Lisa Wilkinson goes commando as Today takes a $200m gamble
LISA Wilkinson went into stealth mode yesterday as she enjoyed her early morning freedom, doing her best to dodge photographers. It comes as the Nine Network comes under pressure from marquee advertisers to find the right replacement.
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LISA Wilkinson went into stealth mode yesterday as she enjoyed her early morning freedom.
After admitting enjoying weekday sleep-ins for the first time in a decade, the TV host wanted to keep the good times rolling as she popped into a north shore bottle shop.
But the 57-year-old did her best to give photographers the slip, performing a commando manoeuvre the SAS would be proud of. Wilkinson had onlookers in stitches as she crawled from one side of the car to the other before crouching beside her vehicle wearing dark sunnies.
But let’s just say her new stratospheric profile after her dramatic network defection this week didn’t help her chances.
Wilkinson is understood to have been celebrating since Monday after Ten revealed it had signed her to a $2.3 million deal.
Today’s $200m gamble
THE Nine Network is under pressure from marquee advertisers to find the right replacement for Lisa Wilkinson, with up to $200 million in revenue at stake in the lucrative breakfast TV market.
Breakfast TV giants Today and Sunrise deliver a swag of crucial advertising cash to the networks and form an important part of their revenue strategy, despite not rating as well as prime time.
The morning TV market is worth up to $200 million and that revenue is used to justify the hefty salaries paid to hosts such as Wilkinson and her former offsider Karl Stefanovic.
Nine chief executive Hugh Marks told The Daily Telegraph he was initially looking at internal talent to fill Wilkinson’s vacancy.
“Within the organisation there are some really good options,” Mr Marks said.
He would not be drawn on the stable of stars who are now candidates for the job.
But on that shortlist are believed to be Leila McKinnon, Deb Knight, Allison Langdon, Sylvia Jeffreys, Sonia Kruger, Georgie Gardner and weekend newsreader and Melbourne outsider Alicia Loxley.
TV executives view the position almost as a part salesperson role.
Anyone fronting a breakfast show finds themselves spruiking everything from international holidays to fresh produce and Nutribullets.
A 30-second ad on Today is believed to cost about $8000.
Steve Allen, from marketing consultancy Fusion Strategy, said: “It is a big pot of gold.” And another industry insider said: “These shows make serious cash.”
Total television advertising revenue for the past year sat about $2.2 billion.
Networks do not disclose their rate cards. The war between Sunrise, Today, Studio 10, The Morning Show and Today Extra has become more fiercely fought than ever before thanks to the massive cash at stake in the timeslot.
LISA JOINING THE PROJECT, BUT WHAT ABOUT CARRIE?
“The breakfast shows punch well above their weight not just because of advertising airtime but because of the amount of money the networks charge clients for inclusion in editorial time,” a television executive revealed.
“That means program time instead of commercial breaks. For example, a client like Jetstar or Qantas will pay Seven about $900,000 a year just for hosts talking about a great flight special every week.
“On top of that, they give Sunrise about $400,000 worth of free flights each year. And on top of that is the media spend for actual commercials.
“Clients like the personal connection that comes with breakfast and the halo that comes with hosts talking about their brands.”
Another analyst said: “It is big business.
“Breakfast TV has proven results for advertisers so they keep coming back. Arguably the morning shows know their audiences better than any other single program and they are consistent.”