A hot mic conversation that accidentally went to air on Channel Nine on Wednesday night has sparked a storm.

Tipping Point host Todd Woodbridge threw to Nine News anchor Tom Steinfort and co-anchor Alicia Loxley in the middle of the game show’s evening episode, during what was meant to be a scheduled news update.

But, instead of headlines, viewers got to hear casual studio chatter between Steinfort and an off-screen colleague, who were both blissfully unaware that viewers were watching.

The footage showed Steinfort, 41, having a casual conversation with a crew member about the off-screen staffer going on a Queensland holiday.

The floor manager then seemed to put on a voice for comic effect as he said: ”I’ll be watching Gold Coast News with Paul Taylor.’

Taylor was later confronted about the exchange on national radio – and described it as ‘pretty damn negative’.

9News Melbourne anchor Tom Steinfort was caught in a live TV blunder with a floor manager during a newsroom update on Wednesday night. Pictured with co-host Alicia Loxley

The video that went to air began with Steinfort asking the Nine employee: ‘How long have you got there?’

‘I’ll be there until Saturday,’ his colleague said, to which Steinfort responded: ‘Lovely.’

‘I’ll be watching Gold Coast News with Paul Taylor,’ the floor manager then joked, in what was apparently his best impression of a news anchor voice.

The moment appeared to be an innocent exchange between co-workers during a live TV blunder – but things were quickly misconstrued.

Taylor himself was played the audio clip of the blooper for the first time on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Thursday morning, and wrongly told it was Steinfort putting on the voice.

‘Us news readers, we know nuance and we know the little bits and pieces that go on—that sounds pretty damn negative,’ Taylor said.

When the Daily Mail approached Nine for comment on the matter, a spokesperson claimed the entire situation had been ‘misreported’.

Steinfort, 41, was heard having a casual hot mic conversation with a crew member about going on a Queensland holiday. The crew member said he would be ‘watching’ Gold Coast News anchor Paul Taylor, in a moment which has now been misconstrued as ‘negative’

Steinfort, along with co-anchor Loxley, took over the hot seat at 9News Melbourne early last year when Peter Hitchener signed off following 50 years at the network.

It is only the fourth presenting line-up in the history of the bulletin.

Loxley had been the weekend presenter for 9News Melbourne for 12 years when she landed the position.

Meanwhile, Steinfort is an award-winning journalist and was previously a reporter for 60 Minutes.

He joined 9News Melbourne in 2007 and was recognised by the Melbourne Press Club for his coverage of the Black Saturday bushfires.

This week’s incident may have reminded some at Nine of another incident on the network that was never meant to see the light of day.

In January 2017, industry trade publication Mumbrella was leaked a video of Nine presenter Amber Sherlock demanding one of her colleagues put a jacket on, when both turned up to a broadcast wearing white shirts. The clip went viral and was dubbed ‘jacketgate’.