ABC board prepares to receive shortlist of candidates for managing director’s job
There have been significant developments in the hunt for a new ABC managing director.
There have been significant developments in the hunt for the new ABC managing director.
Diary understands the ABC’s rock-star chair, Ita Buttrose, has taken charge of the board’s selection committee that will choose the public broadcaster’s next MD.
We hear headhunter Spencer Stuart’s extended shortlist of up to nine candidates will finally be presented to Buttrose and the ABC board tomorrow — but needs to be whittled down to two or three names.
Already, Diary has been told of some high-profile dropouts.
For one, State Library of Victoria boss Kate Torney, the ABC’s former news director, is a shock omission.
We’re informed Torney did show some interest in the job, but would only have done it in Melbourne. Once told the role had to be Sydney-based, Torney ruled herself out of contention.
While Torney is out, Diary hears ex-SMH editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir has made the extended shortlist. But Goodsir’s fellow SMH alumnus, Peter Fray, has not.
Former SBS boss and now Telstra group executive Michael Ebeid apparently told Stuart he is not applying. Ebeid is jockeying to replace besieged Telstra CEO Andy Penn if he departs.
Current acting ABC MD David Anderson remains the warm favourite. Word is his relationship with his new chair is already strong.
The board’s job tomorrow will be to forensically examine the remaining CVs and choose the best few. Expect a final decision on the successful candidate next month, coincidentally around the time of the federal election.
Hanson sees red on Sunrise
Relations between Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and Australia’s dominant TV breakfast show, Sunrise, are at an all-time low.
Diary can reveal that in recent days, an angry One Nation camp has informed senior Seven executives that “significant damage” has been caused to the once cosy 15-year relationship. Hanson remains furious about her grilling by David Koch on Sunrise three weeks ago, days after the Christchurch mosque shootings.
The falling out is unprecedented: Seven had been Hanson’s TV outlet of choice ever since she was runner-up on the very first Dancing With the Stars, all the way back in 2004.
But 10 days ago, Hanson gave Seven a very public two-fingered salute. She granted an exclusive TV interview after the explosive al-Jazeera hidden camera documentary on One Nation not to Kochie, but Deb Knight of Nine’s Today show: a clear snub to Sunrise.
Unfortunately for Nine, Hanson’s “up yours” to Kochie didn’t help Today’s ratings. As they have for much of 2019, the breakfast show’s figures remained stubbornly below the 200,000 mark in the five capital cities on the day Hanson appeared, in yet another routine thrashing by Sunrise.
Days later, Hanson put Koch on top of a “shit-list” that featured some very high-profile media and political figures, including Scott Morrison, Bill Shorten and Rupert Murdoch.
The cold war between Hanson and Sunrise had its genesis in the heated March 18 panel discussion between Koch, Hanson and fellow senator Derryn Hinch, which subsequently went viral.
During the discussion, Koch and Hinch both repeatedly cross-examined Hanson on her anti-Muslim views, and even about whether she was “empowering” white supremacists. Hanson and her supporters responded by claiming she felt “bullied”, dubbed her treatment by Sunrise an “ambush”, and unveiled her list.
But Koch returned fire once more last week, telling Diary he felt “privileged” to be atop the Hanson list.
It will be fascinating to see if the escalating hostilities end for mutual benefit, once the federal election campaign heats up.
Meal brakes
Diary can also reveal the Hanson/Kochie impasse has privately caused collateral damage. And no, we’re not talking about Hanson’s emergency hospital visit for an appendix removal last week.
Until last month, Hanson’s association with Sunrise had financially benefited a local branch of Meals on Wheels in the Moreton Bay area, north of Brisbane — which she has told confidantes makes a “real difference” to the branch.
Each time Hanson appeared on Sunrise, a Meals on Wheels donation was made in lieu of an appearance fee.
But with Seven/Hanson relations now non-existent, so are the charity payments.
Diary hears Sunrise has now shelved its popular regular Monday morning segment that had featured Hanson and Hinch, called The Senators.
With the Sunrise segment “resting”, Hinch, like Hanson, has gone on a breakfast show walkabout.
Last Monday, at the same time that in previous weeks he had jousted with Hanson on Sunrise, Hinch turned up on Today for an interview.
Unfortunately, Hinch’s appearance did even less for Today’s ratings than that of Hanson, with just 183,000 viewers that day, leaving poor Today languishing in the same ratings ballpark as ABC Kids.
Bishop coup
Nine has landed its biggest coup for next month’s election night.
Diary can reveal former foreign minister Julie Bishop will spend the very last night of her two-decade political career on Nine’s election panel.
Interestingly, we are told Nine political editor Chris Uhlmann — with whom Bishop has a strong relationship — was the man who talked her across the line. He held direct discussions over several weeks to land her, and helped to ward off interest from rival networks.
Uhlmann’s involvement in the talks continues a long tradition of Nine political editors luring politicians to become election night talent. His predecessor, Laurie Oakes, also used his influence to land some of the biggest names in politics for the Nine panel.
Unfortunately for Bishop, this time around she won’t be able to partner up with her good friend Karl Stefanovic (whose infamous Mexican wedding she attended). Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson anchored Nine’s coverage during the cliffhanger Malcolm Turnbull election win in 2016. But Wilkinson has since defected to Ten’s The Project, while Stefanovic remains Australian TV’s costliest reserve.
Stefanovic’s absence ultimately did not prove an obstacle to luring Bishop. Meanwhile, Diary now understands that Nine’s Sydney newsreader, Peter Overton, and Today co-host Deb Knight will host the coverage, while deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek and fellow Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese will also be part of the panel.
