Nine News in Melbourne got itself an old-fashioned version of Twitter tonight when a seagull decided to drop by its new live camera overlooking the CBD.
Presenter Peter Hitchener had to hold back the chuckles while reading the live bulletin as the bird walked right across the screen.
“It was so funny,” Hitchener told TV Tonight. “And because of the camera angle it looked huge!”
Although he saw the wayward bird, Hitchener says the subject matter of the story he was reading precluded him from acknowledging it.
“It would happen to fly in during a serious news story, and I could make no mention of it. Everybody else in the studio behind the cameras was falling about laughing,” he said.
“It was the funniest thing, but I had to keep going.”
It wasn’t until after the sport that the team could make light of the moment.
For the record, Nine News already has a more conventional Twitter account that’s a lot easier to handle.
It would be awesome if the seagull started pecking at the camera, thus creating the illusion the gull was cracking on PH’s head. Cant win ém all.
Haha! This was made into a voiced-over story at the end of WIN News Hobart tonight. Just like Cameron (10:26pm) said for Adelaide’s Nine News, it wouldn’t happen down here either. A shame because seagulls are already pretty big in Hobart.
That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen on Nine News!!!!
Peter did a great job!!!
Waiting for the promo – “Tonight on Nine, a birds eye view of Melbourne’s news…”
It should have been with Mal Walden. He regularly makes the news funny and that would have been a killer laugh. I just think they may need a camera that zooms out when they appear. Or just say apologies for the background but a sea gull is lost and landed on the skype cam!
That was funny.
I don’t think I could have kept such a straight face like Hitchener did. I would’ve probably said something like, “Holy crap a giant bird!” And then I’d probably just lose it and giggle uncontrollably for the rest of the report.
hilarious??
geez it was a bloody bird!
whoop de whoop!
and the fact that news ran it like someone just died, since they can’t do an ounce of journalism, shows just how stupid the media is in this country!
Peter did a great job in holding back a chuckle. Peter is an awsome newsreader.
That was hilarious! They replayed it on the 7pm project.
Aviary funny TV moment
Birdened!
Nine aren’t the only ones Andrew!
I guess Nine’s cooing about this!
Very funny stuff. The seagull just wanted attention. Would not expect to see him in Adelaide on Nine News as they don’t have that kind of backdrop.
Nine really love Lavinia Nixon, don;t they?
LOL! Thanks for posting that video, David.