Cry harder:
AM hosts Lloyd Burr and Melissa Chan-Green have shed tears as they opened their show this morning, saying the past 24 hours have been “pretty tough” following the shock announcement of Newshub’s looming closure.
The decision to shut down one of the country’s biggest news outlets by the end of June has left staff devastated, saddened and heartbroken. Up to 300 jobs are expected to be lost.
Wider reaction has included dismay at the loss of one of two of New Zealand’s 6pm news outlets, with several politicians, including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, describing it as troubling for the country’s democracy.
The loss of the newsroom means the AM show will also shut down, with hosts Lloyd Burr and Melissa Chan-Green speaking this morning of their grief at the announcement.
A tearful Chan-Green said she had been “so lucky to work here for the last 17 years”.
”It’s got me through some pretty dark times… I’m so lucky to work with all of you guys.”
She thanked those in the newsroom, including those who stayed to put bulletins out after hearing “such awful news”.
“We care about what we do and we care about what you watch and we’re just so thankful to have your company,” she said to the audience.
NZ Herald
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