There’s speculation rife this week that Sarah Abo (who co-hosts the Today Show) may be replaced by Samantha Armytage after Nine’s continued second-place ratings to Seven.
While the rumour mill in media is typically far from reliable, it would be a genuine head scratcher if any truth lies behind these whispers.
Nine, which has made meaningful strides in recent years to better reflect the diversity of modern Australia, surely wouldn’t be so foolish and regressive to casually walk back into a bygone era and voluntarily create a swathe of new challenges for the show, its hosts and its viewership.
Because when Abo was appointed to the role in 2023, it was more than just a casting decision. It showed that Nine recognised, perhaps truly for the first time, the demand for representation on screen and the value of having presenters who reflect Australia’s multicultural fabric.
Abo, who came to Australia as a child refugee from Syria, has spoken openly about her family’s journey, about working twice as hard to be taken seriously, and about what it means to finally be seen—a common narrative for migrants in this country who contribute so much.
She worked twice as hard, and her talent was reflective. Abo has brought warmth, depth, and a relatable perspective to a show that has long been eye-twitchingly superficial. She represents a new generation of Australian women who see themselves as more than just the “smiling coworker” or the “female host” boxed into a certain look.
To replace Abo now, especially with a familiar face like Armytage: blonde, polished, and emblematic of an era where on-screen women had to look and sound a certain way, would be a sharp slap in the face to the progress made.
As someone who also works in the media, and from a culturally diverse background, seeing women like Sarah Abo in these roles isn’t insignificant. It sends a message that our voices belong in mainstream Australian storytelling and not just on the periphery. It starts to normalise this being the case.
And while progress, like the efforts made by Nine in recent years are encouraging, the stats still highlight how far we have to go.
A 2022 report by The University of Sydney found that while Australia’s non-European population is substantial, it made up no more than 1.3 per cent of on-air commercial-network news and current-affairs presenters and reporters. In other words, we’re 19 times under-represented.
And this gap doesn’t reflect the changes we’re seeing across society and the ways in which young people are engaging with media. Younger demographics now constitute 47 percent of the electorate and they’re increasingly turning to non-traditional forms of media—podcasts, diverse influencers, social media for their news.
While Today clearly falls into the category of traditional media, it would surely make sense for traditional media to keep innovating; to keep pursuing younger audiences with diverse faces and perspectives. To ignore them altogether would be the ultimate death knell.
Abo brought credibility back to Today. She is proof that representation and quality are not mutually exclusive and that having someone who looks different, and approaches news differently doesn’t alienate audiences but enriches them.
But if the network is seriously looking for change, perhaps they could start the search elsewhere. Karl Stefanovic has made more on-air blunders than most can keep track of, and his brand of banter is regularly staler than supermarket bread. If “refreshing” Today is the MO for Nine, maybe it’s time to consider that the problem isn’t sitting on Sarah Abo’s side of the couch.
Television networks can’t keep citing “ratings pressure” while reverting to the same old formula that alienated younger, more diverse audiences in the first place. They have to hold the line.
Replacing Sarah Abo wouldn’t just be a bad look for Nine. It would be a loss for all of us who have waited a long time to see things change.