This week, Channel 9 quietly returned live and local Perth news updates throughout Today for viewers of the breakfast news program.
The recent change, which went largely unnoticed by viewers this week, sees the network reinstate live and local news updates in the west after the network dumped the local news inserts during the breakfast show in early 2020.
Now hosted by journalist and presenter Lara Vella, the news updates are being produced and presented out of Nine’s Sydney news studios and features crosses to local reporters on the ground in Perth and across Western Australia.
Watch a montage of the local Perth News from Tuesday 10th January:
(Credit – Aus TV Fan / YouTube)
The local news updates from Perth were first were introduced in 2014 and hosted by local identity Tim McMillan for the first 2 years, who was later dumped by the network in 2017 alongside his evening news co-host Emmy Kubainkski, and later joined rival Channel 7 to present local program Flashpoint as well as 7’s weekend news.
Other local presenters of the Today Perth updates over the years have included Tracy Vo (2016–2017) who also had a brief stint as the main news presenter on the main program in 2020, as well as Louise Momber (2018–2019), and more recently Michael Genovese (2020) until the updates were axed during the onset of the covid-19 pandemic.
In a new promo posted to socials on Tuesday, host Lara Vella says “On Today Perth in 2024, your local news that affects all West Australians, and, we’re live. So, for the latest news, sport and weather start your day with Today Perth from 5:30am”.
Vella also shared the clip to X (formerly twitter) with the caption:
“Very exciting to be bringing our Today family LIVE into WA again #thewestisbest”
The new Perth Today presenter joined 9 News in 2014 working as a producer for the nightly 6:00pm news bulletin, as well as being a regular fill-in presenting the early news bulletin and reporting for the weekend version of Today.
More recently Vella has been regularly seen as the the Today Sydney news reporter, as well as regularly filling in on the Channel 9 breakfast and morning shows over the summer period.
Just watch Sunrise