Petrie and Dallow to front One News

Wendy Petrie is a former TV3 newsreader

Wendy Petrie has signed on as one half of TVNZ's newsreading team, and Simon Dallow has been offered the job as her partner but is still to sign his contract.

The pair are to replace Judy Bailey, whose contract expires at the end of the year. The new line-up is a return to TVNZ having two newsreaders, a concept news head Bill Ralston ended two years ago when he terminated the partnership of Bailey and Richard Long.

Dallow is said to be still negotiating the details of his contract and is expected to sign early next week.

Neither Dallow nor Petrie could be contacted yesterday. TVNZ public affairs head Avon Adams would not confirm the appointments and Mr Ralston said only that an announcement would be made next week.

The pair will not expect an easy ride - the decision not to renew Bailey's contract was because of One News' heavy audience losses in urban, younger demographics and the impact of the new pair on audience figures will be watched closely.

The move would see Dallow return to prime time after two seasons hosting current affairs show Agenda on Saturday mornings, with fill-in newsreading. Dallow will also appear next year on a documentary series about archaeological digs he has worked on in the past year.

Petrie is due to have her second child this month, but has said she will be ready for work at the end of January. She is a former TV3 newsreader and reporter, and returned from Canada two years ago.

At TVNZ she has filled in as a newsreader and in reporting.

In October, Dallow told the Herald on Sunday he was very interested in the newsreading job. He said he wanted more interviews and analysis in the news, skills he had honed on Agenda.

However, he was happy to remain just the person who delivers the news, rather than a personality, an assurance which would have pleased Mr Ralston.

"If the programme is successful, it's not about you. News should never be about the stars. The argument over personalities versus channels has been won. Paul Holmes showed that."

The appointments will disappoint rivals for the 6pm slot, who included Tonight presenter Kate Hawkesby, weekend reader Bernadine Oliver-Kirby, and Midday's Peter Williams.

TVNZ is still negotiating with Close Up presenter Susan Wood after the Employment Relations Authority told the company it could not unilaterally decrease her salary by $100,000 - from $450,000 to $350,000 - and sent them back into talks.

TVNZ and Wood are thought to have agreed on a salary but are discussing how much of the presenter's legal costs, believed to be up to $150,000, the broadcaster should pay.

According to figures released under the Official Information Act, as at December 1 legal costs of $16,912 plus GST had been charged to TVNZ.

The company is also in mediation with former One News executive producer Melanie Jones, whom Mr Ralston sacked in November.

Ms Jones, who has a background in women's magazines, has been tipped to succeed New Zealand Woman's Weekly editor Nicky Pellegrino, who is resigning to concentrate on writing her second novel.