The weekday news bulletins are fronted by Hillary Barry and Mike McRoberts.

TV3 is to chop its Sunday night news bulletin to 30 minutes, in the latest dramatic move to turn its news department into a "news, commentary and conversation" team.

MediaWorks chief executive Mark Weldon is at odds with many among his 200-strong news staff after announcing "bubbles and bagels" to celebrate the launch of Paul Henry - at the same time as Campbell Live staff were being told their programme faced the axe.

"It was just insensitive and inappropriate," a TV3 news staffer said.

The reduced Sunday news bulletin, starting on May 24, allows TV3 to move its former hour-long mid-week 3rd Degree current affairs programme to early Sunday evening. It is being renamed 3D and will be shortened to 30 minutes.

Duncan Garner and Samantha Hayes remain the presenters. Hayes will also, with David Farrier, present Newsworthy, the renamed TV3 late news programme that will include a significant "digital element".

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In his first major interview since taking the job, Weldon said he was attracted to the MediaWorks position because he found journalists "very real, gritty, honest and dynamic".

The Campbell Live review, however, was necessary "to improve commercial performance of the 7pm time-slot, after a consistent 10-year trend of ratings decline, with no reversal in the trend."

It was not, Weldon said, a reflection on the journalists or producers.

MediaWorks news boss Mark Jennings said 3D would also deliver 10 30-minute investigative programmes under the sub-brand 3D Investigates, which has been given $567,000 of NZ on Air funding.