Punters still waking up with Sunrise despite Georgie Gardner return
IT was a weak start for the new Today team of Georgie Gardner and Karl Stefanovic, with more Aussies tuning into Sunrise every day last week. Now, new information on how Nine’s bosses have reacted has rattled the breakfast show.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IT was a weak start for the new Today team of Georgie Gardner and Karl Stefanovic, with more Aussies tuning into Sunrise every day last week.
Gardner agreed to return to the Channel Nine breakfast show after co-host Lisa Wilkinsonrefused to work for less money than her male counterpart. Following intense negotiations Gardner, a mother-of-two who left the show years ago to focus on home life, rejoined Today and was back in the chair from last Monday.
But Sunrise hosted by Samantha Armytage and David Koch pulled significantly more viewers.
Across the five metropolitan cities Channel Seven recorded between 35,000 and 40,000 more viewers than their competition.
Lisa Wilkinson: ‘I may be really good or really bad. I’m about to find out’
It is understood Nine bosses are not impressed. An insider said executives expected a closer race with Gardner.
“When the numbers came in there was a bit of shock at Nine,” an insider told Confidential.
COMMENT: Same old Today won’t beat Sunrise
“They are saying it is only because of the tennis, but with the cricket getting huge numbers that theory seems like a diversion.”
With the official ratings period kicking off in just two weeks, executives at the show are sure to be scrambling for ideas on how to draw larger audience numbers.
The poor audience numbers did not seem to worry Stefanovic who celebrated his girlfriend’s birthday with an intimate house party over the weekend
Confidential understands police offices even attended his home at one point during the evening.
.