Drama at Nine’s 6pm bulletin: Why insiders say one anchor ‘really should know better’ after what happened to his wife…

By STEVE JACKSON FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 13:51 GMT, 11 January 2025 | Updated: 13:55 GMT, 11 January 2025

The war drums have been rumbling in Nine’s St Georges Terrace bunker in Perth this week amid a flurry of speculation newly appointed news boss Michael Genovese has fallen in love with one of the station’s summer news anchors…

Himself.

Some sections of the city’s newsroom have been somewhat miffed the jack-of-all-trades has been presenting the channel’s flagship 6pm bulletin over the festive break – despite moving into a purely managerial role last month.

‘These summer fill-in spots are the first rung on the ladder for us to show our bosses what we can do and try to stake a claim on a full-time gig somewhere down the track – but instead it’s the boss who’s taken the role!’ one newsroom staffer said. 

‘We’ve got a lot of great reporters who would really shine if given the opportunity – people like Erin Harwood, Brooke Comerford and Michael Stamp – but instead, Genovese is doing it all himself – it’s really frustrating.’

Nine’s new Perth news boss Michael Genovese and Seven crime reporter wife Jerrie Demasi

Rising Nine News Perth stars Brooke Comerford, Erin Harwood and Michael Stamp

What’s more, network insiders reckon Genovese should be more conscious of the disquiet wearing two hats like this can cause after his wife and one-time Nine News reporter Jerrie Demasi defected to rival Seven little more than a year ago.

‘He really should know better given what happened with Jerrie,’ one said.

‘She is absolutely amazing but got tired of waiting in the wings so went somewhere where they appreciate her skills and she’s given the right opportunities.’

They need not worry though. 

Nine assures us Genovese hasn’t been trying to steal the show: he’d been locked in to read the bulletins over the hectic holiday period long before he was elevated to the newsroom’s top job. So standby for more opportunities in the future. 

Meanwhile, according to our spies at Denison St in Sydney, a different network star was on everyone’s lips, with Nine’s recently returned U.S. correspondent Alison Piotrowski impressing while co-hosting Today on the last weekend of the year.

Nine’s recently returned U.S. correspondent Alison Piotrowski (left) is one to watch at the network this year

‘It was obvious how good Ali was in the States – we all saw that in the lead-up to and the day of the presidential election; her reporting and analysis were probably the best on the network,’ one Nine insider gushed.

‘But watching Ali on Today showed a whole new side of her. She was really dynamic.

‘The best part is, she has zero pretensions – she’s incredibly well-liked because she’s down-to-earth, a terrific person, a hard-worker, and good at her job.’

Away from her fill-in duties, Piotrowski looks to have slipped into a senior reporter role since her return to Sydney last month and we hear she’s shaping up as one to watch in 2025. 

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Drama at Nine’s 6pm bulletin: Why insiders say one anchor ‘really should know better’ after what happened to his wife…

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