Seven to go for gold on Coast with Angela Cox and Rod Young frontrunners for plum news roles
ANGELA Cox is favoured to join Rod Young as the new face of local news on Channel 7 as it launches a multimillion-dollar TV war on the Gold Coast
Entertainment
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ANGELA Cox is favoured to join Rod Young as the new face of Channel 7 as it launches a multimillion-dollar TV war on the Gold Coast.
Seven West Media will end rival commercial station Channel 9’s nightly TV news monopoly when it launches its own seven-day bulletin on the Glitter Strip on July 15.
While the official broadcaster of the 2018 Commonwealth Games is yet to announce who will front its flagship bulletin, US-based entertainment specialist Angela Cox, popular veteran Rod Young and reporter Amanda Abate are the frontrunners.
Channel 7 director of news Southeast Queensland Neil Warren confirmed the bulletin would launch “in the second half of this year”.
“Plans to launch 7 News Gold Coast in the second half of this year are advanced and progressing well,” he said.
“There is still work to do. We look forward to producing a quality local news service the Gold Coast richly deserves.”
The Bulletin understands Cox has emerged as favourite to join Young after Abate, who recently moved back to the Gold Coast from Sydney, fell short of the mark with audiences in secret screen tests.
Cox, a former Gold Coast reporter who has been based in the network’s US bureau for six years, proved a viewer favourite when she returned home to co-host Seven’s Weekend Sunrise.
Cox has said she would love to move home again.
“If there was the right job that came up for me back in Australia I would definitely come back. I guess I have to wait and see what the big grand plan is.”
Cox has returned to the US to cover the election after Monique Wright returned from maternity leave to resume her Weekend Sunrise hosting role.
Gold Coast-based Young is said to be eager to shake off his commute to Brisbane to present Seven’s 6pm weekend news.
Others being considered for the Gold Coast gig include Brisbane newsreader Kendal Gilding (afternoons) and fill-in news anchors Max Futcher and Katrina Blowers.
Abate or Cox would establish a clear point of difference from Nine’s long-running bulletin, fronted by veteran newsreader Bruce Paige.
Sports presenter Giaan Rooney, another former Coaster, is also tipped to play a role in the new bulletin.
Nine Gold Coast News chief Rod Power said his team was well-placed to meet any challenge from Seven, which had “been and gone on the Coast before”.
“They’ve been here before with a half-hour news eight or 10 years ago and it only lasted just over 12 months before they pulled the pin,” he said.
“People know we’re here for the long haul. We’re celebrating our 20th year here on the Coast.
“We had our best year last year. We had 63 per cent of the viewing audience on a three-station share (Seven, Nine and Ten) at 5.30pm and somewhere around 60 per cent at 6pm.”
Mr Power said while Rod Young lived on the Coast, audiences identified him with Brisbane.
“Seven have a lot of inexperienced young journos from Toowoomba and up north.”
Seven has worked on developing its ties to the Gold Coast in recent years, investing a large amount of money and time.
Its breakfast show, Sunrise, visits the city regularly for live broadcasts, Gold Coaster Paul Burt presents all things beach, boating and fishing and weather for 7 News, while local surf-lover Liz Cantor files reports for lifestyle shows The Great South East and Queensland Weekender.
Seven also picked up two Gold Coast-based McAvoy Media productions — What Really Happens on the Gold Coast and the new factual reality series Gold Coast Medical, filmed at Gold Coast University Hospital, slated to debut later this year.
Retired Gold Coast swimmer Grant Hackett had been expected to figure in Seven’s plans until he was involved in a bizarre meltdown on a recent business-class flight.
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