Channel Nine has said an emotional goodbye to veteran presenter Clint Stanaway, marking the end of his decades-long tenure with the network in a spectacular two-hour tribute that showcased his profound impact on colleagues.
The 42-year-old journalist, who announced his departure in September to focus on his growing breakfast radio career at Nova, presented Weekend Today for the final time on Sunday. Rather than a standard sign-off, viewers witnessed an extraordinary celebration filled with tributes, flashbacks and inside jokes from colleagues across Australia.
A Newsroom Farewell Like No Other
Almost every presenter who had ever worked alongside Stanaway appeared in pre-recorded messages, praising the long-serving journalist as the heart and soul of the newsroom. Melbourne anchor Alicia Loxley affectionately described herself as his 'work wife', while Tom Steinfort filmed an unpolished home video tribute from his living room.
Richard Wilkins delivered his trademark dad jokes before offering heartfelt words: 'Everybody loves you Stanners, we will miss you buddy.' The endless praise eventually left Stanaway squirming, prompting him to lean towards the camera and insist, 'I am not dying.'
Contrasting Departures at Nine
While Nine orchestrated this grand farewell for Stanaway, another long-time colleague experienced a markedly different exit. Amber Sherlock was let go late last week as part of Nine's latest cost-cutting drive, with her departure kept so quiet that viewers only realised she was gone when she abruptly vanished from the November 11 bulletin.
Her exit received just one on-air acknowledgement on November 12, when Georgie Gardner went off-script during the 6pm news to confirm what had become one of the network's worst-kept secrets. Gardner described Sherlock as a 'valued member' of the team and wished her and her family well.
Sherlock, who had been with Nine since 2007, is among dozens of staffers affected as the network enacts its latest round of redundancies. A network insider suggested her hefty pay packet could have factored into the decision to remove her from her weather role.
Network Restructuring and Job Cuts
Nine Entertainment confirmed a restructure is underway to drive 'commercial growth', with the company expecting to cut jobs in newsrooms across the country, including its Queensland bureaus. Although up to 50 roles are being made redundant, the total number of staffers departing is expected to be lower as new roles are created and some staff are redeployed.
This represents the latest in a series of staff reductions at Nine, which announced 200 job cuts in June 2024 as part of a $30 million cost-cutting plan. Chief executive Mike Sneesby explained that managing costs is vital to continued investment in digital growth opportunities across the network.
Sherlock's departure marks the end of a notable chapter at Nine, where she became internationally known in 2017 for the 'jacketgate' incident with fellow reporter Julie Snook. Despite calls for her dismissal at the time, the network stood by the embattled presenter, who continued with Nine until last week's redundancy round.
