Channel 7 tried to poach Fox Footy, SEN presenter Gerard Whateley
Channel 7 had plans for an extensive makeover of its AFL coverage for 2020 with new presenters and a new show — and leading man Gerard Whateley at the top of the wish list.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An untimely change of management sunk an audacious Channel 7 plan to lure Fox Footy’s Gerard Whateley.
It’s understood talks were well down the track for Whateley to secure his “dream” job with Seven, which would have involved covering Australia’s summer of cricket, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and AFL.
With legendary broadcaster Bruce McAvaney scaling down his commitments, the versatile Whateley was seen as a perfect fit for the network.
All of these top secret negotiations were happening midway through the year with the blessing of Channel 7 CEO Tim Worner.
But everything changed in August when Worner resigned abruptly.
Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >
He was quickly replaced by James Warburton, a former Channel 7 executive who had moved to the Ten Network.
His arrival signalled a major cost-cutting overhaul of the business and unfortunately the Whateley plan got caught up in the slashing.
Channel 7 was planning an extensive makeover of its AFL coverage and had its sights set on creating a show similar to AFL360 on Fox which Whateley hosts alongside the Herald Sun’s Mark Robinson.
MORE NEWS:
Mark Robinson names his top 50 players after the 2019 AFL season
St Kilda deal to get Fremantle's Brad Hill effectively done
Melbourne set to have two top-10 picks in this year’s draft after risky swap with North Melbourne
St Kilda aims for finals in 2020 after landing five trade targets
Former Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd, a central figure in Channel 9’s AFL coverage, is believed to have also been sounded out by Seven.
Lloyd is a panellist on Footy Classified and also the popular Sunday Footy Show.
Whateley is understood to be now negotiating with Fox Footy about a new deal. He is also coming out of contract at SEN, where he hosts the morning show.