Ten questions for Rob McKnight

ROB McKnight talks about his cheekiest promo ever, and how he is faring in his new role as executive producer of Studio 10.

What was your upbringing like and when did you first consider a career in television?

I grew up in housing commission in Minto, NSW, (a suburb in the city of Campbelltown). It was essentially a whole suburb of housing commission townhouses all squeezed together. Originally, working-class families moved out there, enticed by cheaper rent, to build a life. After the ‘recession we had to have’ kids grew up only knowing a life of government handouts because there were no jobs and their parents were on the dole. Things got progressively worse from there. The area got so bad it became known as a “ghetto of disadvantage” and the government has since torn it all down and started again. The townhouse I lived in shared a wall with our neighbour and my bunk bed was right up against their wall. At night I would hear the father beating his wife and kids and I’d lie there in fear thinking his fist was going to come right through the wall and get me. It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, there was a real sense of community in our street. If someone was in trouble, everyone would help them out and every year there would be street parties on bonfire night. As kids, we were all comfortable running through the neighbour’s houses.

Even though I was part of this world, I always felt like an outsider. Television was an escape for me. I was the strange kid dressing up as Batman and always making up fantasy worlds. Something about television really connected with me, I was fascinated by it even at the age of 10. Not only was I fascinated with it, it helped me in so many ways by educating me.

Who were your television idols growing up and how did you see television when you were a kid?

I was (and still am) a big fan of Doctor Who. It was a great escape and there were great books on the making of the show. I ate them up, desperate to find out every detail about making television.

Did you ever think you’d get there?

No and it was very depressing. Here I was, this kid from Campbelltown with no contacts and the world of television seemed like a million miles away. I spent most of my time in high school making videos. In fact, the teachers would give me the keys to the school so my friends and I could go in on the weekends to shoot. At one point I even rang up the Department of Education, posing as a teacher, and got them to send out all their studio cameras, vision mixer and lights so we could make our own productions.

I was absolutely desperate to get into the business but I ended up failing Year 12. I got 15 per cent or less on the HSC as I was too busy making my videos. That was a really low point. I had this dream of wanting to get into TV and I really saw no way of making it happen. When you lose sight of your dreams, strange thoughts enter your head, silly thoughts really. You contemplate the whole meaning of life and whether it’s even worth taking part. During this time there was even one point where I contemplated joining the army. It was 1990 during the first invasion of Iraq and it was all playing out on TV. I was watching those pictures from CNN come through, which was absolutely amazing to watch at the time, and as I felt I had no future I seriously considered enlisting. Could you imagine? They would have eaten me alive! Thankfully, wiser heads stepped in and gave me some advice. I ended up moving out of home and repeating Year 12 and that gave me an opportunity to apply for a television course in Wagga at the Charles Sturt University.

You did work experience with Prime TV, is that right? Tell me about your first week there?

The university held interviews for anyone wanting to apply for internships with Prime TV. Of course I was eager. Problem was, I ended up telling the general manager, Terry Wilkins, everything he was doing wrong with his promos. My lecturer was furious but Terry decided to send me to Wollongong to spend some time in the promos department. So I did two weeks up there, sending feeds, lacing up 1-inch tapes and soaking it all up. I loved it. Of course, nothing in my life can go off without a hitch, so there was one little blunder where I bulk-erased an entire feed of promos. I’m surprised they let me back in the door, but they did. On my last day of second year, I received a call from the production manager, Bruce Gator, offering me a job as a promotions editor. I still had another year to go on the university course and I had a girlfriend, but I threw all that in for the opportunity of a lifetime.

How much did it mean to you to get that job? What were your other options?

Getting a job in TV meant the world to me. I was only on $23,000 and working in regional television but I was so happy. I pretty much lived at the station. I would stay back after my shift and just experiment. I’d cut clips, promos, news openers … trying to get anything extra to air. It started to happen and they’d often use the extra things I was making. It was such a thrill seeing my work on air.

Tell me about your time at Seven. What did you love and did you have your fair share of newsroom brawls?

