Today boss Mark Calvert steps down as ratings fall
As Karl Stefanovic prepares to walk down the aisle his Today boss has “stepped down”. The Daily Telegraph has been told A Current Affair boss Steve Burling will replace Calvert in an attempt to rejig the show after a disastrous year in the ratings.
As Karl Stefanovic prepares to walk down the aisle his Today boss has “stepped down”.
After a disastrous year in the ratings, Channel 9 has announced Today executive producer Mark Calvert will not produce the show in 2019.
Today’s audience numbers were embarrassingly low throughout 2018, with Channel 7’s Sunrise dominating the ratings year.
Calvert spent Tuesday in and out of meetings with station boss Darren Wick, before the network sent an email to all staff announcing the news.
“From personal experience, I know there is no more challenging role in news and current affairs than the daily breakfast battle between Today and Sunrise. It’s a national ratings race where audience loyalty fluctuates from city to city, and often suburb to suburb,” Mr Wick wrote.
“And there is no program on Australian television that is analysed, revised and criticised as much as Today. The hours are exhausting, the competition is intense and the media coverage — good and bad — is unrelenting.”
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Insiders said a drastic change was imminent for the troubled breakfast show.
“Either a host or the EP had to go, and the station has to back Karl and Georgie is so fresh that Mark was the only option,” an insider at the network said.
“Mark’s relationship with the hosts had taken a huge blow in the past year as the ratings went from bad to worse.
“The show has lost the ratings year in both Sydney and Melbourne which
is huge for the station executives.”
The Daily Telegraph has been told A Current Affair boss Steve Burling will replace Calvert in an attempt to rejig the show.
“The show will have a lot of changes in the near future,” an insider said.
“There will be a lot more to come.”
Calvert’s wife, Channel 9 presenter Belinda Russell, was covering the red carpet of the AACTA Awards when the news broke.
She was seen visibly upset, fielding phone calls as she interviewed stars, but refused to comment on the situation when approached by The Daily Telegraph.
It is understood that Calvert was invited but declined to attend Karl’s wedding.
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