Alex Cullen’s Today replacement announced
Nine has announced its new Today sports presenter, after Alex Cullen was booted for accepting money last month.
Danika Mason will be joining the Today team from next week, presenting daily from Nine’s Sydney headquarters.
Mason has been with the network since 2012, starting her career as an off-air producer for Today. She currently works across 9News, The Sunday Footy Show, NRL on Nine and Wide World of Sports, as well as in frequent fill-in slots on Today. She will continue to work with the Wide World of Sports on their weekly NRL coverage.
Danika Mason
Previous sports presenter Alex Cullen was axed late last month after accepting a $50,000 “challenge” from billionaire Adrian Portelli to help him rebrand on air.
Alex Cullen
Portelli offered $50,000 to “the first TV journalist who calls me McLaren Guy and NOT Lambo Guy” — the latter a derisive nickname due to frequent shots of his flashy vehicle on The Block.
During a live Australian Open cross, Cullen obliged. Hours later, Portelli posted a screenshot of the $50,000 bank transfer, and Nine swiftly stood the presenter down, pending an investigation.
Within a week, Karl Stefanovic was telling Today viewers that “Alex and Nine agreed that he would finish with the network”.
Steven Burling, Nine’s director of morning television, said Mason “has a fantastic rapport with the entire hosting team”, which now features Sarah Abo, Karl Stefanovic, news reader Jayne Azzopardi, and weatherman Tim Davies. Burling praised Mason’s “wealth of experience and passion for sports”.
Mason said joining Today has “been a dream of mine since I was a kid, waking up every morning to watch the show as I set my sights on a career in sports broadcasting”.
Nine also announced that its former US correspondent Alison Piotrowski will now co-host Weekend Today on a permanent basis, joining Clint Stanaway, Lizzie Pearl and Dan Anstey on the desk. Piotrowski has been filling in on Weekend Today over the past six weeks.
Burling calls her “a natural and warm host with tremendous energy”.
Piotrowski said of her new AM posting: “As a foreign correspondent and a mum, I’m thankfully already used to early wake-ups and lots of black coffee.”
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Just wrong.
Alex never did anything wrong.
Poor form channel 9.
I hope people vote with their feet
BRING ALEX BACK!!!!!
Alex Cullen is as good as the best journalists presenters. I hope McLaren man has been able to look after him.
I like a number of other viewers am very sorry to see Alex parting from the Today Show. Without going into the whole sorry saga Ch9 acted foolishly in sacking Alex given the circumstances that he was apparently donating the money to charity.. All I can say is thank God I don’t work for that mob, you get the sack for doing a great job. Alex, one door closes and another opens and I hope with all my heart you get a great job and wish you all the very best for the future mate.
So sorry to see Alex go.I thought he was just a lovely person. Your loss channel 9. Boo to you.
Alex was the only decent one on the morning show. I won’t be tuning in anymore