The games Sam's playing

Speculation is rife about the future of Nightline presenter Samantha Hayes as news broke that the TV3 star and her agent met with executives from rival TVNZ over coffee on Friday morning to discuss a possible future role for her at the competitor's network. Her TV3 boss Mark Jennings said he understood a meeting "was possible," but when I spoke with him on Friday he was completely unaware that a secret discussion had already taken place earlier that day. "It's a bit puzzling," Jennings said "because her contract [at TV3] is not up".

Jennings, the head of news and current affairs, didn't think Hayes would be leaving the network. "I don't think it will be happening," he said. She may not be leaving... yet, but I'm told Hayes instructed her agent to speak with TVNZ directly with regard to a role for his client.

Former TAB bookie and pub owner Murray (Muzz) Owles, who is better known as the BSport radio announcer on Sundays, also acts as an agent to 25-year-old Hayes. Owles did not return my call; and Hayes would only issue a "no comment" response. TV insiders speculate that Hayes' instruction to her agent to contact TVNZ comes at the same time as the strawberry-blonde is in contract negotiation discussions with her bosses at Mediaworks. But Jennings said her contact was not up and he had no plans to dump her.

So, why the game planning, Sam? Jennings said "this sort of thing is not highly unusual". He said he had met with TVNZ staff in the past. At first, when news broke about Hayes striking up secret talks with TVNZ, rumourmongers speculated her position at Nightline may be under threat. Tittle-tattlers wondered if Sunrise, which has been lagging far behind its rival Breakfast each morning, may be facing the axe with its presenter Carly Flynn being picked to return to the nightly news spot that made her famous. But we know this is not the case - for starters, Sunrise's ratings are on the rise.

Hayes, who was voted Metro magazine's sexiest woman, is a hit with male viewers but media insiders have long talked about her inexperience as a news journalist and her inability to divert from the autocue, unlike her counterpart Greg Boyd on Tonight.

Earlier this year, Hayes left the studio swivel chair and travelled to India to get more experience in the field of intrepid foreign correspondent reporting. Her blog "Sam Hayes in India: with Sam Hayes" on the TV3 website said she was chasing stories for 3 News and Campbell Live and presumably was paid to go there by the network.

Hayes attended the Hindu Holi Festival of Colour where she reported from the frontline doused in coloured dyes that looked more like pigeons with multi-coloured excrement had defecated on her face. Of that experience, Hayes said she "would never, ever, do another piece to camera looking like this". She described her experience in India as "perhaps the hardest shoot I've ever had to do".

Quite how, or what, TVNZ can make of Ms Hayes' talents is yet to be determined. Insiders say her lack of experience in delivering hard news will be less than well received by Anthony Flannery who is behind One News' success last year at the Qantas TV awards. Sure, she's pretty with a young, male following, but is that what our nation's news journalists should be about?

And while TVNZ have been forced to cull $25 million from the books, are they in a position to hire fresh, new blood?

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Rachel Glucina

Pictured above: Samantha Hayes. Photo / Norrie Montgomery