TV industry insiders wonder how Karl Stefanovic could not see that his Mexican wedding would bring his downfall
Karl Stefanovic told his bosses his Mexican wedding would be a turning point — that once he was married the sructiny would die down and he could move on. Television insiders are stunned the media-savvy star could be so naive.
Entertainment
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For a media-savvy star like Karl Stefanovic, TV industry insiders are stunned by his naivety in failing to see how a Mexican wedding circus wouldn’t equal a spectacular downfall.
“He was naive,” a source told the Herald Sun.
“He was telling his bosses that the wedding would be a turning point.
“He thought that once they were married the public scrutiny would die down and he would be able to move on.
“But the Nine bosses didn’t believe that and the wedding itself was a bit tone deaf. They (Nine) thought it was all over the top.
“One of the reasons the public loved Karl was because he was meant to be a knockabout bloke who people could relate to.”
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But Stefanovic’s over-the-top wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough in Cabo San Lucas was said to be the final straw for Nine management, who pulled the pin on its highly paid star.
Among the celebrities said to have knocked back invitations was James Packer, who was meant to be one of the groomsmen.
The axing comes as Nine seeks to turn around the ailing fortunes of its breakfast show, which had been hitting decade lows in recent months.
However, other insiders say it’s not only the Stefanovic-Yarbrough nuptials in the spotlight.
Sources say another well-publicised merger — between Nine and Fairfax — also sparked Stefanovic’s axing.
Industry sources have labelled the decision to cull Stefanovic “a diversionary tactic” to distract from what is really going on at the beleaguered network.
“Karl is collateral damage here in what is a much bigger picture,” said one executive at Nine, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution.
“It is the calm before the storm. This merger is proving to be more challenging than we perhaps expected. A lot more jobs are going to be lost. This is only the beginning.”
Stefanovic and his brother Peter — who was sacked this week — are just the first major scalps, with hundreds more jobs on the line as the reality of the Nine and Fairfax merger hits home.
At the centre of the issue is the huge pay disparity between the company’s television and print arms and management scrambling to bring the two businesses together.
“Managing your people, managing them and their careers, it is so public in the media and people know these names and faces so you have to get it right,” one agent said.
“But it is absolute chaos in there. It is an attention diverter before the broom goes through.”
But others say the writing has been on the wall for months.
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Stefanovic’s image took a hit during his last contract talks when reports emerged that he was sick of Today and wanted to replace Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair.
Lisa Wilkinson’s shock switch to Ten also hurt the show.
Wilkinson wished Stefanovic all the best on Twitter, saying “when it was good, it was great”.
The infamous Ubergate affair, in which Stefanovic and brother Peter dissed a range of Nine people including Today co-host Georgie Gardner, was another black mark.
“This is a move which had to happen,” media analyst Steve Allen said. “Today has to reboot to have any chance to rebuild its audience. Unfortunately Karl, through his actions, has alienated many in the community.”
Peter was shown the door by Nine a day ago. Nine sources say it wasn’t because of Ubergate.
Instead, management concluded Peter — who had been co-hosting Weekend Today — was never going to rise to the top.
Sylvia Jeffreys is set to depart Today for different reasons. Nine bosses regard Jeffreys as a “star of the future” and are shaping a new prime-time show for the 32-year-old.
For Nine, the bottom line has been that Today has fallen to record low ratings and needs a complete overhaul.
A fortnight ago Mark Calvert stepped down as Today’s executive producer and was replaced by A Current Affair boss Steven Burling.
The futures of Gardner, entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins, sports presenter Tim Gilbert and weather presenter Natalia Cooper are up in the air.
“An announcement on the new line-up and format of the Today show will be made in the coming weeks,” Darren Wick, Nine’s director of news and current affairs, said.
Stefanovic will continue to host This Time Next Year for Nine. The second season of the reality show will resume filming in February.
In a statement, Stefanovic said he was hoping to do other projects for Nine as well. Time will tell whether that is a wishful thinking.
“I look forward to seeing you in another capacity at this great network soon,” he said.
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