Source : the age
James Glenday’s first week as co-host on ABC’s News Breakfast won’t be an easy one. It’s not just that he’s spent days packing up his entire life in Canberra and convoying his young family down to their new home in Melbourne. But Tuesday, his second day on the job, coincides with Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“I think we’re on air from about 3.30am with special coverage,” he says, on a post-road trip phone call standing next to a camper trailer full of all his possessions. “I’ll be up from about 1am.”
James Glenday replaces Michael Rowland as one of the hosts of ABC News Breakfast.Credit: Wayne Taylor
It’s a wake-up call that would make most people think twice about what they’ve got themselves into. But Glenday, who is replacing long-time co-host Michael Rowland on the couch and has sporadically filled in for him over the past three years, is exhilarated by it.
“News Breakfast is a really, really great show to be a part of when stuff is happening,” the 38-year-old journalist. “You’re on air for three hours and a lot of it is unscripted. ” It helps when there’s lots to say.
It also doesn’t hurt that he has plenty of experience in political reporting. “The ‘news’ in News Breakfast is still the most important thing,” he says, echoing a phrase that’s also been used by his predecessor.
Glenday, an accidental “ABC lifer” who grew up in Dubbo listening to Jim Maxwell on the radio all summer, started with the national broadcaster back in 2010 and has spent six years in the Canberra press gallery and five years overseas as a correspondent in Europe and North America. Surely, that will prepare him to guide audiences through this new Trump era?
“I’m not sure anyone is prepared for whatever is going to happen there,” he says, laughing.
“Our focus [looking at the year ahead] is going to be the Australian election. There’s a lot of discussion about overseas trends and whether they influence Australian politics, so that’ll be one thing to keep an eye on.
“I think that most predictions about Western politics have been disproven at various points. We’re in quite unpredictable times.”
What is predictable, however, is that people will have opinions about his performance – and how the show is going as a whole.
It’s been a turbulent time in the ABC, with many staffing changes in TV and radio, and News Breakfast is no exception. After five years on the couch, Lisa Millar left the show halfway through last year and beloved sports presenter Tony Armstrong soon followed. Rowland, a fellow ABC lifer, announced his departure at the start of December. He had co-hosted the show since 2010.
The string of departures led to some questions about the future of the program. News Breakfast is regularly in third place against its commercial competitors in the ratings.
But the appointment of Bridget Brennan in Millar’s place has steadied the ship and Monday will be the start of what Glenday refers to as a “new generation”. He and Brennan, who met on his first day as cadets in Darwin, will be joined by incoming sports presenter Catherine Murphy. Regulars Nate Byrne, Charles Brice and Emma Rebellato continue alongside.
“You get a very clear idea about what people think is working at the ABC or what’s not.”
James Glenday
What’s on the agenda in this updated version of the show? They’re chasing a roster of big-name interviews.
“Maybe the prime minister one day, a pop singer the next,” Glenday says. But he won’t share any specifics from his wishlist – even if, as I point out, a mention might give them a nudge to go on. “Someone like Leigh Sales could probably do that but not me,” he says, laughing.
Incoming News Breakfast co-host James Glenday (right), road-tripping from Canberra to his new home in Melbourne with his dog Basil.Credit: James Glenday/Supplied
The new co-host is also keen to feature plenty of regular citizens.
“We’ll have reporters out at electorates, talking to people on the ground who are affected by policies,” he says. “Most people don’t really care about the inner workings of politics. I think they very much care about what it actually means for them.”
He knows this because people tell him. Regularly. As a recognisable face in Canberra after two years presenting the 7pm news, Glenday is used to people bailing him up to talk about his coverage – and the ABC at large. Usually at the petrol station or the chemist. And it was always more frequent after he would fill in on News Breakfast.
“You get a very clear idea about what people think is working at the ABC or what’s not,” he says. “And that’s good. Because if they’re doing that, they’re watching and they care. Even if they’re complaining and saying they can’t stand it.”
“At the end of the day, all Australians are paying for it.”
