Brenton Ragless considered for next Today host, replacing Karl Stefanovic
Brenton Ragless is facing the biggest decision of his career as he spends Christmas with his family in Adelaide considering a move interstate for breakfast TV’s top job.
Confidential
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Hometown boy Brenton Ragless is facing the biggest decision of his career as he spends Christmas with his family in Adelaide considering a move interstate for breakfast TV’s top job.
Sources have told The Advertiser Ragless, 42, was locked in “serious discussions” with Nine bosses on Wednesday after Today host Karl Stefanovic was axed.
Stefanovic’s brother, Peter, was also dropped by the network after major crisis talks.
The popular Channel 9 Adelaide newsreader is the hot favourite to take over the high-profile role.
And while the father-of-two has previously denied any speculation of a move, it’s understood he’s now weighing up his options, with a switch to Today a genuine possibility. But any permanent move to Nine’s flagship show, based in Sydney, would need the blessing of his family, in particular his wife Hayley, who is understood to favour staying in South Australia.
Ragless, who declined to comment to The Advertiser, is coming to the end of a three-week stint filling in for Karl Stefanovic on the Today show before taking Christmas holidays. He’s expected back reading the news in Adelaide on January 7.
It was initially believed Ragless would take over Peter Stefanovic’s role on Weekend Today before graduating to the top job, but Karl Stefanovic’s departure has accelerated his possible move up the ranks.
After 14 years as anchor of the breakfast show and months of speculation about his future, Karl Stefanovic was given the news over the phone while on his overseas honeymoon with new wife Jasmine Yarbrough, the younger woman whose relationship with the TV star has tested the patience of Nine executives during the past two years.
Karl Stefanovic is four years into a five-year $15 million contract with the network and questions remain over how he will see out his tenure.
Nine bosses were expected to let him see out his contract, which finishes at the end of 2019, but decided to act swiftly after Today co-host Georgie Gardner and the network itself became targets in the fallout from his recent Mexican wedding.
In a statement, Nine’s director of news Darren Wick said the network and their Gold Logie winner had agreed it was “time for him to step off the Today show”.
“An announcement on the new line up and format of the Today show will be made in the coming weeks,” he said.
In the same statement, Karl Stefanovic admitted it had been a “tough time” but thanked viewers for their support.
“I look forward to seeing you in another capacity at this great network soon,” he said.
Speculation had been rife for months about the future of the Stefanovic brothers, with Today’s daily audience slipping to less than 200,000 in 2018.
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