Fired TV Weatherman Gets Real With Viewers During Final Live Report: Paul Burt Speaks Out

Veteran weatherman Paul Burt bid an unexpectedly candid farewell to his audience during his final broadcast for Australia 's Channel 7. The 51-year-old meteorologist, a familiar face to Queensland viewers for over a decade, used his last moments on air to reveal the harsh reality behind his departure.

As the clock ticked down on his tenure with the network, Burt chose to forgo the usual pleasantries and scripted goodbyes. Instead, he opted for a brutally honest approach, catching both his colleagues and audience off guard. "If I'd had the opportunity, I wouldn't have wanted to go this way," Burt confessed. "It's what happens when you get sacked."

This unscripted moment of raw honesty came at the tail end of the 6 p.m. news bulletin, transforming what should have been a routine weather report into commentary on the current state of the television industry. The weatherman's unexpected revelation came after he had diligently delivered his final forecast. "Hello everybody, yes, it is my last weather for the network tonight," Burt stated at the outset before swiftly moving on to the meteorological details. Let's get straight into it, everyone because the most important thing is your Sunday and not me."

Following Burt's weather update, news presenter Samantha Heathwood attempted to steer the segment towards a more conventional farewell. "Bertie, we can't let you go tonight without thanking you for your passionate weather reporting over the past decade and a bit," she said. "I've loved your energy and our laughs, and on behalf of our entire news team and I'm sure all of the viewers, I'd like to wish you all the best for your next chapter."

At this point, Burt, who has dedicated nearly three decades to the broadcasting industry, took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the viewers who had welcomed him into their homes night after night. He thanked them for their "trust, loyalty, and support" before dropping the bombshell about the true nature of his departure.

The network, seemingly caught off guard by Burt's honesty, quickly transitioned to a montage of the weatherman's most memorable moments from his tenure at Seven set to Crowded House's "Always Take The Weather." The reel showcased Burt's versatility and dedication, featuring clips of him reporting from a helicopter during flood events, engaging in lighthearted antics on fishing boats, and even performing a belly flop into a cruise ship pool. Perhaps most notably, the montage included footage of Burt abandoning a live beach report to rescue a child in distress, demonstrating Burt's character beyond his role as a journalist.

In a subsequent interview with The Australian , Burt expressed his disappointment with the handling of his departure, revealing that he had been granted a mere "55 seconds to say my goodbyes." This constraint left him feeling short-changed after years of loyal service to the network and its audience.

"I really don't understand it, why people are being treated this way," Burt said. "It was a shock. I was told to come in and have a meeting, which I did, and I was told my contract was not being renewed. It was rather embarrassing for my wife and children. They found out before I could even tell them. Obviously, things get leaked."

Burt's career in television has been characterized by hard work and professionalism. Having first joined Seven in 1996, he later explored opportunities with other networks before returning to the Channel 7 fold in 2013.

"Some of the decisions made lately are quite harsh," Burt observed, reflecting on the broader trend of job cuts in the media sector. "I've lost a lot of friends who have been made redundant or got the sack."

The weatherman's unceremonious exit is not an isolated incident but part of a larger pattern of restructuring and cost-cutting measures implemented by new management at Channel 7. Several other veteran journalists and presenters have also found themselves casualties of these changes, including Sharyn Ghidella , Robert Ovadia, Andrew Frampton, and Melbourne crime reporter Cameron Baud.

For Burt, the realization that his time at Channel 7 was coming to an end came during a rare weekend getaway in Melbourne. "I felt instantly ill," he recalled, describing the moment he received the call instructing him to come into the office upon his return. "I don't have many weekends off, so it put a dampener on everything." Despite the abrupt nature of his dismissal, Burt chose to honor his commitments, continuing to deliver weather reports until the expiration of his contract.

Looking back on the circumstances of his departure with The Courier Mail , Burt voiced frustration at the lack of dialogue or consideration for alternative arrangements. "There was no leniency, there was no discussion, there was no 'Is there a way we can keep going?'" he explained. "I first brought up a year ago, I said we need to sell the weather to try and make money, you know, 'tonight's weather, brought to you by X, Y, Z' and that could have helped."

As news of Burt's dismissal spread, he found himself grappling with a range of emotions. "There was certainly some shock there initially, and embarrassment to have it in the news," he admitted. "But over the last few weeks, I've taken a lot of heart from all the people who have come up to wish me well and say how much they enjoyed what I did, whether it was people down at the local boat ramp or Costco or wherever."

On his final night of broadcasting for Channel 7's Gold Coast bulletin, Burt was met with a heartwarming display of appreciation from fans who had gathered at the scene of his live cross . Viewers waving placards with messages like "Qld's favorite weatherman" and "Burty's a legend" stood on Surfers Paradise beach, creating a touching backdrop for his last weather update.

Despite the upheaval in his professional life, Burt remains optimistic about the future of television broadcasting. "It's a changing industry for sure," he acknowledged. "I don't think it is necessarily the end of the golden era of television, but there's a lot of digital media out there these days which is taking a fair chunk of the audience, and the country is doing it tough."

Burt has found solace in fellow media professionals who have faced similar hardships as he navigates this unexpected shift. He revealed that he maintains daily contact with Ghidella, sharing the unique bond of being high-profile casualties of the industry's changing landscape. "Me and Sharyn talk every day," Burt shared. "Channel Seven was our home and for a long time it was our family away from our family."