Jul 14
Piers Morgan, the British tabloid editor and television presenter, is reportedly on the verge of signing with CNN as Larry King‘s replacement, following a breakthrough in negotiations with Morgan’s current American network, NBC.
Speculation over a CNN switch for Morgan began in June, and intensified after King announced that he would be quitting his eponymous talk show Larry King Live later this year. Morgan has a high profile in the United States through his role as a judge on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, but previously spent several years as a journalist and editor at News of the World and the Daily Mirror in Britain.
Under the terms of Morgan’s current contract, NBC holds the exclusive rights to his work in American television. But according to The New York Times, ongoing talks between CNN’s owner Turner Broadcasting and NBC’s parent company NBC Universal have now led to a deal which could formally be agreed upon within days.
The agreement – if put into practice – would likely result in CNN and NBC sharing access to Morgan, with America’s Got Talent commitments gaining priority should any scheduling conflicts arise. The Times said that Turner had been expected to make some form of concession to NBC so that it could initiate formal negotiations with Morgan over a contract, although it is not known what that might entail.
Revival attempt
When rumours of an approach to Morgan emerged last month, CNN denied being “close” to signing a replacement for Larry King, but did not rule out being interested in obtaining Morgan’s signature.
Two weeks later, King announced that Larry King Live would come to a close, and that the departure had been his own decision. He will remain at CNN in the future, “hosting several Larry King specials on major national and international subjects”.
The departure of Larry King signalled the second major change to CNN’s evening line-up this year, as the network searches for a way to boost its flagging fortunes. Campbell Brown announced in May that she would be quitting the struggling news network due to poor ratings; she will be replaced by a “round-table” discussion programme hosted by the former New York governor Eliot Spitzer and the conservative columnist Kathleen Parker.
King’s iconic programme has itself suffered from a significant ratings decline, attracting dismal ratings in the first half of this year. Its results for the second quarter were its worst ever, averaging 674,000 viewers – a far cry from the 2.083 million watching Fox News‘ Hannity at the same time.
Media Spy discussion: CNN
Cyril Washbrook July 14th 2010
Jun 16
CNN has sought to hose down rumours that it is trying to replace its long-time talk show host Larry King with Piers Morgan, the tabloid journalist and television presenter.
Reports surfaced last week that the struggling cable broadcaster was negotiating with Morgan, who maintains a high public profile as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and NBC‘s America’s Got Talent, as a means of addressing plummeting ratings in its evening line-up.
But a CNN spokeperson yesterday dismissed the reports, saying that there were no plans to bump King, the host of Larry King Live.
“Not surprisingly, there is no shortage of people who would love to succeed Larry King if and when he moves on, but rumors that we are close to signing a deal for a Larry King replacement are untrue.
“We are currently looking at replacing our 8pm program and that is our priority. Larry is a beloved member of the team, and he will continue to be part of the CNN family into the future.”
Campbell Brown currently anchors an eponymous programme at 8pm, but will leave when CNN can find a replacement for the slot. She announced last month that she would be leaving the network, owing in large part to poor ratings. CNN has not ruled out the possibility of Morgan being signed to replace Brown.
But some newspapers in Britain and the US have continued to insist that Morgan will replace King, claiming that he is on the verge of signing a deal worth as much as $US15 million ($A17 million) over three years. Morgan himself has remained coy about the speculation, but hinted that a deal of some sort could be imminent.
“I can’t actually talk about that yet, but there’s a few things going on in America which I’m sure we’ll know more about in a while,” he said.
Larry King Live debuted in 1985 and has been a long-standing fixture in the 9pm slot. But the show has seen its ratings nosedive, along with the fortunes of the once-powerful news network. The first quarter of 2010 was the worst for Larry King Live on record, dropping 43 per cent year on year.
Morgan made his name as the editor of two of Britain’s biggest tabloids, News of the World and the Daily Mirror. In addition to his television appearances on Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent, he was also won the seventh series of NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice.
