EXCLUSIVE
The billionaire owner of Seven Network is flying to Sydney next week to help revive the ailing broadcaster after ratings plummeted and some of its most popular presenters were publicly and brutally murdered.
Channel 7 chairman Kerry Stokes is expected to take up residence on the executive floor of Seven’s Eveleigh headquarters for at least two weeks as the struggling network tries to put an end to months of damaging headlines and internal turmoil caused by job cuts.
The 83-year-old from Perth’s final blow comes amid continued criticism of Seven’s tarnished news image and its much-publicised decision to include a controversial horoscope segment and comedy sketch in its 6pm primetime bulletins.
The public outcry has caused the once dominant channel to plummet in the national ratings, threatening to see it lose its title as the country’s most popular free-to-air network to formidable rival Nine.
The ratings decline was further exacerbated in Queensland by the brutal dismissal of popular, long-serving newsreader Sharyn Ghidella, who was fired over the phone after 17 years while working in a hair salon in preparation for a promotional campaign for the network.
Stokes, whose wife Christine Simpson Stokes is a close friend and former colleague of the fired anchorwoman, was reportedly so angry about Ghidella’s brutal dismissal that he contacted her personally. The details of their conversation, however, have remained confidential.
A Seven Network insider told Daily Mail Australia that staff at the network’s Sydney headquarters were already walking on eggshells and that news of Stoke’s upcoming visit provided little relief.
Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes will make a coup de grace to the network’s bunker in Sydney
“Everyone is looking over their shoulders waiting for the axe to drop again,” they said.
‘We are concerned that more cuts are coming, including among presenters, and at the moment no one feels safe here.
“New news director Anthony De Ceglie says ratings don’t matter, but we’re losing viewers and it feels like the end of days for the network.”
Seven does not want to comment on internal staff cuts.
De Ceglie, who previously worked as a newspaper editor and had no experience in television, was promoted to the top editorial position at Channel 7 in April.
His appointment came after his predecessor, Craig McPherson, left the network in the wake of the Bruce Lehrmann Spotlight scandal, along with the program’s executive producer, Mark Llewellyn.
Taylor Auerbach, a former producer of the network’s flagship news and current affairs program, told the federal court in April that Lehrmann had received drug and sex worker payments while he was conducting an exclusive interview with the accused rapist.
Seven Network denies these allegations.
De Ceglie has told staff he has a “zero tolerance” policy towards misconduct in the newsroom and was responsible for the sacking of Seven News Sydney senior journalist Robert Ovadia in July following allegations of “inappropriate behaviour”.
Ovadia has since retained renowned employment lawyer John Laxon and filed a claim with the Fair Work Commission against both De Ceglie and the Seven network, seeking compensation and reinstatement to the role he held for 23 years.
Newly appointed Seven News boss Anthony De Ceglie wants to overhaul primetime bulletins
Meanwhile, a company-wide restructuring was carried out in June, with about 150 employees from the Seven West Media empire being laid off.
A number of members of the network’s senior management team lost their jobs, including marketing director Melissa Hopkins, revenue director Kurt Burnette, Seven Melbourne’s head of sport and general manager Lewis Martin.
Meanwhile, former Seven CEO James Warburton resigned in December last year, but quit the network on April 18. Seven Melbourne’s news director Shaun Menegola also resigned in May, just weeks after McPherson stepped down.
The turmoil at the network is far from over, with speculation rife that Mark Ferguson, the long-time presenter of Seven’s flagship 6pm news bulletin in Sydney, could be next in line.
Ferguson is on leave over the Olympic period, when broadcaster Nine is expected to boost ratings. Seven bosses have reportedly tested alternative presenters with audience panels, including Michael Usher, Angela Cox and Angie Asimus.
Seven’s resident Sydney newsreader Mark Ferguson is being given a rest during the Olympics
Seven journalists Michael Usher and Angela Cox compete for a spot on primetime
Seven bosses will be nervous about rushing in long-term changes to the line-up after they faced widespread criticism from viewers in Queensland following Ghidella’s departure.
Secret internal ratings reveal that Seven News Brisbane has lost a staggering 29,000 viewers in just two weeks. The ratings plunge saw Seven trail Nine’s Brisbane news by some 88,000 viewers on Monday – while Seven was just 60,000 viewers behind on Monday 8 July, before her resignation.
In a scathing Facebook post following her firing, Ghidella said morale at the network had been “miserable” in recent weeks and that she was glad to be leaving.
“When you’ve been in television for as long as I have, not a day goes by that you don’t wait for the proverbial pat on the back… After 38 years, it’s finally here,” she wrote.
‘It wasn’t quite how I expected it to turn out at Channel Seven.
‘I was at work at the hairdresser’s when I got the call that my time with the network was over, after 17 years.
“While we are somewhat saddened by this decision, there is also a sense of relief. As has been widely reported, the last few weeks on TV have unfortunately been a miserable affair.”
Sharyn Ghidella has ridiculed her decision to feature star signs in the news after her brutal firing
Kerry Stokes and his wife Christine Simpson Stokes were shocked by the presenter’s brutal dismissal
In a pointed dig at Seven’s new news director, Ghidella also specifically pointed to De Ceglie’s decision to lighten the network’s primetime bulletins with star signs and comedy sketches.
‘I’m not one for the evening news with humor and horoscopes either, so honestly it’s time to go,’ she wrote, before signing off, “I hope my horoscope predicts better times for tomorrow,” she wrote.
Rival network Nine is also facing a scandal after The Australian revealed that former news boss Darren Wick had left the station following a complaint from a female employee.
Other employees have since come forward with allegations of bullying and sexual harassment at the network, prompting Nine to launch its own investigation.
