A move to Nine not on the cards for Melissa Doyle as she parts ways with Seven
Melissa Doyle has revealed what she will do – and definitely won’t do – next after her contract with Seven was not renewed.
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Exclusive: Melissa Doyle has ruled out a move to Nine’s Today show, after parting ways with Channel 7 after 25 years.
Instead, the former Sunrise host bid an elegant farewell today, announcing her exit from Seven after her contract was not renewed – the latest high-profile victim of COVID crisis cost-cutting.
The gracious TV presenter laughed off any suggestion she would find her way now to Nine’s new North Sydney headquarters, where the network’s struggling breakfast show could do with her experience and ease winning over the tricky timeslot’s mostly female viewers.
“Don’t think they need me,” she said with a giggle, “they’ve got a great team,” the classy TV favourite teased, admitting she was “a little bit sad” to be making her exit from Seven where she was a viewer darling on its breakfast show.
“You know what, I’ll be really honest, I’m a little sad because it’s been half of my life,” she told News Corp Australia, “I feel like I’m part of the furniture.
Doyle was controversially moved on from the show she helped build into a TV juggernaut alongside David Koch in 2013 – beloved for her part in transforming the breakfast battleground and taking down the long-running ratings victor, Nine’s Today.
The latter has since struggled to find its feet after making the mistake of letting its popular anchor, Lisa Wilkinson go, after she demanded pay parity with co-star Karl Stefanovic and when refused, jumped ship to Network 10.
Stefanovic’s ugly divorce which plagued the star and turned off female viewers saw Nine bench their main man in the hope audiences would return; but instead Today regularly slipped to third place, behind ABC News Breakfast, after he returned this year to pair with 60 Minutes’ Allison Langdon.
Doyle’s brand of sunshine, professionalism and kindness would be an asset to Nine, which is reportedly interested in hiring Studio 10 newsreader Natarsha Belling, herself made redundant by her network, 10 after 23 years.
Sunrise executive producer Michael Pell acknowledged Doyle’s underrated talent, telling News Corp: “Mel’s contribution to the morning TV landscape cannot be overstated. What she did together with Kochie to build Sunrise to number one is the stuff of TV legend. It will remain one of the most incredible success stories of this industry.”
Both Doyle and Belling are recognised for setting the bar high for female journalists and playing the media game with heart.
While work options may seem limited in the cash-strapped media landscape right now, Doyle vowed to keep a few irons in the fire – and like her former breakfast TV rival, Lisa Wilkinson, is planning to write a book and helm an audio documentary in the coming months.
Asked if it would be a tell-all of her TV time, she replied: “not my style.”
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“To be frank, I’m just trying to enjoy today, enjoy the moment and see what comes next. I figure I’m not the sort of person that sits still. I’m not the sort to sit back and wait for things to come my way. I’m proactive, I’m always working on other projects.”
Doyle’s impressive career took her to Canberra covering politics to most recently sharing the anchor role with respected Michael Usher on Seven News’ COVID coverage on The Latest.
But it was her brand of sunshine and kindness that she brought to breakfast TV that won Australian audiences over.
A flashing voice message on her phone from Koch awaited Doyle today, after she was inundated with good wishes from colleagues and industry peers.
“I’m a little overwhelmed today by the lovely messages I’m getting from colleagues and friends. That’s pretty overwhelming, but lovely. But I’m just really proud.
Taking a rare moment to reflect on a stellar career, Doyle said: “I’m trying to take today to have a moment, to stop because you know I don’t think anyone looks back over what they’ve done … you just don’t reflect. In the media, we’re so fast and we’re on to the next story, the next day. I guess, I’ve just had that moment I’ve looked back at all the things I’ve had the opportunity to do and the stories that I’ve covered. It was way beyond anything the young journalist in me could have dreamt about and I’m just really proud of what I’ll be able to do and the way that I’ve done it. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunities that I’ve had to tell the stories that I’ve been able to tell, and meet the people that I’ve met. I’ve met some of the most extraordinary humans who have taught me so much about life and strength and guts and courage and things that really matter. I feel like I’ve taken a little bit of something from everyone along the way and I’m richer for it.”
Originally published as A move to Nine not on the cards for Melissa Doyle as she parts ways with Seven