Media Spy discussion: CNN
Cyril Washbrook June 16th 2010
Dec 13
The 2009 Media Spy Awards have revealed that Channel Nine has officially lost us – with almost a clean sweep in all negative categories.
Their downfall was lead by Nine News, crowned Worst News Bulletin – and their coverage of the Asylum Seekers, handing Nine the award for Worst News Event Coverage. Grant Hackett and Richard Wilkins didn’t help Nine’s cause, named Worst Presenter and Worst Journalist respectively. Nine’s graphics department wasn’t left out of the firing line – the network was named and shamed for the Worst On-Air Presentation and Most Disappointing Re-Launch.
In contrast to Nine, Network Ten came out the big winners in 2009 with winners all over the place. MasterChef was named Best Reality Series, and became a talking point at Media Spy – the finale was named 2009′s Best Event. Ten News at 5 has taken the title for Best News Bulletin, Melbourne’s Mal Walden crowned Best Presenter. The 7PM Project has also scored a win – coming out on top for Best Current Affairs Program. Ten was serious about comedy in 2009, with Shaun Micallef and Judith Lucy both taking out Best Male & Female Personalities and Good News Week named Best Comedy Series. Ten’s only let down at the awards went to The Spearman Experiment, which was rightly-so named Worst TV Show All Round.
Hamish Blake lead the charge for the Best Radio Station – the Today Network; He won Best Male Radio Personality, and his show Hamish and Andy won Best Radio Show. Fifi Box was named Best Female Radio Personality.
The Black Saturday Bushfires were named just what they were – the Worst Event – with news coverage by all networks on Black Saturday recognised as the Best News Event Coverage.
On the forum front, it was all things Mike Retter – winning Most Memorable Member, Mandatory Political Award to the MS Leftist, Forum Whore, and Forum Nutbag. His hissy fits over Media Spy’s relaunch didn’t go unnoticed, it was awarded Funniest Event, and Mike Retter’s baby name was named Weirdest Thread. He fell short by just one vote for Most Obsessive Member – that went to Reuder 7 and his obsession with Channel Seven.
Media Spy’s Mawk Member of the Year for 2009 – has been awarded to TGIF.
On behalf of the Moderation & Admin team here at Media Spy, thanks for another great year, and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2010.
For the full list of Winners, and discussion, Click Here
n1ck (Guest Reporter) December 13th 2009
Dec 11
US network ABC has confirmed the worst-kept secret in American television, announcing that political journalist George Stephanopoulos would be the new anchor of its breakfast programme Good Morning America.
Stephanopoulos, currently the network’s Chief Washington Correspondent and the host of the Sunday morning political show This Week, will co-host GMA alongside current anchor Robin Roberts. Stephanopoulos replaces Diane Sawyer on GMA from next week; Sawyer is set to begin her tenure as the newly appointed presenter of ABC’s flagship evening news bulletin World News on 21 December.
In a statement released today, Stephanopoulos said that he was looking forward to the experience of hosting GMA.
“I can’t wait to join Good Morning America‘s amazing team, and serve its loyal viewers. No one can replace Diane Sawyer, but I’ll do everything I can to match her unquenchable curiosity and intense commitment to informing the country every morning. What an adventure.”
Stephanopoulos will continue hosting This Week until a replacement is named, and admitted that he would miss his current jobs at the network. In the lead-up to the announcement, sources at ABC said that the former political consultant had sought assurances that he would not be required to handle too many “lighter segments” on GMA.
But Stephanopoulos told The New York Times that the issue “was not as much a point of discussion as has been reported”, adding that the president of ABC News David Westin was already considering changes to the way that the programme was run.
In an email to staff, Westin said that he was confident that Stephanopoulos could bring a new dimension.
“Robin and George are the right pair to lead our effort. As we’ve seen over time, Robin brings a warmth and intelligence to the morning that no one can match. Hers is a practical curiosity that brings the viewers’ questions to the fore.
