Sharp Shooting: Popular Seven show facing the axe
The drums are beating at Seven for afternoon game show The Chase which is consistently being thrashed in its timeslot by Nine's surprise hit Tipping Point.
The decline of Seven's once unassailable 5pm game show, the critical lead-in to its 6pm evening news bulletin, has eroded confidence at the broadcaster where tensions and rivalries among the company's newly minted executive class have been exposed.
Despite throwing a bucket on industry talk, published here last month, the position of The Chase host Larry Emdur was under review, a search is said to be underway to find a replacement program for the slot in the hope of arresting the slide of audiences to main competitor Nine.
In the week to May 7, including May 5 and 6, Tipping Point was in the top 10 programs on national TV each day with a substantial 159,000 audience lead (five city total people, average over three days) over The Chase.
The Chase failed to make the top 10 programs on any of those three days.
It was a similar story the previous week with Tipping Point beating The Chase convincingly every day, both in the five city metro demographic and the national total average which includes regional markets.
The collapse of the program's figures is creating panic at Seven and has pitched a group of recently appointed network executives into an open battle for the support – and ear – of Seven's chairman, Kerry Stokes, and his son and heir, Ryan, as the executives manoeuvre to shore up their positions.
While CEO Jeff Howard, who has been in the job 55 weeks, has the backing of Stokes the Younger, he is under immense pressure to galvanise his newly assembled management team and prove his leadership credentials.
Under him, his new captains have been busy establishing their own power bases.
Insiders are of the view it will fall to Seven's recently minted group MD of television, Angus Ross, the network's former head of programming, to make the call regarding The Chase, which is already warming up the 3pm weekday slot on Seven. This, is addition to airing two ours later at 5pm weekdays.
Seven's one-year-in-the-gig news boss Anthony De Ceglie, who enjoys the favour of Seven's chairman (and his ear most days or so we hear) leads a news team pitching a new afternoon show, an advertorial show in the style of the previously dumped Daily Edition. Sydney news director Sean Power has been linked to the show.
Departed Nine presenter Alex Cullen or maybe the under-utilised Natarsha Belling are favoured to front it.
De Ceglie appears on board with the idea of turning Seven into a news channel in daylight hours.
Currently Seven runs news programming from 5.30am, when its breakfast show Sunrise kicks off, through to 1pm via the recently expanded advertorial program The Morning Show and a sponsored one-hour news bulletin at noon.
Could another late afternoon news program, as unoriginal and cheap as that may be, be the solution to Seven's issues? It seems unlikely but may be a commercial necessity.
Any change to afternoon scheduling will turn up the heat on Seven's chief commercial director-of-15-weeks Henry Tajer, who must sell the airtime to advertisers.
Tajer has wasted little time aligning himself with Ryan Stokes following his appointment in January.
His appointment (following a decade-long campaign to get into the local TV industry say insiders) saw the reversal of the CEO's decision to dispense with Seven's well-regarded chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette last year, a decision that stunned the industry.
Tajer arrived at Seven with some baggage Seven staff have been working diligently to unpack.
Having relocated his family from Australia to New York in 2015 to take up the role as Global CEO of IPG Mediabrands, Tajer's return to Australia two years later in 2017 for 'personal reasons' created some buzz. IPG's announcement they would not be replacing Tajer (whose style was defined in ad-land periodicals as 'aggressive') only served to heighten it.
A stint at marking company Dentsu Aegis in 2019 would last just 11 months and ruffle feathers.
The unconventional adman is thought to now have designs on Howard's job at Seven, as too, or so it's been suggested, may De Ceglie.
Where Stoke Sr and Jr sit on these internal tensions is hard to know however all seem to agree on one thing – that if Emdur's game show is moved to a secondary Seven station the host will remain a valued member of the Seven family.
'Not for everyone'
The radio boss who signed off on Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson's $200 million 10-year KIIS FM contract and to-date unsuccessful Melbourne launch addressed shareholders at ARN's annual general meeting on Thursday.
