A former A Current Affair host who was previously earning $500,000 annually has agreed to a significant pay reduction to stay with Nine. The network is facing internal pressure to scale back large salaries while ongoing layoffs continue within its newsrooms. The decision reflects Nine’s changing priorities as it seeks to maintain experienced talent while reducing costs across its television operations.
The revised salary comes after growing unrest inside the company, particularly within the news division where several reporters have recently lost their jobs. Although the presenter participated in only three interviews over the past year, the original $500,000 contract had drawn strong criticism from staff who questioned whether the network’s financial decisions were well placed during a challenging economic period.
With only three on-air appearances that year, the presenter’s annual earnings equated to about $166,000 per segment. This made them the highest-paid performer in Australian television on a per-appearance basis. The situation sparked concern among colleagues and prompted questions about fairness and spending, especially as other respected presenters lost their roles despite working full-time. Nine has now renewed the presenter’s contract for another year on a $250,000 package, bringing their compensation in line with other senior contributors on shows such as 60 Minutes.
This cost-cutting initiative appears to be part of a broader reset across the network where even marquee personalities are being asked to adjust to tighter budgets. Whether this recalibration will support morale or create more competition among remaining staff remains uncertain.