Getting to work at a metro television network was absolute joy. I was lucky to be chosen to make the launch promos when Ian Ross joined the network and I had a strong focus on news. Eventually I decided to leave the world of promos and was offered a job in the newsroom. It was a disaster. I wasn’t ready for the politics and I was doing a job I hadn’t been trained for. Having said that, I learnt a lot during that short time in the newsroom and it’s helped me in my later career. But I was very unhappy at the time and finally went to Peter Meakin, thanked him for the opportunity, and asked to be let out of my contract. In true Meakin style he picked up the phone, called Dan Meenan and got me a job in production. He saved my career and I will always be thankful for that. That’s the great thing about Peter, he looks after people he thinks have something to offer. He’s the smartest man in the room and he’s forgot more about television than we’ll ever know.

You went into promos and killed it at Nine. What do you love about television promos?

People always underestimate the power of the promo. Promos are there to entice the viewer to watch. When I first arrived at Nine in December 2008 the network was struggling and the news service was in dire straits. My mission was to get viewers back to the 6pm news. Nine started making some very smart changes to the news and that gave me an opportunity to start taking the branding message in another direction. Every night I would sit in the newsroom watching Nine News and Seven News and I noticed that Seven would run stories Nine had aired days earlier. Seven were so far in front they didn’t care, they knew no one would notice. That’s when the idea of “See it first” started forming in my head. So I started recording Seven News until I had enough examples to make a promo. It was a pretty controversial idea; to actually show proof of Nine airing a story first and then how Seven News aired it days later. It meant showing Channel 7 footage on Nine. There were a few people absolutely opposed to the idea. I held the belief that you couldn’t just make a claim, you had to prove it to the audience and the only way to do that was to show the evidence. The day I made the promo there was a screaming match between myself and the head of promos who was absolutely against the idea. Eventually it got so heated David Gyngell had to make the decision. So I had to take my little promo up to his office for the verdict. As I was walking down that long corridor to Gynge’s office he yelled out “We’re not going to shit-can Seven” and I yelled back “No, but we are going to be proud of Nine”. So I popped the DVD in and waited as Gynge, Michael Healy and John Westacott watched. They loved it — thankfully! We put it to air and it certainly got people talking

I loved the fact Nine took that chance. I’m biased, but I still believe it was a great campaign and helped make positive noise about Nine News. In fact, Nine News started building and eventually took the ratings crown again. When you combine great content with a great promo, you can’t go wrong.

What have been some of your promo highlights — and most cheeky moments?

I think the cheekiest moment was when I was at Nine and we shot a Seven cameraman turning up to a news event that Nine was already at. We used that shot in the promo with the line “Seven News, late again”.

It’s all a bit of fun though, isn’t it?

Yes. We’re all passionate and we all fight hard, but there are great people across all networks and you can’t take it all too seriously. Ah, who am I kidding.

Do you consider yourself a divisive or controversial personality? Why do you think this is?

I’ve never considered myself like that, but I certainly do polarise people. I think there are people who don’t understand my passion for the industry and my dedication to winning. There are people who just want to come in and do the job and then go home. I’m not like that. I’m always thinking about the job (too much, if you ask my wife) and trying to come up with better ways of doing things. I’m a pretty straight shooter and people don’t like it when you call them out on something. I don’t moan behind someone’s back. If I’ve got a problem I’ll come and speak to you about it and some people don’t know how to deal with that.

From promos you started up Studio 10. How exciting and extraordinary and nerve-racking was launching your own morning show?

What must people have thought when they read a promo producer was going to be the executive producer of Ten’s new morning show? I’m sure there were a lot of people scratching their heads. But the thing is, I’ve been in the industry for 20 years and I’ve worked in production as well as promos. It was Adam Boland who gave me this opportunity and I will always be thankful for that.

I have a lot to prove as a first-time EP. First I had to deliver a great show and now I have to make it rate. I guess I was nervous but there wasn’t really time for that. I just wanted it to be good. The reaction has been very positive and the fact we build our audience while the other morning shows lose big audience numbers from their lead-ins tells me we’re on the right track. But we still have a long way to go.

In the midst of all of this, your daughter, Genevieve had heart surgery at the age of one. At the same time, your good friend and colleague, Adam Boland was extremely unwell and took time off work. How tough was this time for you and what did you do to get through it?

