Reports of TV blow-up greatly exaggerated

Australian Spartan may have flopped but it did produce a great item of TV gossip. Pity it’s not true.

As an item of TV gossip, it is irresistible. And everyone is talking about Seven director of programming Angus Ross and his blazing row with Seven West Media chief executive Tim Worner over the botched launch of Australian Spartan, which tanked and prompted Ross to storm off to Noosa for a week. Pity it is not true, says the man in question. Ross tells Diary with a laugh: “I don’t have that sort of relationship with Tim Worner. I was in Noosa but it was a holiday my wife insisted I go on because we hadn’t had a holiday in about three years.” Nice idea, but the reality turned out quite differently. “It wasn’t much of a holiday when those week-two Spartan figures came out. Also, I injured my back while I was up in Noosa and Jetstar lost our bags. They didn’t turn up until the second day. Not fun when you have a small child.”

A work in progress

But there is more. Seven doubled down, filming two series of Spartan, which survived for only two nights before it was pulled from the schedule. It will reappear at Easter, during a non-ratings ­period when Seven will try to build its audience. But what to do with season two, which is already in the can? Ross is already clear on one point: “We wouldn’t put it up against Married at First Sight.”

Newsman departs

More changes at Sky News. Rob Raschke, executive editor of Sky News Australia, has left the network. Chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos told staff in a note last week he had accepted Raschke’s resignation. Police charged Raschke, 52, last month with ­assault following an incident at his home. Raschke, a Walkley Award winner and former news director of Seven Network, then consented to an apprehended violence order and pleaded guilty to the charge of assault. Meanwhile, the network is giving Herald Sun columnist Rita Panahi a 4pm program titled The Friday Show.

Rapid promotion

James Chessell’s speedy elevation last week from national editor to group executive editor left some Fairfax journos “stunned and shocked”. As Diary tipped, Australian Metro Publishing boss Chris Janz was going to want to reduce his 16 direct reports at some point. But who will replace Chessell? It looks like his old job will be advertised, which means an outsider might walk through the door.

Look Marr, no appendix

David Marr has had his appendix out. Just FYI.

Kids’ TV under review

Last year Diary accused Communications Minister Mitch Fifield’s office of being a Bermuda Triangle when it came to actually doing anything about the multitude of reviews, reports and appointments it was tasked with acting on. Our list was long but the jab certainly shook away the stupor as news of the appointment of Bulent Hass Dellal to chair SBS leaked out that very day — to Fairfax! Diary is certain things will move much more swiftly with the Australian and Children’s Screen Content ­Review, which sailed into the Triangle in December. Diary expects the government will respond to it by offering to reduce the output-based quotas that govern how many hours of drama, children’s and preschool programs must screen on commercial free-to-air television. At the same time, tax offsets to fund local productions are expected to be increased and/or broadened. The theory being that the audience will demand more episodes of Offspring and The Wiggles anyway, and if networks and production companies can share in a bit of financial relief in making and buying them, then everyone’s a winner.

Hutchy’s challenge

Good times and bad times for Craig Hutchison’s Crocmedia content company. On Thursday shareholders gave a big tick to the proposal to merge Crocmedia with Pacific Star. This means Hutchy, who has worked at the Herald Sun, Seven and Nine in his time, will run the merged entity, which ­includes the SEN sport radio station. Crocmedia already holds AFL rights and distributes footy content to other stations. The bad times came on Tuesday when radio ratings were released and SEN fell 0.5 percentage points, not the world’s greatest drop but it ­reduced SEN’s share from 3.2 to 2.7, which is just ahead of ABC Radio National. And this at a time when high-profile broadcaster Gerard Whateley moved from ABC to SEN, described in Melbourne media as a “stunning leap of faith”. Ratings in his slot, partly covering his arrival, fell 1.3 points from 4.4 to 3.1 per cent. Hutchy can’t be too glum about the tanking ratings. In his new gig his take-home salary is $883,752.

Guardian deputy goes

A changing of the guard at Guardian Australia. Will Woodward, the site’s deputy editor for three years who is said to hold the whole show together, is heading back to Britain to rejoin the mothership as head of sport, which sounds like his dream job. As is his wife, Claire Phipps, senior live blogger, who becomes digital editor. Guardian Australia’s editor is Lenore Taylor, and Diary (who once worked at The Guardian in Britain) was wondering if this departure would mean the local operation would have two Aussies at the editorial helm for the first time since launch in 2013, instead of the traditional Brit/Aussie combo. Answer: no. Another Brit, David Munk, international news editor for Asia ­Pacific and already based in Sydney, is taking over as deputy in April. “Will and Claire have both done fantastic work during their time in Australia and we’re sorry the time has come for them to return to the UK. The deputy editor position was open to internal ­applications and David Munk was an outstanding candidate,” Taylor says. Guardian Australia chief executive Ian McClelland is heading to a London role as managing director of corporate development. Guardian US chief executive Evelyn Webster will run the Australian operation, but is searching for a managing director.

Aussies to the fore

A stellar night for antipodeans at the British Press Awards last week. Pilita Clark, formerly of the Sydney Morning Herald and currently with The Financial Times, was named environment journalist of the year, and The Sunday Times reporter Richard Kerbaj, formerly of The Australian, shared the scoop of the year. Clark won the award for a magazine feature on the state of renewable energy while Kerbaj’s scoop reported that police had found pornographic material on one of the computers of then deputy prime minister Damian Green. Clark has won the award three times, putting her ahead of fellow Australians Phillip Knightley, Clive James and Peter Harvey, but still some distance behind John Pilger, who has won about half a dozen. Clark is unlikely to catch him. She has been promoted to associate editor and now writes a weekly column.

ABC in hire mode

The ABC is continuing its hiring spree in the wake of axing Lateline and diverting the funds into journalism. The national broadcaster is hiring Guardian Australia’s ­Michael Slezak as its environment reporter, and also Brisbane reporter Josh Robertson. And Michaela Boland, who left The Australian last year, started at Aunty last week as national arts, culture and entertainment ­reporter. She’s not at the ABC, but Lydia Bilton is now an associate digital producer on Nine’s 60 Minutes, a great result for the recipient of the 2017 Jacoby-Walkley Scholarship. Entries are open for this year’s scholarship, ­funded by media executive Anita Jacoby. It includes a 10-week job placement at Nine. Check the Walkleys ­website.

Rush date

Tomorrow is a big day in the legal ­action Geoffrey Rush has taken against Sydney’s Daily Telegraph. As this newspaper reported, the Telegraph’s amended defence documents, which were at one point suppressed, include allegations Rush inappropriately touched Eryn Jean Norvill while they were on stage in a Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear. Rush strenuously ­denies the allegations. The newspaper’s particulars of qualified privilege claim Norvill complained to the STC that Rush “had touched her genitals during the production of King Lear without her consent’’. Rush denies this claim and the actor said it had not been raised with him by the complainant or the STC. Federal Court judge Michael Wigney will ­deliver judgment on the interlocutory application from Rush’s lawyers. Meaning, whether he will strike out parts of the Telegraph’s defence.