Peter Meakin Biography
Peter Meakin is an English Australian journalist who has worked as the director of news and current affairs for all three of Australia’s commercial television networks (Nine Network, Seven Network, and Network Ten).
How old is Peter Meakin? – Age
He is 80 years old as of 12 October 2022. He was born in 1942 in Castleford, United Kingdom. His real name is Peter Jeremy Meakin.
Peter Meakin Family
His family immigrated to Australia, where he attended Adelaide’s St Peter’s College.
Peter Meakin Arrest
Meakin was heavily chastised in the media after committing three significant drink-driving offenses in 2006 and 2007, culminating in an eight-year license ban. Despite losing an appeal in District Court against his third conviction for reckless driving, he had his original sentence of 14 months weekend imprisonment lowered to 250 hours of community service.
Peter Meakin Net Worth
He has an estimated net worth of $17 Million.
Peter Meakin Nine Network – Career
Meakin joined the Nine Network in 1973 and stayed for thirty years, eventually becoming director of current affairs in 1987 and head of news and current affairs in 1993; he was responsible for the ratings success of shows such as Sunday, 60 Minutes, and A Current Affair. In 2002, he received the Walkley Award for journalism leadership.
Meakin abruptly quit the Nine Network in April 2003 to join the rival Seven Network, where former Nine managing director David Leckie had taken over. He was key in increasing Seven’s news ratings on the east coast, and by 2007, Seven News had become the top-rated news service in each of Australia’s five major capital cities.
Meakin departed as Seven Network’s director of news and current affairs in November 2012 after nine years in the post, with Rob Raschke selected as his replacement. Meakin remained on the network as an advisor for a while.
Meakin was hired as Network Ten’s Executive Director of News and Current Affairs in February 2014. He held the post until 2016, when he left to become a news executive consultant, assisting on The Project and News at 5 pm. He returned to Network Ten News and current affairs in February 2018.