newy.com.au – Jane Goldsmith has signed off from NBN News after 25 years, leading to an outpouring of affection for one of the Hunter’s most familiar journalists.
Goldsmith presented her final bulletin on Thursday night, ending a career at NBN that took her from reporting on the road to producing, weather presenting and reading the news from behind the desk.
“Please join me for my final NBN News bulletin tonight. I’m grateful to have worked alongside an outstanding team, past and present, bringing you the local stories that matter. My colleagues and dear friends will continue to do that – please continue to support them,” she wrote before going to air.
“25 years on the road in the Hunter, and behind the desk… and I’ve loved every minute of it.
“See you tonight at six.”
The announcement drew more than 5000 reactions and hundreds of comments within hours on her post. An accompanying photograph showed Goldsmith at the news desk in a red jacket, while another captured her surrounded by colleagues in the NBN studio, with flowers resting on the desk.
Viewers in the comments repeatedly described Goldsmith as professional, compassionate, warm and trustworthy. Many wrote about her as someone they had welcomed into their homes, rather than simply a presenter appearing on their television screens.
Originally from the Port Macquarie area, Goldsmith grew up at Bonny Hills and studied communications at the University of Newcastle. While completing her degree, she worked as a radio producer with the ABC and KOFM before spending time as a casual member of the PRIME News team in Newcastle.
She joined NBN’s Central Coast office in 2001 as a news and sport journalist, moving to Newcastle after several years. Over the next quarter-century, Goldsmith worked across the newsroom as a reporter, producer, acting chief of staff, weather presenter and newsreader.
Although she became best known to many viewers for presenting the weekend news, her career was built as much in the field as it was behind the desk. She continued reporting after becoming a regular presenter and spent 16 years guiding viewers through NBN’s Saturday and Sunday bulletins.
Goldsmith has previously said journalism gave her the opportunity to “help people, highlight issues and give our community a voice”, a description reflected in the stories viewers recalled while farewelling her.
Her most sustained body of work involved the disappearances of Lake Macquarie teenagers Robyn Hickie, Amanda Robinson and Gordana Kotevski. Goldsmith spent years returning to the cases, researching them in her own time and working to keep the search for answers in the public eye.
That reporting made her a finalist in the Outstanding Regional Broadcast Reporting category at the 2020 Kennedy Awards. It also became the subject of the first episode of Local Lens, a podcast project launched by NBN News in 2024, with Goldsmith guiding listeners through the cases and the unanswered questions surrounding them.
The work demonstrated the value of a regional journalist being able to follow a story beyond the demands of a single bulletin. Goldsmith’s knowledge was accumulated over years of speaking with families, police, investigators and members of the community, creating a record that could not easily be replicated by someone without the same connection to the region.
Her reporting extended across crime, courts, education, health, culture and community affairs. She covered significant developments in the Kathleen Folbigg case, including an interview with long-time campaigner Helen Cummings as Folbigg’s potential release approached, and later reported on her continuing compensation fight.
She fronted a special presentation marking 50 years of the University of Newcastle’s Open Foundation program and covered the reopening of the Newcastle Art Gallery, reflecting the range expected of a regional journalist who could move from difficult investigations to stories celebrating local institutions.
Goldsmith’s contribution also extended to preserving the station’s own story through NBN’s Rewind, where she helped bring the archive back to life for viewers by revisiting the people, places and moments that shaped the broadcaster’s place in the region. It reflected the same respect for local memory that marked much of her journalism: an understanding that NBN’s history is not only a television archive, but part of the Hunter’s shared record.
Her contribution was not confined to broadcasting. Goldsmith used her public profile to support Hunter community organisations and fundraising events, including work with the Hunter Melanoma Foundation as an event host and participant.
One viewer described her simply as “A professional in the field and the newsroom”, while another said it had been “a pleasure welcoming you into my living room all these years!”
A hearing-impaired viewer praised Goldsmith’s clear delivery and said she had never struggled to understand her. Others highlighted her calmness, diction and ability to present serious stories without losing sight of the people affected by them.
One of the most personal tributes came from a viewer who remembered Goldsmith’s conduct while covering the disappearance of her son.
“The compassion you showed us when our son was missing and the professional way you have presented is a credit to you,” she wrote.
Tim Crakanthorp MP was among the public figures to acknowledge her contribution.
“Wishing you the best Jane, it’s been a pleasure working with you for all these years,” he wrote.
Sonia Hornery MP said Goldsmith’s departure would be a significant loss for the Hunter.
“This is very sad news Jane Goldsmith, NBN News, you’re a class act and this will be a huge loss for our region. Whatever your next career step is, you will certainly excel.
“I wish you all the best.”
The farewell also became a focal point for anger and anxiety about the wider changes to NBN’s news service. Goldsmith’s departure followed the end of locally produced weekend bulletins, including the Sunday edition she had presented for many years.
The weekday local bulletin is also being reduced from an hour to 30 minutes and moved to 5.30pm, before Nine News Sydney airs at 6pm. Those changes have led viewers to question whether the Hunter and surrounding regions will continue to receive the same depth of local news coverage.
