Poison, pay cuts and the plan to sack Jessica Rowe

THE chief executive of Channel Nine, Eddie McGuire, flanked by his long-term friend and new deputy, Jeffrey Browne, summoned the network's head of news and current affairs, Mark Llewellyn, to his office on the afternoon of May 31.

As Llewellyn tells it, the conversation quickly turned to the future of the Today presenter Jessica Rowe. "What are we going to do about Jessica?" McGuire asked.

"When should we bone her? I reckon it should be next week."

Llewellyn told McGuire that he risked also losing Rowe's husband, the Nine reporter Peter Overton.

McGuire said: "Well, maybe we have to take that risk."

Browne cut to the chase: "She's a laughing stock and if we keep her on air we will be the laughing stock."

This is one man's version of events, which was finally made public yesterday after Nine gave up its fight to prevent publication of the affidavit in NSW.

Nine said last night it "strongly refutes much of the affidavit's contents, which it rejects as little more than a series of unsubstantiated allegations".

But Llewellyn, who jumped ship to Seven last week after his bungled demotion at Nine, is standing by his account. He describes a venomous workplace of warring factions, where senior executives strived to ruin each other and the new boss, McGuire, might halve your salary with one hand and raise the other in a salute of blood brotherhood.

Llewellyn was hand-picked in November by an old Packer loyalist, Sam Chisholm, to head Nine's news and current affairs.

But Chisholm was gone in February, warning Llewellyn on departure: "Your life is going to be a nightmare. You are going to have to watch your back."

Judging by the affidavit, at least, it was sound advice, but it would not save Llewellyn from a demotion and a $350,000 pay cut four months later.

It was just after the discussion about Rowe in May that Browne and McGuire broke the news to Llewellyn. His affidavit details the following exchange.

McGuire: "Now let's talk about you."

Browne: "This is not going to be a pleasant conversation but you've got to know that you're a gun, a real talent."

McGuire: "Absolutely."

Browne: "We've got big plans for you at the network and Eddie and I think you are one of the real talents at Nine. This is, therefore, a difficult chat, because there is a shit sandwich you're going to be asked to swallow. We want to cut your pay to $400,000 and we want you to consider taking on one of two new positions."

The position they had in mind was a supporting role to the new head of news and current affairs, the former Bulletin editor Garry Linnell. McGuire, also president of Collingwood, used his best football analogies to convince Llewellyn it was a good deal.

"Look me in the eye because I'm going to give it to you straight. I don't know whether Linnell will be better or worse but I think you are being played out of position. I regard you as a mate and hopefully a friend and I want you to be part of my team ... It's like a footy team. If you're on my team you'll be looked after for life. We'll be blood brothers."

Brown and McGuire assured him he was not the only one taking a pay cut. They referred to the 60 Minutes executive producer John Westacott, who was asked to "take a massive haircut".

High on Llewellyn's list of claims in the court document was editorial interference from the head of Nine's parent company, Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, John Alexander.

He was spoken to by Alexander in an uncomfortable conversation recorded on January 18, an hour after Llewellyn sacked Sunday's executive producer, John Lyons, who was brought into the network by Alexander, a decision that was ultimately reversed.

"Did Sam tell you to do this?" Alexander asked.

"You need to be careful here, very careful. Think about your answers. Think very carefully about what you do and say because I tell you Sam is not going to be around for long. I'm telling you that now, James [Packer] likes him but Sam's time is over. You need to protect your own backside so be very careful about what you say to me," Alexander said. A month later Chisholm stepped aside and McGuire was the boss.

Chisholm was not the only one who told Llewellyn to take notes. Nine's corporate counsel, Stuart Thomas, advised him to "make a personal note of the conversation with Alexander for your own protection."