9 replies to this topic

[The Big Walbowski]

Well, I'm not really surprised by that. What say the rest of you?

[bugz]

I personally don't think it is that big of a loss. She is going to stay on as a consultant so her experience is not totally lost, and there are many other, dare I say it, younger and fresher people who would jump at the oppourtunity.

She knew there wasn't a lot of money to go around, why she waited this long is a little strange.

Edited by bugz, 10 March 2006 - 07:24 PM.

[modecko]

This was a 90% budget cut and no matter what spin Eddie tries to put on it, like she's still consulting, Levy is a huge loss, and how can any entity do it's job with a 90% cut. 10-20% I could understand but that's ridiculous and is really asking Nine to become a second rate network.

Edited by modecko, 10 March 2006 - 07:44 PM.

[bugz]

This was a 90%   budget cut and no matter what spin Eddie tries to put on it, like she's still consulting, Levy is a huge loss, and how can any entity do it's job with a 90% cut. 10-2-% I could understand but that's ridiculous and is really asking Nine to become a second rate network.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Terry Tv doesn't know what he is talking about.

No offence but the guy has one big chip on his shoulder.

[Sharpy]

Bugz is I recall correctly you said Sandra was a legend of Australian TV and would be bringing Nine back to the top!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeh so do I and now to say she is no big loss :flamed:

Edited by Sharpy, 10 March 2006 - 08:43 PM.

[modecko]

Move to Aunty mooted for ex-Nine chief

By John Lehmann

March 11, 2006

JAMES Packer's struggling Nine Network suffered another hit yesterday when drama and development chief Sandra Levy resigned only five months after being appointed.
The surprise move leaves newly installed chief executive Eddie McGuire searching for an executive to lead the creation of popular shows at a time when Nine is losing viewers and advertising revenue to Kerry Stokes's Seven Network.

Ms Levy's resignation sparked speculation she plans to mount a campaign to return to the ABC as its new managing director, although she maintains to friends she is not interested.

Ms Levy, 58, left her post as ABC TV director to take up a $500,000-a-year job at Nine after being hired by acting chief Sam Chisholm in September.

Earlier this week, she told Mr McGuire, who took over from Mr Chisholm last month, that her foray into commercial television was "not working out".

Sources said she was unhappy with cuts to the drama budget and with having to fix holes in Nine's programming schedule.

Mr McGuire convinced her to stay on as a consultant in charge of three specific projects. Ms Levy could not be contacted.

Nine is set to lose the first four weeks of the ratings season and its earnings for the first half of the 2005-06 financial year were overtaken by Seven for the first time. So far this year, Nine's audience has fallen an alarming 5 per cent, while Seven's has increased by 4 per cent.

A programming shake-up is expected at Nine, with Mr McGuire to move Melbourne-based Cos Cardone, who recently produced the controversial Allan Border Medal presentation, into a senior position in Sydney within weeks.

The very fact that Eddie went out of his way to convince Levy to stay on as a consultant (wonder for how much?) demonstrates how important Nine thinks she is. If she was "no great loss" they would have just let her go, slamming the door on her way out. That they left the door ajar and she is still welcome says a lot.

[bugz]

Of course they need her, she would have probably been the one who organised the new Australian Drama.

[Jimmy James]

Just quietly maybe they should be recruiting someone new (this goes for all the nets) to head drama rather than all these washed up ABC hacks who only know how to spend money rather than make it!