TVNZ's Breakfast show in doubt

Rawdon Christie and Nadine Chalmers-Ross. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

TVNZ won't say whether its dumped Breakfast show hosts will be on air tomorrow.

Yesterday, the Weekend Herald revealed Rawdon Christie and Nadine Chalmers-Ross have been told their time hosting the show is up. They learned the news on Friday when called to a meeting with news boss John Gillespie.

A source told the Herald on Sunday Christie was "gutted" and it was not known if he would go back to work.

Christie was unwilling to speak, when asked yesterday, if he was departing the job.

"I have two answers to that question - a short one and a long one," he said.

"The short answer is 'no comment', the long one is 'absolutely no comment'."

TVNZ yesterday refused to say whether Christie or Chalmers-Ross would be presenting the Breakfast show tomorrow as usual nor confirm if and when the presenters would be leaving the show or the station.

"We have no comment to make about speculation surrounding any of our programmes," a TVNZ spokeswoman said.

It is understood eyebrows have been raised about the state broadcaster's handling of the issue.

Christie, Chalmers-Ross and morning newsreader Peter Williams were spotted drinking at a central Auckland bar on Friday afternoon. Several people were said to be commiserating with them.

It is understood Christie is contracted until mid-September - about the time it is thought the show will be relaunched with Hilary Barry and Jack Tame as co-hosts.

Barry signed off from MediaWorks in May, ending a 23-year association with TV3, where she worked on Paul Henry's morning current affairs show and co-hosted the network's 6pm news bulletin.

Tame is TVNZ's New York-based US correspondent and has a regular Saturday show on Newstalk ZB.

He has been a regular fill-in on the Breakfast couch in recent years and returned to New Zealand this week to stand in for Mike Hosking on Seven Sharp over the school holidays.