Ex-Studio 10 boss Rob McKnight apologises for calling revamped show ‘a piece of sh*t’
The man who created Studio 10 and ran it for four years has apologised after describing the new look show as “a piece of sh*t”.
The man who created Studio 10 has apologised after calling the revamped show “a piece of sh*t”.
Rob McKnight ran the Channel 10 morning show from its inception in 2013 until 2017.
He now runs industry site TV Blackbox and hosts a weekly podcast.
McKnight did not hold back on this week’s podcast when discussing the new-look Studio 10 which launched on Monday with Sarah Harris and Tristan MacManus as co-hosts.
“It was lazy, boring television,” he said on the TV Blackbox podcast which was recorded on Monday. “It was embarrassing.
“I swear to god, I wish they had renamed the show because as far as I’m concerned Studio 10 is dead and that was just horrible what I saw today.”
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The TV Blackbox podcast co-hosts suggested to McKnight that it wasn’t fair to judge the show on its first day, but the former executive producer seemed doubtful things would improve.
“A piece of sh*t, no matter how much you roll it in glitter, is still a piece of sh*t,” he said. “I’m sorry, it was woeful.”
McKnight said the issue with the show was not Harris or MacManus, but rather the content.
“Content-wise, the only things they’re allowing them to talk about is viral videos, crocheted hats and Tristan’s parents,” he said. “They’ve decided they don’t want to talk about actual news, that’s fine, that’s a creative choice they’ve made, but they’re relying on two people to sit on a couch for four hours to chat and there’s nothing to chat about.”
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McKnight has since apologised for his comments on the podcast, writing on the TV Blackbox site: “In the cold light of day, I look back at those remarks and I have regrets.
“It’s one thing for me to disagree with the changes to Studio 10, but it’s another to pour scorn on the people working hard behind the scenes to deliver four hours of television,” he wrote.
“You know you’ve gone too far when people you respect reach out to you to let you know.”
McKnight issued a public apology and said he would refrain from commenting on the show in future.
“To all those people who work their arses off each and every day – I am sorry,” he wrote. “I’ve always thought I should be able to comment about Studio 10 as part of my job being a media commentator, but the simple fact is I can never comment without bias … from now on I will leave the commentary to others.”
Studio 10 airs weekdays from 8am-midday on Channel 10