Nine boss Mike Sneesby cancels holiday as crisis engulfs media company

CEO Mike Sneesby has cut short his US holiday to deal with the crisis engulfing Nine, as staff claim a culture of cover-up shielded former news boss Darren Wick.

Nine boss Mike Sneesby will make an early return home from the US to handle the crisis engulfing his media company.

The fallout over allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women by former news boss Darren Wick is immense — internally and externally.

Nine has been accused of covering up the allegations.

After addressing staff in a company-wide email on Wednesday, chief executive officer Sneesby has cancelled a planned holiday in the wake of the disaster.

“Mike has been in the US on business and is returning this weekend,” Nine director of communications Victoria Buchan told The Daily Telegraph. “Mike was planning a holiday but he is now returning.”

Nine CEO Mike Sneesby has cut short his holiday to deal with the fallout over allegations against former news boss Darren Wick. Picture: Martin Ollman

Wick stood down after 29 years with Nine on March 15 because he was “tired” and in need of a “rest”.

Staff are said to have been quietly cheering when The Daily Telegraph earlier this week detailed a deeply entrenched culture within Nine.

They claim the culture allowed Wick to behave inappropriately and get away with it for many years.

One high profile on-air talent told of Nine’s 1 Denison Street, North Sydney, headquarters being in “meltdown”.

“People are really upset,” said one employee.

“There is a lot of pent up anger and emotion coming out.”

After Sneesby’s email on Wednesday, news and current affairs staff were involved in “heated and emotive discussions” in person and via phone hook-up regarding the allegations.

“It is a relief in a way,” another employee said.

“But there is a sense they are only taking action because it has all been made public. This culture would have continued, there is no doubt.”

At the meeting, some raised publicly the fact Wick had been farewelled so gracefully in light of the allegations against him. He has been seen in Nine’s offices as recently as the past few weeks. His office remains untouched.

Former Nine news chief Darren Wick. Picture: Damian Shaw

“Wickie resigned a few weeks ago and he has left Nine,” Buchan said. “Yes, there hasn’t been anyone else use that office.”

Questioned on suggestions Wick’s employment at Nine would not officially be finalised until the end of June, Buchan said: “I don’t know about if he is still ‘on the books’. As far as I know he has resigned … I presume he is not on our books any longer. But I don’t know.”

Another employee said: “We were angry he got a good send-off in the first place.

“And we are really upset Wickie was allowed back into the building to do things afterwards when everyone knew the stories.”

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