Chris Bath

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Chris Bath

Chris Bath Portrait
Born: 13 May 1967
Auburn, New South Wales
Occupation: Seven Network Journalist
Spouse: Denis Carnahan
Children: Darcy (2000)

Chris Bath (born 13 May 1967 in Auburn, New South Wales) is an Australian journalist and television personality. Formerly the presenter of Seven Morning News, weekdays at 10:30am, she is currently the Friday night and weekend anchor of Sydney's 6:00pm Seven News bulletin. Bath has been with Seven since 1996 when she joined the Sydney newsroom. Bath was also one of Australia's youngest television presenters.

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[edit] Early life

Bath was born and raised in Sydney's working-class western suburbs. Born in Auburn and raised in South Wentworthville, she enrolled at Sydney University where, in 1985, she studied English, psychology, German and legal institutions for two months before deciding it wasn't for her. Harbouring no ambitions to be a journalist, she started working at a restaurant in Surry Hills and became a trainee manager at Kmart Merrylands - a position which she reportedly left because they wouldn't let her make jokes while announcing red light specials. [1]


[edit] Career

On the advice of The Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter Bowers, Bath applied to study communications at Mitchell College (now Charles Sturt University) in Bathurst. Not only was she accepted into the course, she also won a scholarship, and majored in politics. In 1988, half-way through the last year of her three-year course, she was offered a job at Sydney AM radio station 2UE as a cadet reporter and newsreader.

Her second job came a year later, after a friend encouraged her to apply for a job with a regional television station in Albury. She moved to Albury-Wodonga, where she spent the next 20 months working at Prime Television station AMV-4 and spending her weekends in Melbourne. At AMV-4, she started reporting, was the weather presenter for a while, then finished off as the full-time newsreader.

In 1991, at 23, she joined Newcastle's NBN Television, where she stayed for the next five years as a reporter and host to the evening local news broadcast. Originally she thought she was going there as just a reporter, but the newsreader resigned and they offered the vacant position to her. She resigned from NBN Newcastle in late 1995 after being offered a job by Seven in Sydney. NBN took Bath to the Supreme Court to delay her appearance on Seven. The court granted an injunction against her appearing on Seven before February 1, 1996. [2]


[edit] Seven Network

Before becoming presenter for Seven's Morning News, Bath has previously had numerous presenting roles with the network over the years.

In 1996 until early 1997 she co-hosted the 6am news bulletin with Peter Ford (which later became Sunrise). In 1997, she became host of the network's Sunday morning political interview show, Face to Face, and anchor to Seven's national Late News. (The Late News was subsequently axed in August 2003).

For three weeks in mid 1997, Bath was working 18 hour days, filling in as host of 11AM, presenting the afternoon news updates, recording the news bulletin shown on Ansett flights and presenting the 11pm Late News bulletin.

In 1998, Bath was a reporter for Witness, the network's flagship current affairs program, until it was axed later that year. Seven then asked Bath to co-host its new current affairs show, Dateline, with Stan Grant. She declined and was given the role of presenting the Sydney 6pm news over summer.

In 1999, she returned to the Late News, as well as reading afternoon news bulletins on Sydney radio station 2WS from May. In July, she did a now infamous interview with Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph <1> which did not sit well with management. Among other things, she said she'd "refused to work on" Today Tonight and was the "only presenter" at Seven writing her own updates. On December 31 she hosted the networks New Year's Eve coverage.

In 2000, Bath was part of Seven's host team for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, including a spot on Olympic Sunrise. In August, she carried the Olympic Torch in Newcastle. Bath was then given the honour of co-hosting the prelude to the Opening Ceremony live on stage at the Olympic Stadium, while seven months pregnant with her first child.

After having son Darcy in late 2000, she returned to political interviewing in 2001 as anchor of Sunday Sunrise and stayed for three years, as well as presenting Sydney's weekend 6pm news bulletin until 2004 (including an extended bulletin live from Bali on October 12, 2003). In 2001 she also co-hosted part of the networks Federal Election coverage on November 10.

Chris Bath on Seven Morning News
Chris Bath on Seven Morning News

In 2004, she began presenting Seven Morning News.

In 2005, Chris Bath was a contestant in the third Australian series of Dancing with the Stars. In seven out of the ten weeks of the series she obtained the highest score from the judges, including the semi final and grand final. However when the votes were combined with those of the viewers, Chris Bath finished second to Home and Away actor Ada Nicodemou for the title of Dancing With The Stars Champion.

From December 12, 2005, Bath anchored Seven's Sydney 6pm weeknight news bulletin until the end of 2005. She then returned to the morning news on Wednesday to Friday and did the Sydney weekend news until mid January 2006. She also presented the summer breakfast show on Sydney radio station WSFM 101.7 from December 12 until January 13.

On December 7, 2005, Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph printed that Bath had been in talks with the Nine Network to become the host of the failing Today breakfast show in 2006. However, Seven insiders say Bath is contracted to Seven until December 1 2006 and the Nine Network denies approaching her. The Herald Sun reported Bath turned down the position because she could not cope with the early starts and she wanted to honour her contract with Seven [1]. The role eventually went to now former Ten News Sydney presenter, Jessica Rowe.

In 2006, Bath began presenting the Morning News on Monday to Thursday and the Sydney evening news on Friday's. From May, Chris swapped roles with Ann Sanders to present the weekend evening news in Sydney as well as Friday's. Ann took over the Morning News. Later this year, Bath will also present a new employment based reality series for the Seven Network titled You've Got The Job.

[edit] Personal life

Bath married Denis Carnahan, a composer/sound designer and owner of Blarter Music, on November 22, 1997. They have one son, Darcy, born in 2000.

[edit] Other works

Other than Seven News, Chris Bath has appeared on a number of television programs and a film including:

[edit] Trivia

  • Bath is myopic (short sighted), and one night, hundreds of callers phoned in when she wore glasses instead of her contact lenses.[3][4]
  • She has previously referred to herself as the "kiss of death" noting that she has the power to instantly kill any man she kisses. [5]
  • Her hair is naturally frizzy/curly so it is blow-dried into submission or ironed corporate smooth each day as curly hair is not accepted on television.[6]
  • Her full name is Christine Bath.[7]
  • She has a younger sister, Katherine.[8]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sue Yeap. "Job seekers' starring role", The West Australian, November 17, 2006.
  2. ^ James Joyce. "Seventh Heaven", Newcastle Herald, March 28, 1998.
  3. ^ Anna Patty. "Bath Cleans Up Her Act", The Sun-Herald, November 28, 1999.
  4. ^ Fiona Byrne. "Bath (ing) beauty", Herald-Sun, August 23, 2000.
  5. ^ Kate De Brito. "Equality - People in media", Daily Telegraph, July 3, 1999.
  6. ^ Lynne Cossar. "The Face to Watch", The Age, July 24, 1997.
  7. ^ Jane Freeman. "Seven '96 News Attack", The Sydney Morning Herald, January 8, 1996.
  8. ^ "Reading Room: Bookshelf", Australian Women's Weekly, April, 2006.
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