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Don't expect to see a made-for-TV Mark Sainsbury when he appears on the billboards for primetime current affairs show Close Up next year.
Named as the show's new host yesterday, the former TVNZ political editor said his trademark moustache would stay and the show would go on - continuing its mix of hard-edged news and human interest stories.
The programme's front person made a difference, said Sainsbury, but the entire team's work fed its popularity with viewers.
"You don't want to sound big headed about it," said 50-year-old Sainsbury. "But at the same time you have to acknowledge we've got a really good group of journalists working."
Former host Susan Wood quit this month amid a health scare after she had fronted the programme for two years.
The only other host in TV One's 7pm current affairs slot was Paul Holmes, who left in 2004 to set up a show at rival Prime Television.
Unitec school of communications senior lecturer Peter Thompson said Sainsbury provided continuity for TVNZ and was a competent political interviewer.
Mr Thompson said Holmes and Wood had a "populist" style of presenting but he predicted Sainsbury would develop his own, perhaps more serious, take on the role.
"He can't be Susan Wood, he can't be Paul Holmes, he has to be Mark Sainsbury."
Mr Thompson said Breakfast co-host Paul Henry, seen as a contender for the job and yesterday named as support host, lacked Sainsbury's political gravitas.
Radio Live yesterday confirmed Henry's arrangement as host of its 4-6pm drive show next year.
ABG Nielsen Media Research showed Close Up's share of all viewers aged 5 and above ranged between 32 and 35 per cent this year.
TV3 rival Campbell Live took between 14 and 16 per cent of the age group, although the gap narrowed when only the channels' target audiences were considered.