ARN CEO Ciaran Davis touched on the breakfast duo's failure to penetrate the Melbourne market admitting '(Kyle & Jackie O's) content is not for everyone,' but adding the program was a 'multi-year commitment'.
Comparing the duo to the company's other hot property, Christian O'Connell, who bolted to the top of the FM ratings on ARN's second mainstream radio station GoldFM in Melbourne, Davis's statements implied Sandilands and Henderson could be given a time frame similar to O'Connell – two years – to crack Melbourne.
'Shifting market behaviour takes time. We're realistic,' he said comparing the duo to O'Connell.
Davis largely bypassed the myriad issues that have plagued The Kyle & Jackie O Show since its Melbourne launch – the lewd and obscene content issues that have turned away listeners and contributed to the duo capturing only a 5.8 per cent market share in that city, the advertiser boycott that has impacted revenue, the damning broadcasting authority investigations that found the program repeatedly breached broadcasting standards and concerns for Sandilands' health – while acknowledging the show's expansion was a 'legitimate topic of investor interest'.
'We stand firmly for freedom of speech, we stand firmly against censorship, bullying and for the role that broadcast media plays in reflecting a wide range of voices and entertainment formats within accepted standards,' Davis said.
He added the controversial duo had been number one in Sydney for 50 consecutive surveys and had a large audience that was 'double the audience of Australia's top TV show'.
Separately ARN board member Alison Cameron, whose proud family media company Grant Broadcasters was acquired by ARN in 2022 for $300 million, said she didn't believe Sandilands was 'misogynist or sexist' but admitted she was not a regular listener of the show.
Radio industry sources afterwards speculated on the likelihood the meeting, also fronted by ARN chairman Hamish McLennan, would be Davis's last.
Pundits predict Davis will be back in his native Ireland by Christmas and snugly ensconced in a new home he recently acquired there.
ARN stocks finished Thursday slightly up, at 58c, after hitting a record low of 53c on Tuesday.
Out of style
The future of popular women's magazine InStyle is under a cloud again following word the current editor and her team have signed off after three years at the helm.
Editor-in-chief Justine Cullen paid tribute to the magazine and her staff in a social media post this week.
In the post she described the latest iteration of the Australian/New Zealand edition of the magazine as 'an act of wild optimism and a real labour of love'.
'The Autumn print issue will be the last made by me and the team,' she posted.
Cullen was appointed editor-in-chief of the magazine in 2022 by independent publisher True North Media CEO Simon Bookallil. Cullen was also chief content officer of True North, which was owned by Bookallil's Bashful Group creative agency.
Bookallil was a former partner and director of Australian Fashion Week.
He was overlooked in Cullen's post.
'F**king legend'
Singer Tex Perkins has paid tribute to Australian drummer James Baker who died this week, aged 71, a decade after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
'I've known Baker since 1983. I was 18, he was like a father to me. We drank a lot of beer together, whether at the Southern Cross Hotel, the Hopetoun Hotel, the Trade Union Club or on his couch in front of the TV at his house in Chelsea St watching re-runs of Green Acres,' said Beasts of Bourbon and Cruel Sea frontman Perkins.
'A lot of beer, never anything else, just beer.
'And in all the time I've known him we never had one argument, not one disagreement, not one shitty word. I can't even remember one misunderstanding. In 42 years! He was always sweet, cool and often very funny! We laughed a lot.'
Perkins went on to describe Baker, who was born in 1954 and was inspired to become a drummer after seeing Ringo Starr play with The Beatles, as 'one of my all-time favourite drummers – nothing flash or unnecessary, just solid beat!'
Baker spent his formative years in the seventies refining his energetic swampy punk-rock style in WA bands before joining The Scientists with Kim Salmon and, notably, the Hoodoo Gurus in 1981, playing on their landmark 1984 debut album Stoneage Romeos and catapulting a generation onto the dancefloor with his infectious surf beats.
