Sarah Abo: ‘That was awful’

Today show co-host Sarah Abo talks adjusting to her new role and recalls an epic fail that made headlines last year.

In a new episode of the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About, the erstwhile 60 Minutes reporter and now Today co-host gets candid about where she sees herself fitting into the changing of the guard for women in broadcast journalism, how her family’s migration story helps her cover the news, and why her sometimes rocky transformation from night owl to early bird now sees her setting four wake-up alarms.

On migrating from Syria to Australia with her family when she was a young girl:

Sarah Abo: “I was four when we moved to Melbourne. I have very fleeting memories of Syria. I’m the eldest of three girls. My parents really wanted to give us a better chance at life; they probably didn’t see that future in Syria.

“They’re very academic. My parents studied in Paris, so they have an idea of what the rest of the world looks like outside of Syria. So it was really about giving those same opportunities to their daughters… And my dad was so big on really adapting to this new country and all of the very Australian quirks.

“We migrated in 1990, [when] the Collingwood Magpies won [the AFL premiership]. Straight away he was on that bandwagon: ‘Hey, we’re going for Collingwood – we’ve got no choice.’”

On how her experience as a migrant plays into her on-air role, and the meaning it might have to the audience:

SA: “It’s so important to be able to flick on the TV and see somebody who looks a bit like you or might represent the community you’re from. Australia is sort of built on multiculturalism, right? You certainly want people to feel as though they’re familiar with what they’re seeing. We grew up in suburban Melbourne and there weren’t very many migrants in that community.

“So, you know, you go to school – and I’ve still got my incredible girlfriends [from] Greek, Italian, Lebanese backgrounds – but I’d look at the blonde, blue-eyed people and be like, ‘Oh, I don’t look like that. Why don’t I look like that?’ You do feel a bit different in those early years.

“It’s important to represent our audience across television in Australia. That’s changing, that’s shifting, which is great to see. [It’s important] for the sole purpose of representing diversity – not just physically, but also the different perspectives and experiences that people have. Existing in silos is dangerous. So I think the more we learn about other people, the more we learn about ourselves.”

On how she’s handling the extra social- media scrutiny and media attention since she replaced Allison Langdon as co-host alongside Karl Stefanovic on the Nine Network’s Today showin January:

SA: “If it’s something as trivial as what you’re wearing or the way your hair is [styled], to be honest, who the hell cares? I don’t care about that stuff because it’s so material.

“As long as I’m doing a good job and those around me are doing a good job and we’re delivering the best product that we can to the public every day, that’s all that matters. So sure, have a go at my hair or what I’m wearing. I couldn’t care less.”

Sarah Abo: ‘have a go at my hair or what I’m wearing. I couldn’t care less’ Picture: Peter Brew Bevan.

On waking up on a July morning last year to the realisation that she was late to the Sydney set of the Today show, where she was filling in as a guest co-host:

SA: “That was awful. I woke up with a jolt because I was filling in. I’m from Melbourne, so I was staying in a hotel room. My phone was on silent. I had my alarm set, but for the life of me, I can’t work out why I didn’t wake up. I can only assume that I did wake up and just switched off the alarm because I was so sleep deprived.

“I think it was on a Thursday morning, so getting your sleeping patterns right when you’re just filling in is difficult. So yeah, I whacked the snooze. I must have. Then the hotel phone rang and I was up like a bolt.”

On setting a good routine to embrace the early wake-ups the job requires:

SA: “Up until now, I’ve done my best work quite late at night. For 60 Minutes, for example, I’d be up late researching or scripting a story and I could easily work until 1am or 2am with no problem. I feel like that’s when my mind is sharpest, strangely. I’ve had to completely recalibrate.

“Now I’m waking up at a time that would not be too far off [when I was] going to sleep previously, but I’m adjusting. It’s been a number of weeks now and I haven’t slept in, so that’s a good thing so far. I still set four alarms, but as soon as that 3am alarm goes off, I’m out of bed.”

Sarah Abo features in this Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar.

On International Women’s Day, which will be marked around the world this Wednesday:

SA: “I almost have to agree a little bit with that notion of, why do we still have to celebrate International Women’s Day? Women have come so far and, to play devil’s advocate, the question that arises is: are we amplifying this notion that women are the lesser gender, that we aren’t quite on par yet with our male counterparts? It’s still important to have those discussions because obviously true equality doesn’t really exist yet…

“You hear about these discussions surrounding work/life balance and having that right. I think it’s just about the choice. It’s about what you want for yourself and being able to actually do that, and not have someone tell you this is how you should do it or this is why you should do it.

“We have the power in our hands. There are external factors that everyone has to work through but, ultimately, empowering women is the most important thing, and should be at the core of any discussion we have around International Women’s Day. Empowerment is key.”

Originally published as Sarah Abo: ‘That was awful’