Seven News star Jennifer Keyte defects to Ten

SEVEN News star Jennifer Keyte has defected to Ten Eyewitness News. The move means popular news presenter Stephen Quartermain will be moved into a new role at the station.

Jennifer Keyte has defected to Ten Eyewitness News. Picture: Jason Edwards

SEVEN News star Jennifer Keyte has defected to Ten Eyewitness News.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team to present Ten Eyewitness News First At Five in Melbourne,” Keyte said tonight, in a statement.

“Returning to Ten, the launching pad of my career in television and broadcast journalism, is both exciting and sentimental. I am really looking forward to coming home and being part of the team again.”

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But Keyte’s move back to Ten, where she worked from 1982 to 1987, means popular news presenter Stephen Quartermain will be redeployed.

It is believed network bosses had told Quartermain about Keyte’s move to Ten before he read the 5pm news bulletin tonight.

Ten said it’s “in discussions with Quartermain about a substantive role to continue his long association with the network.”

Keyte worked at Ten during the 1980s. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

Stephen Quartermain will be redeployed at the network. Picture: Twitter

Ross Dagan, Ten’s network director of news content, said: “I would … like to pay tribute to Stephen Quartermain, who has fronted our Melbourne bulletin for more than four years. He is a class act and we appreciate all he has done, not just in the news chair, but over his many years with the network, particularly in sport.”

Keyte will work alongside Ten weatherman Mike Larkan.

Dagan added: “Jennifer and Mike are institutions of the Melbourne media profession and will make a fantastic team, bringing Victorians the best of international, national and local news coverage.”

Ten’s chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said Keyte’s return was an evolution of the network’s news service.

“Network Ten has a long and proud history in News and we are now backed by CBS, one of the world’s largest and most respected news organisations,” McGarvey said.

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“The appointment of Jennifer and the recent launch of our news and entertainment website, Ten Daily, are just two examples of our commitment to expanding our news service.”

Keyte, 58, started her career as a cadet with Melbourne radio station EON-FM.

She joined Ten as a reporter in 1982, working in courts, crime and state politics.

Five years later, Keyte moved to Seven, where she co-anchored the main evening news bulletin with Glenn Taylor. She also presented the news on the late night variety show, Tonight Live With Steve Vizard.

Keyte also worked at Channel 9 and radio station 3AW. She returned to Seven in 2003 to present weekend news bulletins.

She is a mother to two teenage sons.

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