The Beasts of Bourbon with Perkins and Salmon followers and afterwards The Dubrovniks.
'Put simply, James Baker is a f**king legend. I feel blessed to have known him and I loved him, always have, always will.'
Baker is survived by partner Cath and two daughters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
43 minutes ago
- ABC News
West Australian marine business actively considering bid for Darwin Port
The business behind two major new West Australian marine infrastructure projects is considering a bid for the Darwin Port, as the federal government seeks a buyer to get it "back under Australian control". The Darwin Port was controversially leased by the Northern Territory government to Chinese-owned firm Landbridge for 99 years in 2015, and since then the facility has been a lightning rod for national security debate. Although no security risks have ever been proven regarding the port's lease, both Labor and the Coalition promised to return the port to Australian operation during the recent federal election campaign. The Australian government has said it is negotiating with parties over the port's future, but it has not yet revealed exactly which companies or consortiums could be in the running to bid for the lease. Founder of the Kimberley Marine Support Base in Broome and the Onslow Marine Support Base in the Pilbara, Andrew Natta, said the private Australian business was actively considering a bid for the Darwin Port. While the Onslow and Kimberley projects exist as separate entities, they share a common founder in Mr Natta and overlapping shareholders. "If you look at what our business has done in Western Australia … it makes sense for us to consider the opportunity, for sure," Mr Natta said. "If you look at our history and you look at what we're investing in in Broome, the piece of infrastructure [Kimberley Marine Support Base] that we're building now is almost $250 million. Mr Natta said he had not yet met with representatives from the federal or NT governments over his business' potential ambitions to take on the Darwin Port, but that it was likely on the cards for the near future. "At this point in time we're definitely saying that there is interest, and more than likely, yes, we would go forward and [meet with government]," he said. Both the Kimberley and Onslow port infrastructure projects have been vocally supported by the West Australian government, which has praised their potential to build capacity across multiple industries. Mr Natta said the aim would be to bring a similar ethos to "enhancing" the Darwin Port. "If we were to consider Darwin Port, we would be investing in a way that is very generational, very patient, but at the same time, enhancing," he said. He did not weigh into the controversy surrounding Darwin Port's current leaseholder, Landbridge, but said he believed there was merit in having the facility back in Australian hands. "I don't have a comment on the current ownership other than I think that it works very well when we have an all-Australian partnership, and that we can help facilitate those that need a port," he said. While the federal government has not yet revealed who it has been speaking to regarding the Darwin Port's future, a number of companies have reportedly shown interest. US private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, which has strong links to the Trump administration, has reportedly been working towards a joint bid for the port with Australian-registered firm Toll Group. Neither company has confirmed if that bid is going ahead. The federal government has also said it has been speaking with superannuation firms over the port's future. Landbridge Group has repeatedly said it is not searching for a buyer. Earlier this month, Landbridge's non-executive director for Australia, Terry O'Connor, told 7.30 he believed the company had been subjected to a campaign of "myths and mistruths", including by ministers in the Australian government, over the port's lease. Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said in a statement on Friday that "the Australian government is working closely with the Northern Territory government on next steps". "It would not be appropriate to comment further on matters that may be the subject of commercial negotiations," she said. The ABC understands the federal government has been approached by a number of interested parties. NT Treasurer Bill Yan said the territory government was "working alongside our Commonwealth counterparts in the best interests of Australia and the NT". "We will not pre-empt that work," he said.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
New Tillies coach names 33-player squad
Football: New Matildas coach Joe Montemurro wants to 'set the tone' for the future after he named a host of new names in his first squad.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
British and Irish Lions lose 28-24 to Argentina in Dublin ahead of Australia tour
