Ten’s long-standing Melbourne director of news Dermot O’Brien resigns

Network Ten’s long term Melbourne director of News Dermot O’Brien is departing the company in what the company says is a resignation, and will leave the network on July 4.

News of his departure comes just a week after the struggling network announced cuts to its news department, with the early, mid-morning and late news shows cut and with as many as 150 jobs to be made redundant.

It follows comments from news director Peter Meakin who told Fairfax papers he would have to wait and see if he remained at the network, quipping “having  high-priced old fart like me around is a bit of a luxury” following news of the cuts, which also saw breakfast show Wake Up axed.

O’Brien joined the network initially in 1992, working as executive producer of the current affairs program Hinch until 1994, and returned there in late 1995 as ATV 10 Melbourne director of news, a role he has held ever since.