The last piece in the election night puzzle is Nine’s own chairman, and Australia’s longest-serving treasurer, Peter Costello.
Diary hears Costello will also be dissecting the election results on the high-powered panel. But with his superb budgeting skills, will the chairman be keeping a close eye on Nine’s election night spending as well?
Macquarie mayhem
It has certainly been a busy few weeks for Macquarie Media CEO Adam Lang. In just the latest of several notes to Macquarie staff, Lang revealed he had appointed an unnamed external consultant to manage the fallout from last week’s 7.30 story about bullying claims against 2GB morning host Ray Hadley.
But when Diary reached him last week, Lang was tight-lipped about specifics. “We’re not giving away the consultant’s contact details to the general public,” he told us. “We’re giving it to former staff who are uncomfortable with approaching us directly.”
The “consultant” is apparently an HR firm acting as an “independent arbitrator”. Lang said the firm was proactively approaching “anyone who made complaints known on social media”. On media reports last week that official complaints had been made to Macquarie since the 7.30 story, Lang said: “We’re not going to talk about any complaints that have been made.”
Some ex-Macquarie staff who made bullying claims on social media, including Hadley’s ex-panel operator Chris Bowen, have now been directly approached by the arbitrator. Bowen was one of three ex-2GB staffers interviewed in the 7.30 story last week, along with ABC rugby league caller Andrew Moore and ex-2GB staffer Jesse Perez. All have also made comments on social media.
But Macquarie’s controlling shareholder, Nine, is staying right out of the matter, despite getting involved in other matters at the radio network in recent weeks, such as pushing for a new contract for Alan Jones.
When Diary called last week, Nine CEO Hugh Marks offered a firm “no comment”.
Jones talks
Meanwhile, Lang is continuing to conduct negotiations over Jones’s future at the network.
The Jones talks seemed to once again be slowed by last week’s evolving Hadley stories.
While Nine has made it clear that it wants Jones to stay, at least some of the talks in recent days appeared to focus on the length of contract Macquarie is willing to offer.
Jones wants a minimum two-year deal worth a total of $9 million including bonuses over the period, to see him through to his 80th birthday. But will Macquarie give him that long?
Word is that no papers have been sent yet, but a final offer is close.
Worth a punt
While Jones is still awaiting that multi-million-dollar final offer from 2GB, he was topping up his financial coffers in other ways on Saturday at Derby Day of The Championships at Sydney’s Randwick racecourse.
Diary hears the 2GB breakfast king was in fine tipping form at the ATC’s main VIP ballroom function.
His first bet, a successful $50 quinella on the second race at Randwick, paid out a whopping $4770. A further $100 place bet in the third also proved successful, winning him another $600 and taking his winnings well past the $5000 mark.
Sounds like if the Macquarie contract somehow fell through, Jones could start a new career as a professional punter.
Barnaby’s time
Seven is in a forgiving mood towards our former deputy PM, Barnaby Joyce.
Diary can reveal Seven executives have accepted Joyce’s unconditional apology in this column last week for his world-class dummy spit in its Martin Place green room during the network’s NSW election coverage.
Perhaps with its upcoming federal election coverage in mind, a high-level Seven executive says: “Barnaby is welcome back anytime.” And now Diary hears the incident, dubbed “Green Room-gate” (in which we learnt he used some very blue language indeed to demand the identity of the person who had scheduled him for just 10 minutes on the election coverage) may have been one big misunderstanding.
Insiders have told Diary Joyce was always meant to be on Seven’s main panel for two hours.
However, he flew off the handle when he caught sight of a timetable listing his initial appearance on a secondary panel — before anyone had a chance to tell him about his full schedule for the night. Meanwhile, Joyce has since taken steps to ensure everyone knows that his family’s Saturday Seven Sydney sojourn (say that five times fast!) from Armidale was above board.
He used the parliamentary benefits register to declare the payment of the return flights to Sydney of partner Vikki Campion and their son Sebastian as a “donation” from Seven.
A day’s work
Kendall Jenner — who at $US22.5 million ($31.6m) a year, is the world’s highest-paid supermodel — reportedly earned a whopping $500,000 payday from Tiffany & Co, just for a whirlwind 24-hour trip to Sydney last Thursday.
But some unkind media types reckon Tiffany’s got a poor bang for Jenner’s big bucks during its Sydney flagship store launch.
The luxury jewellery brand’s big Australian media win was the supermodel’s red carpet free-to-air TV exclusive with Studio 10’s celebrity correspondent, Angela Bishop.
But why did Jenner, who — like her half-sister, Kim Kardashian — attracts millions of Instagram “likes” for every selfie she posts, give up a precious few minutes of her expensive time for an interview on a Ten show that routinely attracts just 50,000 or so viewers a day?
Apparently it was down to media feuds.
Diary has learnt the Jenner/Kardashian clan had long memories about personal questions they’ve faced in years past from various shows on top-rating Nine and Seven — so Studio 10 it was.
Blokesworld
After watching the Studio 10 interview, one question nagged at Diary: did Jenner’s minders impose any restrictions on Angela Bishop’s interview with the supermodel last Thursday?
For this, Diary has gone to Bishop direct.
She admits Jenner’s minders initially told her she only had “time for three questions”, with the added proviso: “We request you keep your questions to the (Tiffany’s) event.”
Happily, Bishop’s rebellious spirit stood up to those pesky minders. She notes proudly she “got a couple more questions in”.
One Bishop zinger in her interrogation of Jenner even avoided mentioning Tiffany’s altogether, although her Aussie lingo left the supermodel confused.
“Our blokes … they’re pretty good, aren’t they?” Bishop grilled her.
Jenner’s priceless reply? “Does that mean, like, guys?”
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