It basically questioned the futures of Karl Stefanovic & Mark Calvert.
For what it’s worth, I personally think both Stefanovic brothers and Mark Calvert (along with his TV presenter wife who has a reasonably high profile here in Sydney - Sophie is far more talented IMO) need to take a break from the media, although Annette Sharp is still an absolutely terrible “journalist” IMO!
It claims that Mark Calvert has been so completely enamoured with party boy Karl Stefanovic that Stefanovic gets away with doing whatever he wants at the expense of everyone else. Neil Breen was also under Stefanovic’s spell it claimed, until complaints from the other hosts forced Breen out.
just the usual shit from the woman who whinges constantly about bullies but neglects, or can’t work out, that she’s one of media’s biggest bullies herself.
As much as I agree that Deborah Knight would probably make a good co-presenter of Today (she really should’ve replaced GG as the newsreader on Today in mid-2014 instead of Sylvia), let’s all keep in mind what her current regular presenting role within the network is.
Even the weekend (or Friday/Saturday night as the case is here) 6pm bulletins need some form of stability in a market like Sydney, which is why Nine stuck with Georgie Gardner as their 2nd in-line Sydney newsreader for something like eight or nine years while Seven News Sydney had four 2nd in-line readers during that time.
She’s not being paid that by Ten and we don’t even know that she was demanding that exact amount for Today. She was asking for pay parity with Karl for her work on Today.
If anything, what we have seen proven now is how valuable she was to the show.
When Today’s ratings have plummeted since her departure, when your brand is tarnished by constant daily headlines, when your market research indicates that her co-host is the problem not her, when she creates headlines through powerful and inspirational editorial pieces, when she has a connection to your competitor’s viewers through an ability to attract them, when she contributes (she must have given the current vibe) to the daily production of the program, I think Lisa at least deserves equal pay.
@Richo What about Today’s disastrous ratings? The polarising, brand-damaging journalist will still receive his mighty pay-packet at the end of the day despite Today suffering some of its worst ratings whilst he has been at the helm (yet Jessica Rowe, Lisa Wilkinson and Georgie Gardner are to blame?)
I honestly think we may never know the full story about the Lisa Wilkinson debacle. Wanting to get a better deal on her pay was likely one of the reasons Lisa defected but there’s also the fact she was presenting breakfast TV for ten years because 2.30am/3am starts five days a week can take their toll after a while, especially when the person you’re sitting next to on a regular basis is Karl Stefanovic!
Although since Lisa seems to be quite happy at The Project, I’m happy for her.
Or Sarah Murdoch? She probably doesn’t get enough credit for keeping Today afloat between Jessica Rowe ending her association with the show and Lisa Wilkinson joining Nine.