Annette Sharp: Darren Wick emerges victorious in battle to rule Nine newsroom

The backroom battle for the leadership of Nine Media’s television news division has been fought and won by Nine’s incumbent news boss Darren Wick, writes Annette Sharp.

The backroom battle for the leadership of Nine Media’s television news division has been fought and won by Nine’s incumbent news boss Darren Wick.

For 18 months, a protracted battle has raged internally as factions intent on rolling the popular Wick from his post campaigned to supplant him after 11 years as Nine’s national director of news and current affairs.

In the powerful role Wick has oversight of the media company’s national news bulletins, breakfast show Today, and current affairs programs 60 Minutes and A Current Affair and their stars, representing a portfolio of programs that attracts a large slice of revenue to the network.

In 2022 — and for the past year — Nine insiders have claimed Wick’s role was secretly under review.

Whispers gained momentum in 2020, around the time problem-child Karl Stefanovic was reinstated as host of Today.

Channel 9 news chief Darren Wick. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Nine Radio managing director Tom Malone. Picture: John Fede

That same year Wick pleaded guilty to one count of drink-driving after returning a blood alcohol reading of 0.2 after attempting to drive home from a work event.

Network executives would rally around Wick though as he entered rehab and dealt with his drinking.

Newly empowered executives from Nine’s newspaper division are understood to have observed there being “blood in the water” at the time, though, and expressed an interest in expanding their territory into the glamour side of the business — television — arguing there might be benefits in having one head of news across the newspaper and television divisions overseeing the streamlining of staffing and expanding advertising synergies.

One said to have been actively starting lobbying for Wick’s role soon after — or for the creation of a more senior role to which Wick might be answerable (sources have said it may have been a combined news and sports director role) — was the managing director of Nine’s radio division, Tom Malone.

A former executive producer of 60 Minutes and Today, Malone sees himself as a natural successor to Wick.

Malone denied lobbying for Wick’s role when the question was put to him on Friday.

ACMA is investigating Nine for breaking broadcasting law and failing to disclose lucrative presenter sponsorships attached to 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

Malone’s lofty ambitions have never been a secret at Nine.

After making his name as EP of Today (2006-2012) and moving to the equivalent role at 60 Minutes in 2012, in 2016 Malone was appointed Nine’s Director of Sport, a role which may see him remembered, along with former CEO Hugh Marks, as the men who lost Nine the cricket, which for 40 years had been one of its most cherished assets.

Malone remained in that role until 2019 when he was appointed managing director of Nine Radio.

In April 2021 he put up his hand up for the CEO’s role, following the controversial departure of Hugh Marks but was overlooked for current CEO Mike Sneesby.

After five years at Nine Radio, insiders claim Malone is champing at the bit for a new challenge, but not the one he has been managing this month after Nine Radio was plunged into a new “cash-for-comment” style controversy.

This follows broadcasting authority ACMA’s confirmation it is investigating Nine for breaking broadcasting law and failing to disclose lucrative presenter sponsorships attached to 3AW’s newest recruit, journalist-turned-social-media spruiker Jacqui Felgate, and 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

Malone, who is on leave, spent part of last week in Melbourne apparently not putting out fires relating to the ACMA investigation but taking in the Brownlow Medal on Monday night and the AFL grand final on Saturday.

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