A beloved newsreader who was fired and replaced by his network mogul has reinvented himself as a wedding celebrant.
Newcastle personality Paul ‘Lobby’ Lobb had read NBN’s 6pm news bulletin for more than a decade when he left the air just days before Christmas 2021.
Nine Entertainment, which owns NBN, sacked Lobb without warning, announcing he would be replaced on the news desk by motorologist Gavin Morris.
Hunter Valley TV viewers were so outraged by Lobb’s sudden departure that they launched a social media campaign for his reinstatement.
Much-loved Newcastle reader Paul Lobb, who was sacked and replaced by his network mogul, has reinvented himself as a wedding celebrant. Lobb read NBN’s 6pm newsletter for more than a decade when it went off air just days before Christmas 2021
Almost two years after his unusual departure from the airwaves, Lobb has revealed his new career move in a joyful video posted on social media. “Hi, it’s Lobby here, with some breaking news,” he says to the camera. Lobb is pictured with a young couple
Morris, a popular figure seen as a long-term asset by Nine, continued to present the weather as well as reading the news alongside Natasha Beyersdorf.
The move stunned Lobb’s loyal audience in northern New South Wales, who launched a change.org petition calling for his return three days after his sacking.
Some of those who signed the petition unfairly attacked Morris, who has a larger-than-life image of the action man, with one complaining about the way he spelled ‘satellite’.
Lobb’s wife Alison urged her social media followers to contact NBN to complain about her husband’s treatment – and published the network’s phone number for them to call.
Angry viewers threatened to boycott the station as they mourned the loss of ‘a true gentleman’, a ‘highly respected newsreader’, a ‘born and bred Novocastrian’ and a ‘good lad’.
“I just want to say NBN has lost the plot,” one social media commenter wrote at the time.
Nine Entertainment, which owns NBN, sacked Lobb without warning just days before Christmas and announced he would be replaced by motorologist Gavin Morris to read the news alongside Natasha Beyersdorf. Morris and Beyersdorf are pictured
Almost two years after his unusual departure from the airwaves, Lobb has revealed his new career move in a joyful video posted on social media.
“Hi, it’s Lobby here, with some breaking news,” he says to the camera.
“Since I was last in your living room, I have worked hard to become a wedding celebrant.
“Now I’m using all those decades of storytelling experience to create unique wedding ceremonies for loving couples.”
The former broadcaster, who has called his business ‘Married by Lobby’, is offering a ‘bespoke ceremony package’ for $1,650 or a ‘short and sweet’ wedding for $850.
He will also perform marriage vow renewal and baby naming ceremonies.
“I’m very excited about my new career,” Lobb says in the video.
“Thank you very much for all the interest and support during these years. And don’t forget, if you’re getting married, call Married by Lobby. It has a ring to it.
Angry viewers threatened to boycott the NBN as they mourned the loss of ‘a true gentleman’, ‘highly respected newsreader’, ‘born and bred Novocastrian’ and ‘good guy’. Lobb is pictured, left, with motorologist Gavin Morris and co-anchor Natasha Beyersdorf
Among those to congratulate Lobb on his new career was the wife of retired NBN presenter Mike Rabbitt, the face of televised sport in Newcastle for 30 years.
“Lobby, you will be fantastic in your new role,” Sue Rabbitt wrote on Facebook.
“Many couples will start their journey knowing they’ve got a wonderful person to preside over their big day. congratulations Paul. Rabbs and Sue.’
Another fan wrote: ‘Oh this is great news. NBN news just isn’t the same without you.’
One woman even addressed her husband in one post, asking: ‘Can we get a divorce so we can remarry and have Lobby as our celebrant.’
Lobb’s sacking from NBN, where he had worked for 23 years as a journalist, was seen as part of a cost-cutting exercise pushed at the regional station by the capital’s masters.
The former broadcaster, who has called his new business ‘Married by Lobby’, is offering a ‘bespoke ceremony package’ for $1,650 or a ‘short and sweet’ wedding for $850. He is pictured in the center with a couple renewing their wedding vows
Among those to congratulate Lobb on his new role was the wife of retired NBN presenter Mike Rabbitt, who was the face of televised sport in Newcastle for 30 years. “Lobby, you will be fantastic in your new role,” Sue Rabbitt wrote on Facebook
The highly rated NBN bulletin is broadcast through the Hunter and covers northern NSW, the interior of the New England region and parts of the state’s northwest.
Kylie Blucher, Nine’s Queensland and Northern New South Wales managing director, described Lobb’s sacking at the time as a consolidation of NBN’s news presentation line.
In an email to NBN staff, Blucher said the decision did not reflect Lobb’s significant contribution to the station and had been “a difficult decision to announce”.
“Paul has been at the heart of New South Wales’ drawing rooms delivering the local, national and international stories our audiences depend on,” she wrote.
“Over the past decade, Lobby has built an enviable relationship with our viewers based on its well-known trust and commitment to news.
Lobb started his career at NBN in 1993 as a trainee librarian and chyron operator – responsible for the text that appears at the bottom of the screen during news broadcasts.
He became a reporter in 1998 working out of the station’s Port Macquarie office.
In 2008 he was named Journalist of the Year at the Northern NSW Journalism Awards for his reporting on the blockage of the cargo ship Pasha Bulker at Nobbys Beach the previous year.
Lobb was a backup newsreader for several years before joining Beyersdorf at the desk permanently in December 2010 when local broadcasting legend Ray Dinneen retired.
Dinneen had been on the news desk since joining Murray Finlay in 1975 and over the decades teamed up with Anna Manzoney, Tracey Reid, Chris Bath, Melinda Smith and then from mid-2006 Beyersdorf.
Lobb will also perform wedding vow renewals and baby naming ceremonies. “I’m very excited about my new career,” he says in a promotional video
(tagsTranslate) daily mail(s) tvshowbiz(s) Christmas Exclusive(s)
Much-loved newsreader Paul Lobb who was sacked without warning just days before Christmas reveals his surprising new career as a marriage celebrant – and fans are loving it