The British and Irish Lions of 2025 have had an inauspicious start to their tour of Australia, losing 28-24 to Argentina at a raucous Aviva stadium in Dublin. It is the first time that the Lions have lost an opening tour match since 1971 and 20 years since Argentina drew with the Lions in Cardiff. First-half tries to Ignacio Mendy and player of the match Tomás Albornoz gave Argentina a 21-10 lead at half-time, local favourite Bundee Aki crossing for the Lions in a sloppy defensive display. But after that disappointing first half the contest developed into a thrilling game in which both teams threw the ball around with the apparent abandon of a post-season friendly. The Lions hit back early in the second half through a penalty try and a Tadhg Beirne score to give the hosts the lead. But a trilling score by Santiago Cordero saw the Lions fall to a deflating defeat as the Pumas celebrated in style on the pitch and reminded the Lions hierarchy that perhaps South America too would one day be a worthy tour destination. The Lions rarely play matches on home soil and, in the bright sunshine of a summer Friday night in Dublin, there was a degree of frivolity in the sold-out stands far from the pressure cooker of a Test match — albeit one where the Lions were not handing out official Test caps. Any suggestion that this was a fun kickabout in the Dublin sun was dispelled by the stern words that veteran tourists Maro Itoje and Elliot Daly imparted in the post-match huddle. No doubt those conversations will continue on the plane Down Under, with the squad departing for Australia on Saturday morning. "I think there are a few learnings. I think we showed glimmers of what this team can be about," Itoje said post-match. "I think there were a few teething issues, [it was] our first run out. "We'll take our lessons … we'll learn from our mistakes and move forward." Many of those teething issues came at the lineout, where the Lions were awful, and in defence, where Argentina's pacing attack tore the line to shreds. This is not the first-choice Lions team that will likely suit up in Brisbane on July 19 — just three Irish players made the starting XV due to the Leinster contingent's participation in the United Rugby Championship final last weekend. But it was still an all-star-packed side that will have been chastened by the enthusiasm and skill of the Argentina side, who were missing plenty of players themselves, in front of them. "We're building a team," Itoje added. "We were nowhere near as consistent or accurate. "We'll learn, we'll get better." Despite the defeat, that improvement was evident as the game went on. The Lions offered a glimpse of how Farrell wants his side to play and, against a ready and willing Argentine side that have claimed the scalps of all three southern hemisphere giants in the past 12 months, they showed glimmers of real class. The scrum was utterly dominant — even with Irish pair Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong not involved — as Ellis Genge showed all his power. It also indicated some combinations that Farrell may be interested in using, including a power-packed centre partnership of Aki and Sione Tuipulotu. Fin Smith started at 10 but Marcus Smith, playing 15, popped up at first receiver with abandon in the latter stages of the match, flashing his fast feet and poking his nose through the line with increasing regularity. That being said, both were overshadowed by the superb play of Benneton flyhalf Albornoz. The polish may not have been there from the Lions, but the speed at which they attempted to play was indicative of the assault the Wallabies line will be under whenever they are without the ball — this Lions team will be coming to entertain as well as win. Winger Tommy Freeman in particular was supreme in the air, a warning to avoid kicking in his direction should he make the cut for the test team. But the pack, admittedly shorn of many of its key personnel, will need to step up — particularly in the lineout, which was desperately poor. The Lions will have precious little time to regroup, with post-match briefings perhaps taking place on the long flight Down Under this weekend. The nine-match tour, with three Tests and six tour matches, kicks off in Perth on Saturday, June 28 against the Western Force, where the Lions will no doubt be desperate to kick off their tour proper with a win. British and Irish Lions: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham, Maro Itoje (c), Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl. Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Pierre Schoeman, Tadhg Furlong, Scott Cummings, Henry Pollock, Tomos Williams, Elliot Daly, Mack Hansen. Argentina: Santiago Carreras; Rodrigo Isgró, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo Garcia; Mayco Vivas, Julián Montoya (c), Joel Sclavi, Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera, Juan Martin González, Joaquín Oviedo, Replacements: Bautista Bernasconi, Boris Wenger, Francisco Coria Marchetti, Santiago Grondona, Joaquín Moro, Simon Benitez Cruz, Matías Moroni, Santiago Cordero.
