The AM show presenters and reporters have thanked their viewers and team for their journey on air at the end of their final broadcast.
Newshub confirmed in April it was set to close on July 5 at 7pm. It marks the end of 35 years of news television, amid a time of turmoil for the wider media industry.
During the last moments of the AM Show, newsreader Michael O’Keeffe thanked his family and the Newshub team for their support with his role.
“So many amazing memories … The overwhelming emotion for me today is gratitude, I am so grateful I have been afforded this opportunity and an opportunity I never really thought I deserved but like one I never took for granted.”
Meanwhile roving reporter William Wairua thanked the people who set him up, as he usually goes “off the cuff”.
As Newshub enters its final day on air, the AM show commemorated their last show on Three.
“I just want to thank everyone at AM for taking a chance on me, because I’m very much a wildcat … all I wanted to do was bring a laugh. I know the news is pretty serious.”
Sports reporter Nicky Styris said she started off as a fill-in but Newshub has become a “really big part” of her life.
“I’ve been thinking long and hard about what to say and the one thing I keep coming back to is ‘thank you’, because it’s been a privilege being part of this AM show. Thank you for trusting me with your special stories, to deliver your stories with sensitivity and urgency … thank you for making my laugh and making me cry …”
“Thank you to our entire team for being such awesome humans.”
AM show presenter Lloyd Burr said the team welcomed him with “open arms” for the five months he worked on the show.
“[Closing] is a damn shame because we were onto something pretty awesome here …”
Burr thanked the entire Newshub team and viewers who “let us into their lives”. He also apologised to viewers as they “couldn’t save” the show.
Melissa Chan-Green, who also presents the show, thanked the team and her husband for the support.
“I do sometimes wonder how I even got here, I was just a self-conscious shy kid who liked writing stories, and I accidentally got into telly.
“Now I’m going to show my beautiful [children] how you pick yourself back up in life and you get on with something you care about, but not before we have some really lovely quiet time together as a family.
“I’m also thinking of people today who have lost their jobs in other industries, those of you who are facing tough times in your business, and those of you who are feeling lonely.
“We may be turning the lights out here, but we are still in this together. So, hang in there for what is important to you, and thank you for being so important to us.”
The show then played a montage of their “funniest moments” to bid farewell.
Breakfast speaks to AM
As Newshub entered its final day on air, Breakfast spoke to the hosts of the AM show to commemorate their final show.
Reflecting on their final broadcast, Breakfast presenter Melissa Stokes said the AM Show are “our competition, but more importantly, our colleagues and friends”.
It was shortly after Chan-Green shared her first ever live cross was on Breakfast some time in 2004.
She then recounted the moment she slept on Stokes’ floor during another show from London in 2006 — adding there is something special about a shared experience with a morning audience.
As Newshub enters its final day, Breakfast spoke to The AM Show to commemorate their final morning on air.
“We’ve had so many people write in saying it is their reason for getting out of bed, and it helps them feel connected in the morning,” said Chan-Green.
On a less emotional note, Burr said he was “looking forward to a sleep in”.
“The 2.30am alarms, the impact it has on your social life …. I’m looking for silver linings here,” Burr joked.
Newshub a ‘gutsy’ operation
Chan-Green said Newshub will be remembered as a gutsy news operation, while Burr called it the “poor gutsy cousin that gives things a crack”.
“Those of us who are leaving the building, we take that culture with us, so I think the Newshub spirit will live on,” Chan-Green said.
Burr said the highlights of working at Newshub is “the stuff that goes on behind the scenes”.
Meanwhile Chan-Green said working on events which happened in New Zealand and hearing the impact they have on locals has been a “privilege” and a thing she “will always remember”.
Final broadcast full of laughter and reflection
The AM show’s final broadcast has been marked with reflection and laughter.
Reporters Mitch Redman, Emma Olsen and James Flurry joined the show at 6.20am to reflect on their favourite memories working on the show, and shared their plans for the future after the newsroom closes.
The show then broadcast a blooper reel showing some viral moments from current and former presenters, and had a recap with Ryan Bridge and Amanda Gillies, who shared their memories working on the show.
Foreign correspondents Lisette Reymer, Mitch McCann, and Emma Cropper outlined their experiences working on Newshub from overseas.
McCann, who typically reports from the US, said covering the American election cycle stuck out for him.
“It’s something we’ve been watching for the last eight to 10 years … I remember my first Donald Trump rally, it was sort of like an explosion to the senses. I think I described it on this show as like an A&P show on steroids …”
Reymer, who reports from Europe, added working on the show was special as “hearing a New Zealand accent” gave her a feeling of home while working from “crazy places” overseas.
“It’s so special to touch base with not just [the presenters], but you’re joined by all the New Zealanders.”
When asked about times things went wrong, Cropper, who reports from Australia, said one time she travelled to Townsville with no batteries for her camera.
“So [I’m] just filming the head of the New Zealand army on my iPhone … anything like that … it’s crazy.”
Other former Three morning presenters joined the show earlier in the week, such as Paul Henry on his self-titled show which ran from 2014 to 2016, along with Carly Flynn and Oliver Driver from Sunrise, which ran from 2007 to 2010.
Yesterday, the AM show also brought on former political reporters Tova O’Brien and Patrick Gower and current political reporter Jenna Lynch to share their experiences reporting for Newshub from the Beehive.
