Jessica Rowe
Encyclopedia
Jessica Rowe is an Australian television news presenter. Rowe attended Sydney Girls High School
in Sydney
, and completed a Communications degree at Charles Sturt University
in Bathurst
. During her studies she was a broadcaster with on-campus community radio station 2MCE-FM. In April 2011, Jessica appeared as the Narrator in Side By Side By Sondheim
at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.
as a receptionist for Nine's Wide World of Sports. She made her on-air debut as a weather presenter on Prime Television
in Canberra
. She was later spotted by Network Ten
executives, and was made a main news presenter. She presented Ten Sydney's
flagship Ten News at Five
bulletin with Ron Wilson
for almost 10 years, from 1996 until the end of 2005.
's Today
, which she briefly co-hosted with Karl Stefanovic
from late January until early December 2006. Ten took Rowe to court over her defection, claiming that a clause in their contract with Rowe prevented her from starting at Nine until June 2006. The case was dismissed on 30 December 2005, allowing Rowe to debut on the show 30 January 2006.
Rowe's early tenure with the Nine Network
's Today
was disastrous. There was public criticism of her presentation style on this breakfast television
show, a style which was perceived by many as "annoying". Additionally, Rowe was embarrassed on 30 May 2006 by a gaffe in which Australian Brigadier Michael Slater revealed during a live cross that the interview from Dili
, East Timor
was being stage managed. Nine Network CEO Eddie McGuire
made a public statement in June 2006 falsely stating the claims Rowe was to be "sacked" were part of a "a malicious and unprecedented vilification campaign" This followed the sworn evidence in an affidavit from Nine's former head of news Mark Llewellyn that McGuire had threatened to "bone" Jessica Rowe during a meeting with executives On 26 July 2006, she fell down six stairs at her Sydney home and suffered a broken wrist, but her unborn baby was uninjured. She went back to work on Today
on the following Monday.
On 6 May 2007, it was announced that Rowe had left the Nine Network
due to "payment disputes".
had reported on 23 July that Rowe would return to television as a news presenter for Seven News
. She was also a contestant in the seventh series of Dancing with the Stars.
Jessica began her presenting duties on 17 December 2007 with the national Seven 4.30 News
news bulletin. In January 2008, Rowe presented Seven Morning News
while Ann Sanders
was on leave and she also filled in for Natalie Barr
on Sunrise
.
From February 2008, Rowe began a stint as a panelist on a new late night show on Seven's high definition channel (7HD
) called The NightCap
. This proved to be a further career failure for Rowe. The show has since stopped production due to no generation of revenue for Seven
On 15 December 2008, News Limited reported that Rowe's contract with the Seven Network
had not been renewed. The head of the network, David Leckie
, confirmed that her contract had ended and that Seven was unable to offer her a permanent news presenter position, although he said that casual news presenting shifts may become available for her.
In December 2010, Rowe began presenting the news on Weekend Sunrise
replacing Sarah Cumming
and Sharyn Ghidella
.
.
On 21 July 2006, Jessica Rowe announced on Today
that she was 3½ months pregnant. Further, in an interview with the Australian Women's Weekly
of 22 August 2006, she said that her baby was due on 22 January 2007. The baby was conceived after four IVF attempts. She began maternity leave from Today
on 8 December 2006. Sarah Murdoch
was her temporary replacement, however presented the show longer than originally intended. Kellie Connolly
replaced Murdoch, and was eventually replaced by Lisa Wilkinson
.
Rowe gave birth to daughter Allegra Penelope Overton on 18 January 2007, four days ahead of the due date. She later admitted that she had suffered from post-natal depression
during Allegra's early months, in the hope of helping other mothers in the same situation.
In October 2008, Rowe announced that she was 14 weeks pregnant with her second child and that it has been conceived naturally. On 9 April 2009, Rowe gave birth to daughter Giselle Charlotte Overton, Peter Overton
announced the news on 10 April.
She is a fan of the Sydney Roosters
Rugby League
Team.
Sydney Girls High School
Sydney Girls High School is an academically selective, Public high school for girls, located at Moore Park, in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and completed a Communications degree at Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus university located in New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory. It has campuses at Bathurst, Canberra, Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange, Wagga Wagga and Burlington, Ontario...
in Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
. During her studies she was a broadcaster with on-campus community radio station 2MCE-FM. In April 2011, Jessica appeared as the Narrator in Side By Side By Sondheim
Side By Side By Sondheim
Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company.-History:...
at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.
