Breakfast (Australian TV program) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Breakfast |
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| Genre | Breakfast news program |
| Presented by | Paul Henry (2012) Kathryn Robinson (2012) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 202 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sarah Bristow |
| Production location(s) | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Running time | 150 minutes (2 hours, 30 minutes) (inc. ads) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Network Ten |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 23 February – 30 November 2012 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Good Morning Australia (1981–1992) |
| Followed by | Wake Up (2013–2014) |
| Related shows | Ten News |
Breakfast was an Australian breakfast television program. It aired live on Network Ten on weekdays. There was also a weekly highlights show on Saturday mornings. The show gave updates on news, sports, and weather every half-hour. It also featured discussions, current events, and regular segments.
The show first ran from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM on weekdays. Later, it was shortened to two and a half hours. The main hosts were Paul Henry and Kathryn Robinson. Magdalena Roze gave weather updates. Other Network Ten journalists presented news and sports.
Breakfast was different from other morning shows because it was mostly unscripted. This means it wasn't always planned word-for-word. It replaced Network Ten's earlier morning shows, including children's programs like Toasted TV and Totally Wild. This was Network Ten's second try at a breakfast TV show. Their first was Good Morning Australia, which ran from 1981 to 1992.
The show was supposed to start on February 27, 2012. But because of a big political event, Breakfast began earlier, on February 23, 2012. During the 2012 Summer Olympics, the show changed its format a bit. On November 12, 2012, it was announced that Breakfast would air its last show on November 30, 2012. It had aired 202 episodes.
Contents
The Story of Breakfast
How the Show Started
On August 17, 2011, Network Ten announced they would launch a new morning show. They wanted to compete with popular shows like Today and Sunrise. The new program was planned to be similar to Ten's current affairs show, The Project.
It was first thought that Breakfast would start on January 16, 2012. This was the same day another show, The Circle, began its 9 AM slot. However, the start date was moved to March 2012 because they were still looking for a third co-host. Then, the launch date was set for February 27, 2012.
But on February 22, 2012, Network Ten decided to launch the show even earlier. This was because of an important political situation happening in Australia. So, Breakfast aired its first episode on Thursday, February 23, 2012. The first broadcast was longer than usual, lasting until about 10:20 AM. Paul Henry started the first show by saying, "It is Thursday the 23rd February and it is game on". He was talking about the political event and Network Ten's big step into morning TV.
The Show Ends
On August 15, 2012, Ten announced a new Saturday highlights show. It was called The Breakfast Week and aired from 11 AM to 12 PM.
On November 12, 2012, it was announced that Breakfast would finish on November 30, 2012. The show ending was part of bigger budget cuts at Network Ten. Many staff members lost their jobs in different Ten News roles. Even though Breakfast ended, Network Ten was interested in creating a new morning show for 2013. It would have a completely new team of hosts.
How the Show Changed Over Time
When Breakfast first started on February 23, 2012, it was hosted by Paul Henry, Kathryn Robinson, and Andrew Rochford. It aired from 6 AM to 9 AM. Kathryn Robinson gave news and sports updates. Magdalena Roze gave weather forecasts.
The set had a big red couch where the hosts usually sat. Behind the couch was an Australian-themed background with props like a windmill and a wooden crate used as a coffee table. There was also a large screen made of 16 smaller screens. Magdalena Roze used this screen for her weather updates.
On May 21, 2012, Ron Wilson joined the show to present news and sports. Kathryn Robinson used to do this role. Around the same time, Andrew Rochford's role in the show became smaller. He started presenting his parts from the Network Ten newsroom. On June 29, 2012, Andrew Rochford left the show. Reports suggested there were disagreements with Paul Henry. A week later, the show's main producer, Majella Wiemers, also left and was replaced by Sarah Bristow.
On July 30, 2012, Network Ten changed its morning schedule. As part of this plan, The Circle was cancelled. Breakfast was shortened to finish at 8:30 AM. The Ten Morning News show was brought back. Also, Wurrawhy returned to its old 8:30 AM time slot.
These changes meant Ron Wilson left Breakfast to present Ten Morning News. Matt Doran and Natarsha Belling started presenting news and sports updates during the week. Breakfast also started focusing more on breaking news and analyzing it. It got a new set that matched the national Ten News style. The big screen from the old set was moved to the newsroom.
Because The Circle was cancelled suddenly, Breakfast showed some commercials and infomercials for a short time. This was to finish contracts with different companies. This made Breakfast the first Australian news show to feature these types of ads.
| Presenter | Role | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Henry | Co-host | Feb–Nov 2012 |
| Kathryn Robinson | Co-host | Feb–Nov 2012 |
| Matt Doran | Newsreader (Monday and Tuesday) | Aug–Nov 2012 |
| Natarsha Belling | Newsreader (Wednesday-Friday) | Aug–Nov 2012 |
| Magdalena Roze | Residential meteorologist | Feb–Nov 2012 |
On August 13, 2012, Kathryn Robinson was not on the show. Paul Henry presented the program by himself. He had presented every day since the show began.
