‘Like the ’80s’: Seven’s ‘sexy Santa’ dancers leave staff scratching their heads

Staff at Seven’s Perth office are waiting on a response from the media company after some walked out of a town hall meeting on Friday during a performance by four women dressed as “sexy Santas” to Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas.

A screen capture from a live stream of the event shows four women with linked arms, dancing in front of Seven’s Perth news director, Ray Kuka, standing at a lectern addressing staff.

7News Perth news director Ray Kuka addresses staff behind four women dressed up as “sexy Santas”.Credit: AFR

The appropriateness of the performance was raised with management, this masthead was told, however no official complaints were filed.

The image, first published by The Australian Financial Review, has raised more questions about the culture at Seven, which has been the subject of intense scrutiny this year over the behaviour of its senior talent and executives.

While running through the network’s numbers and ratings, with Seven’s billionaire controlling shareholder Kerry Stokes also present, Kuka prompted staff to support the coming Alinta Energy Christmas Pageant, set to air on Seven in December.

Several women walked out of the address, returning to their respective offices, one staffer at the town hall said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“It’s the contrast. Four men talking about business, then four women come in, dolled up and scantily clad. What is the role of women at this company?”

It is understood the dancers were organised by Seven’s events team. The company had not addressed staff in relation to the event as of Monday afternoon.

During the meeting, Seven West Media’s WA chief executive, Maryna Fewster, told staff that the editor of digital title The Nightly, Sarah-Jane Tasker, had been appointed as The West Australian’s first female editor.

Former editor-in-chief of The Australian Chris Dore’s role as the permanent editor-in-chief of The West was also confirmed at the meeting. Dore left News Corp in late 2022 after making lewd comments towards a woman at a company event in California. 

The staffer said the performance was inappropriate, considering the context and timing at such a key moment in the masthead’s history. “It felt like the ’80s,” they said.

Seven has engaged in a cultural and leadership reset since revelations of Seven Network employees’ attempts to secure an exclusive interview with Bruce Lehrmann were made public earlier this year.

The efforts included a company card being used to pay for sex workers costing upwards of $10,000, cocaine, and a $361 Tomahawk steak.

New chief executive Jeff Howard told staff ahead of a Four Corners expose on the company earlier this month it had already dismissed “a number of people who have displayed behaviour not reflective of [Seven West Media’s] values”.

Seven has also endured an executive exodus this year, with chief executive James Warburton stepping down, alongside commercial director and legal “fixer” Bruce McWilliam, director of news and current affairs Craig McPherson, chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette, chief marketer Melissa Hopkins, and head of sport Lewis Martin.

Seven was contacted for comment.

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