I’m still not sure how I got through all that. Building the show from scratch was such an amazing experience and a lot of fun. But at the same time I knew my one-year-old daughter was about to undergo heart surgery. In fact, her surgery happened the week before launch. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. Later, when people found out, they told me I have a good poker face. The thing is, I had to disconnect in a way. I had to go in to work and energise the team and get the show on the road. If I spent too much time thinking about Genevieve at work, it would cripple me and there were certainly times I needed to take some time out to compose myself. My wife is an amazing woman and I think we got through that time because of her. She was definitely the glue that held us together. But when Bolo fell ill, that took things to a whole new level. I stepped in to keep Wake Up going while still looking after my own show. It was a tough time with very little sleep. I know some of my team got a little worried when they received emails all through the night.

On the home front I was focused on my daughter’s recovery (she’s all OK now thankfully), while on the work front I was worried about my friend and trying to keep his vision alive. I was exhausted.

Is Studio 10 where you want it to be now?

Content, yes. Ratings, no.

Since the launch I’ve had the chance to tinker with a few things and the hosts have really found their voices. We’re firing on all cylinders. The feedback has been absolutely amazing and some of the interviews we’ve had would be right at home on prime-time current affairs. Tell me A Current Affair and 60 minutes wouldn’t have loved to have our world exclusive with Justin Lyons, the cameraman who was with Steve Irwin when he died. Our content is second to none and that’s why the other networks are worried about Studio 10 getting any traction. The numbers are already lifting and the fact we are picking up 20,000 or so viewers out of Wake Up tells you we’re on the right path. No other morning show does that. The traditional model for a morning show is to try and hold on to the audience form the breakfast program, whereas we actually increase the audience.

What are your goals for the show?

I want Studio 10 to keep evolving. I truly believe I have one of the best production teams in the business. This team can make anything happen and the ideas they bring to the table blow me away on a daily basis. I want to bring out their very best and let them take the next step in their careers. A great team makes a great show. We have a saying at Studio 10 — One team one dream, or #OTOD.

As an EP, you are very energetic and funny — you’re very much a part of the on-air team and vibe, cracking jokes in everyone’s ear while the show is live. Is this a unique style?

I’m very much from the Sunrise model. I had two great teachers in Adam Boland and David Walters. Line producing isn’t just about keeping time, it’s about creating an energy, helping the hosts and following the conversation. A daily joy for me is when I say a line in their earpiece and they like it enough to say it on air.

Do you have a close relationship with Jess, Sarah, Joe and Ita? What do you love about each of them?

Absolutely. We’ve all taken a giant leap together in making this show and they are as invested in it as much as me.

Ita is one of the hardest-working people you will ever meet. Every night she sends me an email with new ideas for the show, things we can do better and guests we can chase. She even offers to make the phone calls! Young people in the industry could learn a thing or two from Ita. She isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves and put in the hard yards. I respect and admire her and I’m grateful that when I really need her to do something she steps up without fuss.

Jess is the heart of the show. I have a strong relationship with Jess from our time on the short-lived show The Nightcap. We bonded during that time and then I worked very closely with her husband, Peter Overton, who is one of the nicest people I have ever met. I would do anything for those two.

Joe is the wildcard and one of the most genuine people you will ever meet. There’s so much going on in his head at any given moment it never ceases to amaze me what comes out of his mouth … and I mean that in a good way. Joe also loves a hug, surprisingly.

Sarah is a good mate and I’m thrilled she made the jump from Nine to Ten. When I first got to Ten I kept saying to Bolo we need to get Sarah Harris, in fact I was telling anyone who’d listen. It suddenly dawned on me one Sunday night that I’d better ask her what she thought of me bandying her name around. So I gave her a call and we had a big chat about my plans for the show and she showed a genuine interest. I think the timing was good for Sarah and I think she’s proven herself and shown what a great talent she really is.

Do you have a goal in life? Where would you like to be in 10 years?

My ultimate goal has always been to get into programming. I have no idea how the hell I could make that happen but then a year ago I had no idea how I would get to be an executive producer. My career has never followed a normal progression so I’ll just keep on fighting the good fight and see where it all takes me.

If you could launch any show, what would it be?

Studio 10 … and yes, I know how that sounds. But this is the show I’ve wanted to make for a long time. That isn’t to say I wouldn’t be interested in doing other shows down the track, but I’m so invested in this show. For the moment, I just want to focus on Studio 10 and get it to No 1.