After months of speculation and a summer trial that quickly felt permanent thanks to strong on-air chemistry, Michael Atkinson has today been confirmed as the new co-host of Weekend Today.
The announcement was made on Friday morning’s show, with Atkinson joined in the studio by his new Weekend Today co-host Alison Piotrowski and news presenter Lizzie Pearl, while also being welcomed to the wider Today team by weekday hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, formalising the position after a summer fill-in that impressed network executives.
Speaking about the appointment, Atkinson said joining the weekend program felt especially personal given his upbringing in regional Queensland, where weekends were centred around family, sport and catching up on what mattered.
“I grew up in regional Queensland where weekends are about family, sport and catching up on what matters, so this role feels especially meaningful.”
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Atkinson steps into the role vacated by Clint Stanaway, who departed Nine late last year after 25 years with the network, including a lengthy stint anchoring the weekend edition of Today, prompting a rethink of the weekend hosting line-up as Nine continues to steady the broader Today franchise.
Michael Atkinson alongside Alison Piotrowski during his summer fill-in on Weekend Today, now confirmed as the program’s new co-host (image – Nine)
His appointment brings added consistency to the weekend desk alongside co-host Alison Piotrowski, the former U.S. correspondent and senior reporter who was officially appointed early last year, with A Current Affair journalist Lizzie Pearl continuing on news and Triple M Brisbane’s Dan Anstey on weather.
Piotrowski said Atkinson “took to the show like a duck to water” during his summer stint, praising his on-air chemistry and sense of humour.
Atkinson’s appointment also comes at a time when Nine’s broader Today Show remains under the microscope, following recent reports the network was considering dumping Karl Stefanovic, claims the network was quick to deny, and with Sarah Abo having only signed a one-year extension late last year, as first reported by TV Blackbox.
A former 9 News Queensland sports reporter and presenter, Atkinson initially worked across the network’s Brisbane and Gold Coast bureaus for several years, after earlier professional roles in rugby for the Queensland Reds and in finance while briefly living abroad in London.
Michael Atkinson reporting for Stan Sport during the 2024 Paris Olympics (image – Instagram)
The journalist and presenter holds a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Media and Communications from Queensland University of Technology and has since built his broadcast career with the Nine Network, where he has quickly risen through the ranks.
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Since relocating to Sydney in 2023, Atkinson has taken on presenting and reporting duties across Stan Sport, including their rugby union coverage, and was part of Nine’s broadcast team for the network’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, while balancing family life with wife Sophie Smith and their three children.
While the weekend edition has seen several co-hosting changes in recent years, including Jayne Azzopardi’s elevation before her move to the weekday program and Sophie Walsh’s short time in the role, executives will be hoping Atkinson’s appointment helps bring greater continuity to Weekend Today.
From what viewers witnessed over summer, Atkinson feels like a smart appointment, fitting in seamlessly with the team while adding depth to Nine’s broader Today line-up. Succession planning, who?
Weekend Today airs from 7.00am to 10.00am Saturdays and Sundays on Channel 9.
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