Early career
At 22 years old, Jessica started her career at Channel NineNine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
as a receptionist for Nine's Wide World of Sports. She made her on-air debut as a weather presenter on Prime Television
Prime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. She was later spotted by Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
executives, and was made a main news presenter. She presented Ten Sydney's
TEN-10
TEN is the callsign of Network Ten's flagship Sydney television station. It was originally owned and operated by United Telecasters Sydney Limited , and began transmission on 5 April 1965 with the highlight of the opening night being the variety special TV Spells Magic.-History:TEN often lagged in...
flagship Ten News at Five
Ten News
Ten News is the national news service of Network Ten in Australia. The majority of its news bulletins are presented from the TEN-10 studios in Pyrmont...
bulletin with Ron Wilson
Ron Wilson (newsreader)
Ron Wilson is a news presenter with Network Ten. an Australian television network.WIlson is currently the presenter of Ten Early News and also Ten Morning News on Monday & Tuesday...
for almost 10 years, from 1996 until the end of 2005.
Today
In 2005 Rowe signed a contract valued at $500,000 to host the Nine NetworkNine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's Today
Today (Australian TV program)
Today and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
, which she briefly co-hosted with Karl Stefanovic
Karl Stefanovic
Karl Stefanovic is an Australian Gold Logie winning television presenter.Stefanovic is currently a co-host of the Nine Network's breakfast program, Today.-Early years:...
from late January until early December 2006. Ten took Rowe to court over her defection, claiming that a clause in their contract with Rowe prevented her from starting at Nine until June 2006. The case was dismissed on 30 December 2005, allowing Rowe to debut on the show 30 January 2006.
Rowe's early tenure with the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's Today
Today (Australian TV program)
Today and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
was disastrous. There was public criticism of her presentation style on this breakfast television
Breakfast television
Breakfast television or morning show , is a type of infotainment television program, broadcast live in the morning...
show, a style which was perceived by many as "annoying". Additionally, Rowe was embarrassed on 30 May 2006 by a gaffe in which Australian Brigadier Michael Slater revealed during a live cross that the interview from Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
, East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
was being stage managed. Nine Network CEO Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
made a public statement in June 2006 falsely stating the claims Rowe was to be "sacked" were part of a "a malicious and unprecedented vilification campaign" This followed the sworn evidence in an affidavit from Nine's former head of news Mark Llewellyn that McGuire had threatened to "bone" Jessica Rowe during a meeting with executives On 26 July 2006, she fell down six stairs at her Sydney home and suffered a broken wrist, but her unborn baby was uninjured. She went back to work on Today
Today (Australian TV program)
Today and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
on the following Monday.
On 6 May 2007, it was announced that Rowe had left the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
due to "payment disputes".
Seven Network
The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
had reported on 23 July that Rowe would return to television as a news presenter for Seven News
Seven News
Seven News is the television news service of the Seven Network in Australia.National bulletins are presented from Seven's high-definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins are produced in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. The network also produces Seven...
. She was also a contestant in the seventh series of Dancing with the Stars.
Jessica began her presenting duties on 17 December 2007 with the national Seven 4.30 News
Seven News
Seven News is the television news service of the Seven Network in Australia.National bulletins are presented from Seven's high-definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins are produced in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. The network also produces Seven...
news bulletin. In January 2008, Rowe presented Seven Morning News
Seven News
Seven News is the television news service of the Seven Network in Australia.National bulletins are presented from Seven's high-definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins are produced in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. The network also produces Seven...
while Ann Sanders
Ann Sanders
Ann Sanders is an Australian television journalist and news presenter.Sanders is currently the presenter of Seven Morning News and she also presents hourly Seven News updates through The Morning Show with Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur.-Career:...
was on leave and she also filled in for Natalie Barr
Natalie Barr
Natalie Anne Barr is an Australian journalist, news and television presenter.Barr is currently news presenter on the Seven Network's Sunrise and presenter of Seven Early News.-Career:...
on Sunrise
Sunrise (TV program)
Sunrise is an Australian breakfast television program, broadcast on the Seven Network. On weekdays the programme follows Seven Early News, and runs from 6am through to 9am.-History:...
.
From February 2008, Rowe began a stint as a panelist on a new late night show on Seven's high definition channel (7HD
Seven HD
Seven HD was an Australian television channel, owned by the Seven Media Group, that launched on 15 October 2007. The channel was available to high definition digital television viewers in metropolitan areas, Tasmania and Regional Queensland through a number of owned-and-operated stations, as well...
