Who will replace Karl Stefanovic at Nine? We have a few suggestions

With Karl Stefanovic’s removal from the Today show after 20 years in the chair, the Nine Network is faced with the biggest decision of all: who will replace him? Today has been so reliant on its big stars for so long it has failed to do any meaningful succession planning, with no clear name ready to take over from Stefanovic. It is also faced with finding maternity leave cover for Today co-host Sarah Abo, who is due to give birth imminently.

Nine is staring down a drop in ratings, too, with Today continually walloped by its Seven rival Sunrise (Tuesday’s national figures are a case in point: Sunrise 459,000 and Today 292,000). In fact, Today hasn’t beaten Sunrise for 20 years. It came close in 2016, when Stefanovic and former co-host Lisa Wilkinson notched up the most weekly wins in the major capitals, but was unable to beat Sunrise’s strength in the regional markets.

So, what to do? Take a punt on new talent? That’s not really Nine’s go. (In Sydney, for example, its two 6pm newsreaders are men in their 60s.) Or find a pair of safe hands who won’t scare away its rusted-on audience but probably won’t attract any new viewers. Today has tried two female hosts before, Deb Knight and Georgie Gardner, who were paired in 2019 when Stefanovic “stepped off” the show, saying he wasn’t “at his best”. But that experiment ended a year later amid falling ratings and Stefanovic was reinstalled, with Ally Langdon at his side. So, who’s next? Louise Rugendyke and Karl Quinn assess the potential candidates.

Tom Steinfort

If you were to take as an omen the line-up on Today this week, you’d say Tom Steinfort is a shoo-in to replace Stefanovic. I mean, he’s already doing the job. He looks good in a suit. He can read an autocue. He’s got some journalistic chops, too, having spent five years (in two stints) as a reporter on 60 Minutes, not to mention postings to the US and Europe as Nine’s news correspondent. But on the negative side of the ledger is the fact he’s been a huge positive since replacing Peter Hitchener as presenter (with the popular and talented Alicia Loxley) of Nine’s Monday-to-Friday evening news bulletin in Melbourne, and that has helped Nine close the gap on Seven’s nightly news, which has long been the most-watched program in the country, to the point that it is now often the No.1 bulletin in the metro capitals (Seven still has a sizable lead in the regional markets). That’s an edge they will be incredibly reluctant to relinquish. Karl Quinn

Joel Dry

Much the same caveats apply to Dry as to Steinfort: a seasoned performer with a solid news background, lots of on-air experience, looks good, manages to seem approachable and authoritative. And the same positive-as-a-negative: he co-hosts (with Melissa Downes) the weeknight news bulletin in Brisbane, and it’s going gangbusters. It’s a nice problem for Nine to have but not wanting to mess with a winning formula in primetime doesn’t do a lot to solve the massive problem the network has at the other end of the day. KQ

David Campbell

The perennial bridesmaid. He has hosted Today Extra since 2011 (back when it was known as Mornings) and is a familiar and friendly face for viewers. He has strong connections across the industry with his background in entertainment, and being the son of Jimmy Barnes also adds to his appeal. For an easy fix, Nine could just move Campbell and his Today Extra co-host Sylvia Jeffreys into the Today slot when Abo takes maternity leave, which would be a smooth transition and keep Today’s existing audience happy. Will they bring in new viewers? Probably not! But they might entice former viewers of Today, who were exhausted with Stefanovic’s antics, to tune back in. Louise Rugendyke

James Bracey

The Nine News Sydney sports presenter is all over the network, not only covering sport Sunday to Thursday, he also anchors much of its NRL coverage, as well as the Australian Open, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the Melbourne Cup, swimming trials and appears on various footy shows. He has also filled in on Today a few times but would Nine want to sacrifice one of its big sports hosts to Today? Bracey is a dad, has a wonderfully relaxed manner on screen, with shiny teeth and shoes, and falls into the category “of nice young man on the telly” that appeals to Nine’s broad demographic of viewers aged 25 to 54, footy heads and those fanatical about tennis for two weeks in January. If Nine did plump for Bracey, it would likely need a more news-oriented co-host to match, like Abo. LR

Michael Atkinson

Like Stefanovic, Michael Atkinson was born in regional Queensland, attended private school in Brisbane, is married with three children (as were Stefanovic and Thorburn) and has a regular-bloke persona that doesn’t alienate women. He’s a sports journalist (and former rugby coach) on Stan, having come through the Nine News and Wide World of Sports talent pipeline, has been a fill-in host on Today (as well as a reporter, with a matey rapport with Karl) and is currently co-host, with Alison Piotrowski, of the program’s weekend edition. If Nine management is looking for someone who matches the template, they could do a lot worse. KQ

David Woiwod

If Nine did decide to look beyond their own bunker, Seven’s Weekend Sunrise co-host is a great option. Importantly, he has the news chops, as he started his career on 10 News Melbourne, covering state politics, before moving to Seven, where he was the Melbourne correspondent for Sunrise, giving him a national profile. Woiwod was Seven News’ US correspondent and bureau chief for four years, before heading home to co-host Weekend Sunrise with Monique Wright (who should also be snapped up Nine) in 2024. He also, frankly, has the looks for breakfast TV, with his dark-framed glasses and short-back-and-sides giving him the air of Clark Kent. And if anyone needs a superhero in disguise to rescue breakfast TV, it’s Nine. LR

[First name here] Stefanovic

Look, Nine tried to get rid of Karl once before. It didn’t work out so well and so they hired him back again. That clearly is off the cards this time. But what about the next best thing: a DIFFERENT Stefanovic. You keep the brand name, without the taint, and you get the right-wing audience. Brother Peter is an experienced journalist in his own right and is currently hosting Sky’s morning news program First Edition. OK, given the current stench caused by Karl’s lurch to the right, taking someone from Sky might pose a few issues. So what about the other brother, Tom? A former cameraman at Nine, Tom currently works in his wife’s family’s business Mandole Orchard, bringing almond-based products to market. But the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree, so why not pop him in front of the camera rather than behind it and see if he blossoms? KQ

The wildcards

Todd Woodbridge has been a revelation for Nine across a variety of roles well beyond the sportscasting for which the former tennis champ was initially hired. And as host of the surprise smash Tipping Point he’s played a vital role in setting up the resurgence of the nightly news bulletin that follows. He’s done enough to earn a Gold Logie nomination; has he done enough to earn a spot on the couch? If management is willing to cast the net a little wider, maybe former News Breakfast co-host Michael Rowland could be tempted back on air. A return to early-morning starts might be tough but the pay packet – a long way short of Stefanovic’s $2 million-plus but still a lot more than he’d have been pulling at the ABC – might ease the pain. The bigger hurdle, though, would be the fact he reportedly quit in part to look after his wife, Nicola Webber, who had been ill.
OK, if we’re going to throw open the door to people from the ABC, how about we go all-in and suggest Nine make a play for Tony Armstrong? The guy is funny, handsome, charismatic and smart. Ambitious, too, and if we’re to take seriously his “jokes” about wanting more money, he’s open to offers. And what better way to signal your distance from Stefanovic’s political views than to appoint Armstrong?

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