Peter Stefanovic is sitting at Sydney Airport, readying for a family trip to Queensland with his wife, Today Extra co-host Sylvia Jeffreys, and their sons, Oscar, 6, and Henry, 5.
But he’s also trying to wrap his head around some quirky cosmic timing: just as he marks 24 years in a newsroom, Sky News Australia is rebranding as News24.
Stefanovic will be the first voice that viewers hear in the network’s new era when he anchors a debut broadcast of First Edition under the fresh banner at 6am tomorrow.
“Maybe it’s written in the stars,” he tells The Watchlist with a laugh.
“I hadn’t thought too much about the personal significance of the number, but it’s exciting being part of a brand that’s expanding when others are pulling back.”
More than just a name change, News24 is part of the organisation’s massive digital evolution, which will feature a new app, an upgraded website, and international reporting capabilities through a specialised London bureau.
As a former foreign correspondent, Stefanovic is excited to see global horizons expand.
While he carries the weight of past assignments to war zones such as Gaza and Ukraine, as well as disasters like the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, he says that reporting on last year’s Bondi Beach massacre was one of his most challenging assignments.
“I’ve done those sorts of events overseas before, but there’s always been a personal buffer because it wasn’t home,” he explains.
“It was an attack that happened literally at home, in the next suburb from where I live.
I was covering this absolutely tragic story, and people were coming up to me in real-time to talk about our coverage while it was going to air, mostly in comforting terms.”
While this immediacy of reporting highlights the profound changes ushered in by the digital age, Stefanovic doesn’t believe traditional media is under threat from bystanders armed with smartphones and social media. “I still back what we do in terms of accuracy and offering our audience a more balanced view,” he adds.
Reflecting on starting his career at WIN TV in the central Queensland city of Rockhampton in 2002, when stories were still shot on tape, he says, “That makes me feel old. In the old edit booths, it took a while to put a story together and cut it.
“There was something pure and romantic about that. These days, so much of it is done online and it’s so much faster. That’s thrilling in and of itself – we’re pretty much live on my show.”
Still, Stefanovic is quick to reassure audiences that the network’s glossy rebrand won’t alter its three-decade legacy.
“We’ll still be doing the journalism we’re famous for,” he promises. “We’re going to be doing interviews with all the business leaders, political leaders, and the big names in the news. Weather, sport, business, politics – even entertainment from time to time. We’ll be continuing to cover all of that with great gusto.”
Delivering headlines may be the crux of his role, but Stefanovic admits he was grateful to be overseas covering the World Cup when his older brother Karl’s high-profile departure from the Today show dominated news cycles in June, since reporting on friends and family when they’re the story is a delicate tightrope.
“I’ll leave analysis to other people,” he says, “but I’d have had to cover it in the same way that we’ve covered Lisa Wilkinson or Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ [Henderson].”
An upside of being a news family is robust dinner table conversations, and always having an expert there to workshop ideas.
“Sylvia has got her show, Karl has got his, I’ve got mine. We’re all catering to different audiences, so there’s not really that rivalry,” he points out.
“We’re all pretty supportive of each other as we navigate the trials and tribulations.”
As for rumours the Stefanovic brothers could form a powerhouse double act on News24, the First Edition host laughs it off.
“I don’t know whether that would happen because he’s pretty busy,” he says of Karl.
“He’s pumping out his podcast now, doing up to five episodes a week and travelling the world.
“Honestly, I don’t think he’d have time, but wherever he goes, I – like you – will be watching keenly.”
First Edition airs weekdays at 6am on News24. Watch on Foxtel and News24.com.au
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