Ben Fordham is the man who could save the endangered Today show from destruction
Despite big efforts to lure back viewers, Channel 9’s Today is on life support. But there’s a glimmer of hope for its survival in a familiar face.
Ratings for Channel 9’s besieged breakfast show have continued to collapse this year, despite a concerted effort to lure back viewers who’ve long deserted the flagship program.
The gap between Today and its untouchable rival Sunrise on Channel 7 has widened considerably and as the end of the ratings year nears, the pressure is now on.
Television industry observers believe the solution to Channel 9’s woes could be close to home in the form of a regular and reliable fill-in. And viewers seem to like him.
Ben Fordham has been occupying the temporarily vacant seat of newsreader Tom Steinfort, who’s on his honeymoon in Europe after marrying Claudia Jukic at a lavish ceremony in Croatia last week.
Social media chatter indicates those who still tune in to Today would like Fordham, host of radio 2GB’s drive program, to stick around permanently as part of the panel.
“Fordham has generated an immediate positive reaction from viewers,” notes Kevin Perry, news editor of industry site TV Blackbox.
“He possesses a schoolboy cheeky charm that has been so desperately missing since from the show since the departure of Karl Stefanovic. His energy levels appear to have lifted the spirits of the entire on-air team.”
It’s an energy that hasn’t been since on Today for some time.
Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight as co-hosts have failed to right the ship since the highly publicised and messy departure of Stefanovic at the end of 2018.
“He’s handling himself very well,” Fusion Strategy media analyst Steve Allen said of Fordham.
“He brings an energy and a spark. I think they should give him a shot at it. They could do a lot worse.”
A rejigged format, a more serious focus on news events, getting out into the community and a total overhaul of the presenting team haven’t delivered an uptick in ratings.
And pundits say network executives are likely to be concerned.
What’s do you think is needed to fix the Today show? Comment below
A NETWORK MAN
Fordham has been on the books at Channel 9 for a long time and is a respected figure among decision-makers.
In addition to his occasional fill-in roles on Today and Today Extra, he co-hosts the popular franchise Australian Ninja Warrior.
The charismatic presenter has worked in broadcast for more than two decades across radio and TV, and was a well-liked member of Today’s permanent hosting team for four years.
He left in 2014 to focus on his radio career and has become a stable star at 2GB, but continued his relationship with Channel 9.
“You don’t encounter many people who aren’t fans of Ben,” a network insider told news.com.au. “He’s a top bloke … a hard worker.”
Allen can see some similarities to Stefanovic at his best — a little bit larrikin and a little bit cheeky, but able to pivot to serious when needed.
“There’s a bit of that comparison, for sure,” Allen said, before adding, “Fordham doesn’t seem to bring any baggage with him though.”
Former long-time TV producer Robert McKnight, who helmed Studio 10 for several years and now hosts the podcast TV Blackbox, said Fordham was a natural leader.
“There’s no doubt Today needs a strong leader and Ben would certainly fit the bill,” McKnight said.
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For more than 20 years, he’s demonstrated his versatility — from award-winning news coverage to sports and panel presenting, through to talkback radio and landing headline-grabbing exclusives, he said.
“He can be a serious news man and he is good at those lighter moments.”
BEN COULD SAVE THE DAY
Fordham’s stand-in role while Steinfort is away came with minimal fanfare from Channel 9, which isn’t unusual.
With speculation mounting that the exercise could be a test to see how he lands, the network is unlikely to want any extra attention.
“They haven’t really thrown any publicity behind him filling in, but why would they?” Allen said.
“They’re saying they’re not testing so that’s not unusual. But what’s telling is that the ratings are slightly better since he’s been there. Imagine what they could do if they really backed him?”
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The positive viewer response and modest recovery in the ratings was the “first sign in a long time” that there’s hope for Today, he said.
For each day that Fordham was on air, the ratings saw modest but steady increases on both a five-city metropolitan and national viewer basis.
On Thursday, Today pulled in its best result for the week with 221,000 metro viewers and while that was still behind Sunrise’s 283,000 capital city result, it was markedly better than it has been for a while.
“He seems to bring with him a bit of confidence about who he is,” Allen said.
“Today needs a fresh face and a fresh feel without straying too far from its news focus, which is obviously where the corporate organisation wants it to be.
“One presumes they’re testing Fordham. He could loosen it up a bit. His style could easily make Sunrise look a bit formulaic and a bit stale over time.”
But the biggest stumbling block to Fordham joining the panel full-time could be him.
When it was rumoured last year that he was a frontrunner to replace Stefanovic, he came out to indicate he wasn’t interested in a permanent role.
“I’m not up for it. I’m not into it. I made that clear (to Channel 9) but there was never any indication from them that they wanted me anyway,” Fordham told Sky News.
“Waking up at that time in the morning for that period of time makes people crazy. I did it for four years and I had to say, ‘you know what, this is going to end up causing major problems for me, for my wife and kids’.”
Perry said it would be in Channel 9’s interests to negotiate a deal after the past week.
“The arrival of Ben Fordham has breathed a whole new life into the Today team,” Perry said.
“His razor-sharp quick wit and instinctive skill for spotting a news story make him an ideal host for the fast-paced world of breakfast television.”
Meanwhile, Fordham’s wife Jodie Speers is about to give birth to their third child, meaning an increasingly busy home life might not be conducive of 3am wake-up calls.
“That’s three hours of live TV a day, five days a week, 40 weeks a year. It’s a big job,” Allen said.
McKnight, who is well aware of the demands of morning television, agreed.
“That would be a big commitment with such a young family and breakfast TV can certainly devour any free time,” he said.
Fordham might also be unwilling to step away completely from his radio show given how well it’s doing but juggling both would a challenge.
THE PLAN HAS FAILED
Before he was abruptly dumped from the show he’d helmed for almost 14 years, Stefanovic had endured relentless media interest in his personal life.
The messy breakdown of his marriage, sudden appearance on the social circuit at fashion shows and boozy parties, and very public relationship with Jasmine Yarbrough began to overshadow his efforts on air.
And the frosty on-air dynamic with Gardner didn’t help matters. Ratings dived and Stefanovic was blamed.
Just before he was dumped while on his honeymoon, Today’s then-executive producer Mark Calvert left and Stefanovic’s brother Peter resigned from Weekend Today the week after, followed by his wife and Today newsreader Sylvia Jeffreys.
It was a total clearing of the deck with only Gardner surviving and the show’s new boss Steve Burling began plotting a reversal of fortunes in 2019.
Not long ago, before Lisa Wilkinson left and Stefanovic’s nightmare public relations run began, the gap between Today and Sunrise was incredibly tight.
Channel 9’s underdog even beat Channel 7’s top-performer on occasion and cemented itself as a real contender to snatch the breakfast TV crown.
Now, despite spending the year trying to lure back its base, the viewer gap between the two shows has become a gaping chasm. Sunrise can’t be beaten.
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“Today has made a lot of positive changes from when the revamped format launched this year but it will take something big to get viewers to come back and sample the show,” McKnight said. “Ben could be that something big.”
Whatever happens, he expects that something will have to give before the year is out.
“I’m still expecting changes in 2020, so my advice is to watch this space,” McKnight said.
A representative for Fordham didn’t not respond to a request for comment. Channel 9 also declined to be part of this story.
Do you think Ben Fordham should join the Today show permanently? Comment below
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