News Reporter/Journalist

Andrea Lunt

She may have grown up without watching television, but that hasn’t stopped journalist Cathie Schnitzerling from leading a life dedicated to the small screen.

In a career spanning more than two decades Cathie has appeared on almost every television station in Queensland, travelling across the nation as a reporter for news bulletins and current affairs programs. Her most recent station of choice is Network 10 in Brisbane, where she works as news director of its 5pm bulletin.

As one of only a handful of female news directors in the country, Cathie is in charge of overseeing the entire newsroom, a role which is more about managing people than chasing stories.

“It’s like having 35 children,” Cathie said. “You need to know their strengths and their weaknesses. You need to know what makes them happy, what makes them sad and what is going on in their personal life.

“You end up knowing a lot more about people than you ever thought you would,” she said.

Cathie started in the senior role of news director two years ago, after having worked her way through the ranks of the newsroom. Her day starts around 8.30am, when she has meetings with the chief of staff, producers and news editor to decide which stories will be featured in the evening’s bulletin.

Like any journalist worth their salt, she has already scanned the morning’s newspapers and listened to several news bulletins to get a feel for what is going on in the world.

The rest of the day is filled with managerial duties, liaising with staff and sorting out any dramas that may arise.

While being the person in charge can be demanding, especially when things go wrong, Cathie said the job was extremely rewarding. “I feel like I get paid to have a hobby – even though it can be very stressful at times,” she said.

Born in Bourke and raised in Thargomindah and Warwick, Cathie had a typical country upbringing, which included hours spent listening to news bulletins on the radio with her truck-driving father.

Inspired by industry icons such as George Negus, Cathie decided while she was still in primary school that she was going to be a journalist.

“I was always interested in writing and speaking and it seemed natural that I would end up going into it,” she said. “There was never another career I really considered.”

Cathie was a dedicated student during university, working with the Toowoomba Chronicle at weekends to expose herself to the media industry.

The hard work paid off and upon graduation she was offered two cadetships, one with a local radio station and another with Channel 9 in Brisbane, which she accepted.

Over the years she has bounced between the commercial networks and the ABC, where she graced television screens for several seasons as the presenter of regional news program Landline.

Specific highlights for the veteran reporter include jumping out of a helicopter on to a ship returning from the first Gulf War, interviewing Clint Eastwood and game fishing off Bathurst Island.

Cathie said that the death of Princess Diana, the jailing of Pauline Hanson and the weeks after Cyclone Larry had also been memorable moments in her action-packed career.

“It’s funny how those big stories about other people’s misery can be the most rewarding if you’re a journalist,” she said.

While she is now happily based in the newsroom, Cathie said she would one day like to return to the adrenaline-filled job of television reporting. “I really miss writing stories,” she said. “Just to get back on the road would be great.”

To be able to get into the competitive world of journalism, Cathie said budding news reporters needed an innate sense of curiosity and a love of the written word.

“It’s important to be interested in everything and bored by nothing,” she said.