Matthew White is bracing himself for a possible pasting when he takes the chair as the new host of Channel Seven's Today Tonight tomorrow.

Previous hosts Stan Grant, Naomi Robson and Anna Coren have all been subjects of sarcastic mirth over the years.

Grant was famously sent up on Frontline , Coren was a favourite target of The Chaser boys and Robson attracted barbs over her dress and off-air tirades.

Former sports presenter White, 38, is more concerned about his toughest critic - his mother.

"At least being a male there will probably be a little less scrutiny of my hair and clothes, although I'm prepared to cop some abuse over my tie selection - my mum never holds back with an opinion," he said.

With The Chaser's War On Everything in hiatus he will initially be spared its barbs.

"I love The Chaser and I'm prepared for that when it happens," he said. "You need to have a sense of humour in this job."

White joined Seven after defecting from Ten in 2004 and has worked as a sports broadcaster, as well as a fill-in host on Sunrise .

When Coren announced she was leaving Today Tonight for a posting with CNN in Hong Kong, White became a front-runner to replace her, along with newsreader Samantha Armytage.

However, contrary to reports, he said there was no ill feeling at the network about the appointment.

"People always think there is some scandal but this was really open and transparent," he said.

"Anna had already told them she wanted to leave and that was all cool. It was an open process. There was nothing cloak and dagger about it.

"Anna was really happy about it. She left a classic message on my phone.

"We had a good chat about it later on. Sam Armytage was exactly the same."

Weekend Sunrise co-host Armytage has renewed her contract with Seven, reportedly with a hefty pay rise.