Peter Costello’s departure as Nine Entertainment chairman is unlikely to offer much respite to new successor Catherine West or the chief executive of the $2.2 billion media group, Mike Sneesby.

Even if Sneesby and West can navigate the cultural crisis engulfing Nine’s television newsroom without losing more skin, they will face a long list of big strategic questions due to the brutal combination of cyclical pressure from a weakening economy, and structural pressures from the relentless spread of digital competition.