) called The NightCap
The NightCap
The NightCap was an Australian television talk show broadcast on Seven HD. It was the first Australian television program to be produced exclusively for a HDTV multichannel. The show began broadcasting on the 12 February 2008 and screened every Tuesday and Thursday night at 10.30pm...
. This proved to be a further career failure for Rowe. The show has since stopped production due to no generation of revenue for Seven
On 15 December 2008, News Limited reported that Rowe's contract with the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
had not been renewed. The head of the network, David Leckie
David Leckie
David John Leckie is the Chief Executive Officer of the Seven Media Group.David Leckie was educated at Newington College and is an Economics graduate of Macquarie University. Prior to his appointment by Kerry Stokes to Seven, he was associated with the Nine Network for 23 years...
, confirmed that her contract had ended and that Seven was unable to offer her a permanent news presenter position, although he said that casual news presenting shifts may become available for her.
In December 2010, Rowe began presenting the news on Weekend Sunrise
Weekend Sunrise
Weekend Sunrise is an Australian breakfast television program, broadcast on the Seven Network. On Saturdays, it runs from 7am to 9am whilst on Sundays it runs from 7am to 10am.-History:...
replacing Sarah Cumming
Sarah Cumming
Sarah Cumming is an Australian journalist.Cumming is currently weather presenter on Seven News Sydney.-Career:Sarah completed her Journalism degree at the University of South Australia, where she majored in International Relations...
and Sharyn Ghidella
Sharyn Ghidella
Sharyn Ghidella is the weekend presenter on Seven News Brisbane.Ghidella was born in Babinda, in Far North Queensland. Her career in television began in the region, as a reporter and presenter for North Queensland Television . She also produced and presented the regional weekly current affairs...
.
Personal life
Rowe is married to Australian television journalist and Nine News and 60 Minutes presenter Peter OvertonPeter Overton
Peter Overton is an Australian television journalist and news presenter.-Career:He joined the Nine Network as a reporter for National Nine News and graduated to weekend sports presenter on National Nine News in Sydney and substitute for Ken Sutcliffe...
.
On 21 July 2006, Jessica Rowe announced on Today
Today (Australian TV program)
Today and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
that she was 3½ months pregnant. Further, in an interview with the Australian Women's Weekly
Australian Women's Weekly
The Australian Women's Weekly is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by ACP Magazines, a division of PBL Media based in Sydney. Audited circulation in 2009 exceeded 500,000 copies monthly, making it the largest magazine in Australia.-History:...
of 22 August 2006, she said that her baby was due on 22 January 2007. The baby was conceived after four IVF attempts. She began maternity leave from Today
Today (Australian TV program)
Today and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
on 8 December 2006. Sarah Murdoch
Sarah Murdoch
Sarah Murdoch is an Australian model and actress.-Career:Brought up in Sydney, Australia, Murdoch attended The McDonald College of the Performing Arts, a performing arts school in Sydney, where she studied ballet...
was her temporary replacement, however presented the show longer than originally intended. Kellie Connolly
Kellie Connolly
Kellie Connolly is a Australian journalist.Connolly was the presenter of the Nine Network's Nightline and also was an interim co-host of Today in 2007.-Career:...
replaced Murdoch, and was eventually replaced by Lisa Wilkinson
Lisa Wilkinson
Lisa Wilkinson is an Australian journalist and television personality.Wilkinson is currently a co-host of the Nine Network's breakfast television program Today.-Career:...
.
Rowe gave birth to daughter Allegra Penelope Overton on 18 January 2007, four days ahead of the due date. She later admitted that she had suffered from post-natal depression
Postpartum depression
Postpartum depression , also called postnatal depression, is a form of clinical depression which can affect women, and less frequently men, typically after childbirth. Studies report prevalence rates among women from 5% to 25%, but methodological differences among the studies make the actual...
during Allegra's early months, in the hope of helping other mothers in the same situation.
In October 2008, Rowe announced that she was 14 weeks pregnant with her second child and that it has been conceived naturally. On 9 April 2009, Rowe gave birth to daughter Giselle Charlotte Overton, Peter Overton
Peter Overton
Peter Overton is an Australian television journalist and news presenter.-Career:He joined the Nine Network as a reporter for National Nine News and graduated to weekend sports presenter on National Nine News in Sydney and substitute for Ken Sutcliffe...
announced the news on 10 April.
She is a fan of the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
Team.