Some fill-in presenters for news and sports were Natasha Exelby and Lachlan Kennedy. Summer Burke and Reuben Mourad were fill-in weather presenters.
Show Segments
News, sports, and detailed weather reports were given every half-hour. From August 6, 2012, Paul Henry or Kathryn Robinson also gave news headlines every fifteen minutes. Viewers in big cities also got regular traffic updates.
Until August 3, 2012, after the 8:30 AM news, the hosts would talk to Yumi Stynes, Gorgi Coghlan, or another guest host from The Circle. They would find out what was coming up on The Circle.
On Monday and Friday mornings, during the sports seasons, the hosts were joined by Wendell Sailor and Roger Oldridge. They would talk about upcoming and past NRL and AFL matches. Viewers could share their opinions by calling the Henry Hotline. This was like a talkback radio segment, and calls were played later in the show.
Another segment was Around Australia. In this part, the hosts would connect with reporters in different cities. Melinda Nucifora in Sydney, Ben Lewis in Melbourne, Jonathan Lea in Brisbane, and Joe Hill in Adelaide would share what was happening in their states. Jacqueline Maddock was the show's finance presenter. Alexis Christoforous often appeared as an international business reporter. On Friday mornings, a highlights segment called Mad Week showed the best parts of the week's program.
At the end of each show, Paul Henry would dedicate the program to someone in the news.
Here are some regular people who appeared on the show and what they talked about:
| Presenter | Role | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Melinda Nucifora | New South Wales correspondent | Daily |
| Ben Lewis | Victoria Correspondent | Daily |
| Jonathan Lea | Queensland correspondent | Daily |
| Joe Hill | South Australia correspondent | Daily |
| Angela Bishop | entertainment reporter | Occasional |
| Brett Mason | Europe correspondent | Occasional |
| Kathryn Eisman | Los Angeles correspondent | Weekly |
| Hugh Riminton | political editor | Weekly |
| Reuben Mourad | reporter | Occasional |
| Daniel Sutton | United States correspondent | Occasional |
| Emma Dallimore | United States correspondent | Occasional |
| Wendell Sailor | NRL reporter | Twice per week (seasonal) |
| Rebecca Gilsenan | law | Occasional |
| Roger Oldridge | AFL reporter | Twice per week (seasonal) |
| Rosie Beaton | social commentator | Occasional |
| Tali Jatali | fashion | Occasional |
| Brendan Maclean | social media | Occasional |
| Julian Schiller | social media | Occasional |
| Lady Danielle Di-masi | etiquette | Occasional |
| Bruce Hawker | politics | Weekly |
| Josh Frydenberg | politics | Weekly |
| Ed Husic | politics | Weekly |
| Michael Kroger | politics | Occasional |
| Richard Alston | politics | Occasional |
| Nick Gulliver | technology | Occasional |
| Jono Coleman | media | Weekly |
| Kathryn Mayne | personal shopper | Occasional |
| Marc Fennell | movie reviews | Weekly |
| Victoria Murphy | Sport | Daily |
How the Show Was Broadcast
Breakfast was broadcast from Network Ten's studios in Sydney. It was shown live or with a delay, depending on where you lived in Australia. If there was a very important news event, the show would be broadcast live across the whole country.
Australia has different time zones, especially during Daylight Saving Time. Because of this, Breakfast was not always live in every part of the country. It was delayed in some states.
- In New South Wales (including ACT), Victoria, and Tasmania, Breakfast was always live.
- In Queensland, it was live except during Daylight Saving Time, when it was delayed by one hour.
- The Northern Territory had a 30-minute delay, and a 90-minute delay during Daylight Saving Time.
- South Australia had a 30-minute delay all year.
- Western Australia had a two-hour delay, and three hours during Daylight Saving Time.
Special Episodes
- The very first Breakfast show on February 23, 2012, was longer than planned. It lasted until about 10:20 AM to cover a big political event.
- On February 27, 2012, Breakfast was extended until 12:00 PM. It replaced The Circle and Wurrawhy to cover a political vote. This show was broadcast live across Australia and had the highest number of viewers, with 69,000 people watching.
- On April 25, 2012, for ANZAC Day, Breakfast started early at 5 AM and finished at 11:30 AM. It replaced other shows. This was broadcast live around Australia. Paul Henry and Ron Wilson were in the studio. Andrew Rochford was live from Perth, Kathryn Robinson from Sydney, and Magdalena Roze from Melbourne. They covered the ANZAC Day events. On this day, Breakfast was the only Australian morning show to provide long live coverage of ANZAC Day.
- In March 2012, during Ten's broadcast of the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, the hosts Paul Henry, Andrew Rochford, Kathryn Robinson, and Magdalena Roze presented interviews and segments live from the event in Melbourne.
- During the 2012 London Olympics, two Breakfast presenters, Magdalena Roze and Ben Lewis, broadcast live from London.
