Wilkinson’s outing as Nine goes ballistic

Lisa Wilkinson’s exit sours relations between Nine and her high-profile manager as tensions surface with her new Ten colleagues.

Lisa Wilkinson ducks behind her Audi coupe yesterday. Picture: Diimex

Lisa Wilkinson spent her second day of freedom from breakfast television dodging paparazzi and visiting her local bottleshop, as an angry bust-up between the TV star’s agent Nick Fordham and Nine soured relations between the network and its main point of contact for high-profile stars.

The well-known celebrity agent — who also represents his brother Ben Fordham, the host of Nine’s hit show Australian Ninja Warrior, and potential Wilkinson replacement on Today Sylvia ­Jeffreys — has denied claims he or his client leaked details of her ­salary talks with Nine to the press, sparking the breakdown of negotiations and her defection to Ten.

Mr Fordham dismissed as “complete bullshit” any suggestion that he or Wilkinson was the source of a column that appeared in The Sunday Telegraph at the weekend claiming that Nine’s talks had stalled with Australia’s “most loved yet undervalued ­personality”, and criticising the disparity of her pay with that of co-host Karl Stefanovic.

The hard-bargaining agent has some of the nation’s best-known media personalities on his books, and provides Nine with on-air talent including cricket commentators Mark Taylor and Ian Chappell, news reporter Julie Snook and news presenter and NRL commentator Wally Lewis.

So incensed was he by the suggestion that he copied in Nine’s public relations boss in his ­response to emailed questions from The Australian, after venting his fury over the phone at the damaging suggestions.

“No” was the blunt response given by Mr Fordham, when asked if he or Wilkinson had any involvement.

He said negotiations had broken down because his client and Nine were simply “unable to reach an agreement”.

It is understood Wilkinson ­rejected an offer to increase her $1.1m salary to $1.8m, which fell short of the $2.3m package she had demanded.

Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly, Wilkinson’s new colleagues on Ten’s The Project, welcomed the journalist on air on Tuesday night, but behind the scenes it was said to be a different story.

Both stars, who are said to be on about $500,000 a year, were triumphant as they spoke of Wilkinson’s decision to switch allegiances. “Nine’s loss is our gain here at Network Ten,” Bickmore said on air. “An incredible woman — smart, funny, down to earth. We couldn’t be more excited.”

Aly said: “That is great. I have always really loved Lisa and it is nice to be able to contractually say it now.”

But Bickmore is said to have reacted angrily ­after failing to learn of Wilkinson’s hiring before it was made public.

Wilkinson uses her time away from television to pay a visit to the local bottle shop. Picture: Dimex

Wilkinson’s departure delivered a ratings boost to the Today show on Tuesday as viewers tuned in to catch Karl Stefanovic’s reaction to the news and see who would be sitting on the sofa, which turned out to be Nine colleague Deborah Knight.

The morning show attracted an audience of 301,000 metropolitan viewers, up from 274,000 on Monday and last week’s average of 254,000.

Relations between Nine and Wilkinson had degenerated over The Sunday Telegraph article, which Nine sources accused Wilkinson or her agent of planting. “Clearly some people are writing on behalf of the Lisa camp,” a Nine source said.

The article was one factor in the decision by Nine Entertainment’s chief executive, Hugh Marks, to withdraw the network’s offer.

“It probably didn’t help. He wasn’t throwing in the towel by any stretch,” the source said.

But other sources pin the source of the story from within Nine. Times had changed in the TV industry, a source said. “Huge pay packets for everybody and signing talent even if you don’t have jobs for them, that’s been gone a long time. Either you roll with that or you don’t.”

Talks involving Wilkinson, Mr Fordham, Mr Marks and current affairs boss Darren Wick were terminated by Nine the day after the article appeared.

Wilkinson, 57, announced her decision to leave Today on Twitter on Monday night, tweeting a statement from Nine revealing that contract negotiations had broken down after six months.

Wilkinson walked away after 10 years at Today, having demanded that Mr Marks “close the gender pay gap” between her and Stefanovic.