Channel 9 has named Mark Burrows as the new presenter of Sydney’s Friday and Saturday 6pm 9News bulletins, filling the seat left by Georgie Gardner’s departure earlier this year. Burrows will step into one of the network’s most visible jobs while Peter Overton continues to front the bulletin from Sunday to Thursday.

The move matters now because Nine has turned to a veteran of the newsroom to steady a key part of its Sydney lineup. Burrows has spent 20 years at Channel 9, and the network is putting him on air in a role that reaches viewers at the end of the week, when weekend viewing habits often shift and the bulletin’s tone and consistency matter most.

Burrows said it was a deep privilege to move into the role after so many years reporting for Channel 9, and said he was looking forward to continuing to bring Sydney viewers the stories that matter. He also pointed to the values that have defined the bulletin for years, saying 9News has always been about trust, accuracy and connection with the audience.

His appointment is backed by a long reporting resume. Burrows has covered the death of Princess Diana, the Iraq War, the Bali bombings, the Sydney Olympics and the wars in Afghanistan and Ukraine. He has also won a Logie Award for his coverage of the Romanian Revolution and a Walkley Award for his reporting on the Interlaken canyoning disaster in Switzerland.

That experience is part of why the network is making the change after Gardner stepped down in mid-April, ending a stint at Nine that stretched for nearly a quarter-century. Her exit left a prominent opening, and Burrows is being moved into a higher-profile presenting role while still keeping one foot in the field.

Michael Best said Burrows is one of the most trusted and experienced journalists in the country, praising his work on the front line and his ability to connect with viewers through clarity, credibility and calmness. He said the network was thrilled to have him presenting 9News Sydney’s Friday and Saturday 6pm bulletins. When he is not anchoring, Burrows will continue filing stories for 9News as a senior correspondent, which means the audience will still see him both behind the desk and in the field.