Staff jailed, show fails, stars under fire: Nine’s ‘challenging’ year

TARA Brown jailed. Sonia Kruger’s Muslim immigration comments. Karl Stefanovic’s marriage breakdown: it’s been a bad year for Nine’s big stars.

TARA Brown thrown into a Lebanese jail accused of kidnapping, Sonia Kruger under fire for supporting a ban on Muslim immigration and Karl Stefanovic’s marriage breakdown: it’s been a doozy of a year for Channel Nine and some of its biggest talents.

And after losing another year in the ratings to Channel 7, media commentators agree Nine will be breathing a sigh of relief the “annus horribilis” is drawing to a close.

Even Nine chief executive Hugh Marks conceded it was a “challenging year” - and that was back in August.

His frank assessment came as he released Nine’s full year financial results. By then, Nine had weathered the ratings failures of Australia’s Got Talent, Reno Rumble and The Briefcase and become embroiled in a botched child kidnapping attempt in Beirut.

That incident saw Brown and three other Nine employees jailed, as well as Brisbane mother Sally Faulkner, and cost Nine millions in legal bills.

Privately, it’s understood network chiefs are looking forward to a nation switching off, and turning the page on a string of early 2016 on-air failures and the scandals which rocked some of its much-loved talents.

It comes as Today presenter Lisa Wilkinson admitted she is fully prepared to be cut from her prime hosting gig given the fickle nature of the industry.

“I come in every day thinking, ‘Any day now someone is going to pat me on the shoulder and say, ‘Okay, you’ve had enough fun now, time to pass the baton to the next one’,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

“Fortunately it hasn’t happened and for as long as (this job) lasts I’m going to make the most of it. There is no better job in television.”

TV commentator and TV Tonight editor David Knox said: “It’s been a lousy year for Nine, both on screen and off, and one it will be glad to see the back of.”

“From it’s terrible first quarter with tired brands Australia’s Got Talent and Farmer Wants a Wife, veering to Reno Rumble, sideswiping The Briefcase and crashing into the calamity that was 60 Minutes,” he said.

Mediaweek editor James Manning agrees Nine will be “glad to see the end of the year”.

“But these days the media cycle moves so quickly that the media and the audience move on quickly as news events and hit TV programs change,” he said.

They point to Nine’s better ratings post-August as high points after a dreadful start to the year.

Nine’s talent dramas began with a rumble in February, with revelations long-time mates and AFL Footy Show stalwarts Billy Brownless and Gary Lyon’s friendship had broken down after Lyon’s affair with Brownless’ ex-wife.

The fallout saw Lyon exit the show and receive treatment for depression, an emotional Brownless return and Rebeeca Maddern added to the hosting panel.

Tara Brown and then-60 Minutes producer Stephen Rice arrive back in Sydney after their release from a Lebanese jail. Picture: AFP

60 MINUTES BECOMES THE STORY

On the back of the poor ratings start, Nine’s year hit crisis mode in April when current affairs flagship 60 Minutes hit the headlines, for all the wrong reasons.

Many said 60 Minutes’ brand had been badly tarnished because of the infamous failed child snatch scandal.

An internal review saw producer Stephen Rice sacked and other 60 Minutes staffers and Nine executives censured. Nine boss Marks was scathing in his assessment.

It wasn’t enough for some, who still wanted blood, with Brown becoming the face of the scandal and bearing the brunt of the public backlash.

There were a number of trigger points for the criticism: child recovery expert Adam Whittington left in jail as the Nine team toasted their release with champagne; Brown’s insistence they were reporters “just doing their jobs”; and the feeling 60 Minutes had crossed the line by financing the recovery among them.

As the year ends, the feared ratings dip hasn’t happened for 60 Minutes, and Nine has recruited the popular Peter Stefanovic to boost its reporting stocks when it returns in 2017.

Sonia Kruger speaks about her Muslim commentary in July. Picture: Today Extra

SONIA SOURS

In July, Today Extra host Sonia Kruger sparked furore for comments that Muslim immigration to Australia should be banned because she wanted to feel “safe”.

“Personally, I would like to see it (Muslim immigration) stop now for Australia,” she said, during a Today show panel chat.

“I want to feel safe, as all of our citizens do when they go out to celebrate Australia Day, and I’d like to see freedom of speech.”

An avalanche of criticism followed, with Kruger defending her comments. She acknowledged on-air the following day the comments may have been “extreme” and she had “complete respect for people of all races, and religions”.

Major sponsors distanced themselves from her, with Kruger going to ground and staying away from social media accounts. She re-emerged for her The Voice commitments as the debate died down.

The breakdown of Karl Stefanovic’s marriage prompted Nine to say ‘enough’ and lawyer up in the face of ‘endless fabrications’. Picture: Today

KARL A CASUALTY

As the ratings year neared its end, Nine was celebrating the Today show’s continued success against breakfast TV rival Sunrise.

But the argument over who won the breakfast TV ratings for 2016 almost ended in court before a last minute settlement.

Even then both sides claimed a victory, with hosts from rival networks tweeting about the success.

BREAKING: Channel 7 drops its court case & now concedes Today Show has won the official OZTAM breakfast show ratings for 2016. #casedropped

— Lisa Wilkinson (@Lisa_Wilkinson) October 27, 2016

Great news; @channel9 concedes @sunriseon7 is Australia's number 1 breakfast show. And settles case. Thanks for saving us court costs 😂

— Samantha Armytage (@sam_armytage) October 27, 2016

“Like two bald men fighting over a comb,” was the comment which summed the spat up best.

And it proved a sideshow with revelations Today host and Nine’s highest-paid talent, Karl Stefanovic’s marriage was on the rocks.

The news broke in September, but continued to be weekly fodder for tabloid magazines as the story which refused to die.

As the rumours and dirty laundry continued to make headlines, Nine finally had enough, and at the end of last month, lawyered up to protect its number one talent.

“Nine has instructed Mark O’Brien, one of Australia’s most experienced media and defamation lawyers, to act on Karl and Nine’s behalf in this matter and take the necessary steps to defend his reputation against the endless fabrications,” Nine news boss Darren Wick said.

BRING ON 2017

With Stefanovic and other major talents now off on holidays, 60 Minutes finished for the year, and the official ratings season done and dusted, Nine can close the book on 2016.

Knox and Manning agree there were are bright spots to 2016, albeit “few and far between” primarily in the way its ratings recovered post-August.

“(Positives were) Here Come the Habibs, The Voice, Doctor Doctor, Rebecca Maddern as an absolute star for The Footy Show and The Block which at least brought it home with a wet sail,” Knox says.

Manning says Nine’s wise heads will continue to steady the ship.

“People who don’t panic are important to have around and Nine has its share of those. Veterans ... realise that audiences do forgive and forget. It is hard to quantify brand damage, but this year we have seen some good ratings recover for 60 Minutes after it looked at one stage to be a question mark over its future.”

Nine will now benefit from viewers turning the page of a calendar year, and capitalise on the hype around new shows including Australian Ninja Warrior, already a barnstorming format success overseas.

It just has to get through Carols by Candlelight unscathed.