnell, who resigned last week.
MediaSpy users are discussing Nine’s new appointment in the National Nine News thread.
Lepatron August 27th 2007