Willie Mason to join Channel 7’s news

He’s been dubbed a walking headline and now this sport star is set to provide the latest wildcard element to Channel 7’s 6pm news.

EXCLUSIVE

He’s been dubbed a walking, talking headline and now Willie Mason is set to provide the latest wildcard element to Channel 7’s 6pm news delivering a new NRL segment.

As Channel 7 braces for the impact of the ABC’s Four Corners investigation into the station’s workplace culture to air next Monday night, a new face has been preparing for his television debut.

Channel 7 insiders have sent news.com.au a screenshot of the new recruit Willie Mason flexing his broadcast muscles on the set of 7’s 6pm news set.

Willie Mason is set to provide a new NRL segment on Channel 7’s 6pm news.

It’s believed to be a pilot Channel 7 is working on for the NRL finals later this year.

William Marshall Mason, also nicknamed “Big Willie”, is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s including playing in the 2004 Grand Final and winning the Clive Churchill Medal.

He also played for the Sydney Roosters, the North Queensland Cowboys, the Newcastle Knights and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

His career involved a number of incredible highs and controversial off-field incidents involving questionable antics, such as being photographed urinating in public outside a Double Bay hotel in 2009.

Mason will join a revamped news broadcast that has already sparked controversy by hiring Sydney-based comedian Mark Humphries, best known for his work on ABC’s The Roast, to deliver a comedy segment at the tail-end of the 6pm news coverage Friday night.

Channel 7 has been introducing new elements to its news broadcast, including a comedy segment and an astrology segment, in an effort to innovate and attract new audiences. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

The network’s recently appointed news director Anthony De Ceglie previously told news.com.au he “will use satire to cut through political spin and translate current affairs in the universal news language of taking the piss”.

De Ceglie has previously defended his decision to introduce an astrology segment to the evening bulletins, with Natasha Weber, aka ‘AstroTash’, primed to deliver a 20-second horoscopes report.

Mason’s career has seen highs and lows, on and off the footy field.

“We are incredibly proud of the groundbreaking and quality journalism that 7NEWS produces every single bulletin,” De Ceglie told news.com.au.

“We’re exploring new ideas and concepts to bring in new audiences so that we can showcase them this journalism.

“We’re not going to be afraid to innovate and we’re only just getting started.

“One thing that will never change is our absolute commitment to telling the stories that matter to our viewers.”

Originally published as Willie Mason to join Channel 7’s news