How Mike Larkan heard he had been axed from Channel 10
Long-serving Ten weatherman Mike Larkan was hours away from a live cross at Port Phillip Bay when he was “caught off guard” by the phone call nobody wants to receive.
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The phone call terminating Mike Larkan’s career as a weatherman at Channel 10 came hours before his live cross.
Ever upbeat, the weatherman just shy of 25 years at the network was on location down at Port Phillip Bay just hours later, smiling and presenting his 10 News First bulletin to Melburnians in lockdown.
“I was caught off guard. I’ll be honest,” Larkan said, opening up for the first time since that phone call on Tuesday afternoon from Sydney headquarters.
But still the nice guy!
Channel 10 have form for boning their long serving talent just moments before going to air. It’s almost a rite of passage.
Former anchor Jen Hansen had just minutes to recover from news of her axing before going live with the news. Stephen Quartermain found out he was being replaced by Jennifer Keyte about the same time a media release was sent out.
Former anchor Helen Kapalos had her work email closed and was forced to announce her humiliating departure via Twitter. No farewell, no goodbyes to viewers. The list goes on.
It’s a cruel world when it comes to send-offs, but that’s TV.
Ten has had its own nasty weather. The network went into voluntary administration three years ago before being taken over by CBS, which has since remerged with Viacom.
“I was totally surprised when I got the phone call. I just had no idea,” said Larkan yesterday.
“It’s about cost cutting. It’s a business and they have to make money and I understand that.
“You don’t want to hear the news you are no longer in their plan going forward.
“But, well, I’ve taken that in my stride.”
After that phone call a release was later sent out by Ten’s director of news content, Ross Dagan, saying the network was moving to a national weekday weather model with a new national meteorologist to be announced soon.
“The decision to make these changes was a very difficult one and I want to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to our friends and colleagues who will leave the network,” Dagan said in press-release speak.
Larkan said a colleague told him he was the longest serving Melbourne presenter holding the same job at the same network.
It’s quite a feat given the fickle nature of bean counters and boardroom executives always out to trim some fat or aim for a younger demographic.
“No one has been that long in the same position,” Larkan said.
“I’ve had a good 25 years and I’ve been lucky to have survived that long. There have been retrenches and I’ve survived those, but not quite this time.”
Larkan has become something of a Melbourne treasure. Viewers tune in to see him on location anywhere from the local primary school, surrounded by excited kids, to the zoo where he gets a friendly nip from the animals.
“I think the way I tried to present the news is to represent Melbourne and what’s happening. I like to help people in the Melbourne community, at say an event or visiting a school or at someone’s charity.
“It’s been nice to be a part of the fabric of Melbourne and a real nice way to help others.
“I try to be a bit different. I always like to go on location, memorise my lines, get some of them right and try and throw in a few bad-dad jokes along the way and make it a bit entertaining.”
The usually weird and wacky weatherman is often spoofed on the big screen, But Larkan enjoys it.
He was the first to present the weather from inside the shark tank at the Melbourne aquarium. A live cross at Werribee Open Range Zoo saw a rhino ram the Channel 10 truck.
“It was written off for insurance,” Larkan laughed.
“It’s been a good ride, there is no doubt about that and I’ve had a very positive 25 years. I’ve really enjoyed it.
Larkan started out as a cub reporter in Sydney with none other than Derryn Hinch as his first boss.
“Derryn took me to my first rock concerts, Bryan Ferry and Meatloaf. I was only about 16 at the time.”
Larkan was working in Canberra when he got the call from Network 10.
He made the move to Melbourne and has never looked back, getting married and having two children.
“I moved to Melbourne for the job. But now we are very established, we have family and friends. There is no going anywhere else, I love it.”
Work on the side as a sought-after marriage celebrant has also dried up as COVID-19 shuts down the city. Weddings were first restricted to just 10 visitors, but have since been cancelled.
“There are no weddings, and soon there will be no weather either,” Larkan said.
“I’ve gone from been very busy to next to nothing. It’s a little challenging in the house, my daughter is doing year 12, my son does year 11 and my wife works in travel and there is no work there.
“But that’s okay, a lot of people are worse off than us.”
Unlike his long running Sydney counterpart Tim Bailey who took time off immediately after receiving the Tuesday phone call, Larkan felt it was his duty to be there for his viewers. He leaves on September 14.
“The weather guy in Sydney didn’t take it so well. He was told on Tuesday and didn’t go back to work,” he said.
“When you get bad news it is hard to front up and be positive. I’m still enthusiastic about my job. Somebody has to do it, so it may as well be me.”
“I always try to find the best skies to show off.”
This week, there was something sad about the weatherman trying to show the sunny side of life no matter how bleak the forecast.