“George complements Robin’s strengths with a deep knowledge of and commitment to news about the nation and the world. George is a formidable interviewer who brings the viewer a deeper understanding of the great issues of the day through his conversations with experts and newsmakers.”
Before entering the media, Stephanopoulos made his name as a political adviser to Bill Clinton during the 1992 presidential campaign, before being elevated to the position of White House communications director under the Clinton Administration. Joining ABC in 1997, he sought to reinvent his role in the political debate, establishing himself as a respected commentator and Washington correspondent.
It has been widely reported over the last fortnight that Stephanopoulos had been offered the job, and the American website Politico reported yesterday that it had confirmation of Stephanopoulos’ imminent appointment.
Media Spy discussion: ABC News
Cyril Washbrook December 11th 2009
Oct 13
Former Biggest Loser presenter and author Ajay Rochester appears to have thrown a Twitter tantrum, threatening to take legal action against Woman’s Day over a story published on Monday.
The story claims that Rochester is planning “a raft of cosmetic procedures” worth as much as $30,000 in order to remove excess skin following her own weight loss. It is accompanied by unflattering photos of Rochester from earlier this year.
Rochester hit back on Twitter at around 2am today, posting the message: “Shame on you Woman’s Day! Photo’s are 7 months old and u didn’t have permisson to use! Shame Shame Shame!” She followed that up with six more angry “tweets”, including:
“Hey Phil Koch [entertainment editor of Woman's Day] – better get a lawyer son, better get a reaaaal good one! You had every op to do this with respect, integrity and honesty.”
[...]
“Had many things said about me in the last year – mostly untrue twisted by people intent on hurting me. But this is THE WORST. No respect.”
It’s not the first time that Rochester has used Twitter as an outlet for anger. When Ten announced that Rochester would no longer be appearing on The Biggest Loser, she stated:
“Laughing at Ten’s attempt to beat me to the punch! Booked my ticket aaaggggges ago … everyone knew I wanted to go … whatever!! See ya!!!”
It has been a difficult year for Rochester, who escaped a conviction for welfare fraud in January. She was given a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to charges of taking a single parent payment while knowingly ineligible.
UPDATE | In further developments today:
- Woman’s Day is standing by its story, accusing Rochester of making misleading statements. Editor Fiona Connolly said that the basis for the article came from information supplied by Rochester and her agent, and that the photos used were taken with her permission.
- Rochester has deleted the two “tweets” quoted by TSR which threatened legal action against Woman’s Day and described the publication as “intent on hurting me”. The five others made this morning remain published on her feed.
See the partially redacted list of “tweets” at Rochester’s Twitter feed, and discuss them on our forums.
Cyril Washbrook October 13th 2009
Sep 03
- ABC Television has purchased a modern day adaption of the Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde tale, called Jekyll from BBC Worldwide. The Hartswood Films production will star James Nesbitt in the title role, who will also have the added twist of being married…something his alter-ego doesn’t know about. ABC has also purchased two BBC-PBS co-productions, The Ruby In The Smoke and The Shadow in the North.
- Meanwhile, Tim Brooke-Hunt has been appointed as the executive head of children’s television at the ABC. His credits include Yakkity Yak, Li’l Horrors and Bad Hair Rae.
- Rumours surround who will be in Seven‘s next series of Dancing With The Stars, with the latest names added to the list including former McLeod’s Daughters star Bridie Carter, Sunrise sports presenter Mark Beretta, wife of Australian television legend Bert Newton, Patti Newton, and former Olympic swimmer Michael Klim. So far, Seven have only confirmed one name, that being Jessica Rowe. An announcement is expected next week.
- Rumours surrounding a new news and current affairs show on Seven presented by Jana Wendt, with Chris Reason and Adrian Brown reporting and former 60 Minutes executive producer Gerald Stone heading up the show have been quashed by the network.
- Nine will launch a new RPA-style program, this time looking at the work of the Royal Flying Doctors Service, called RFDS. One of the show’s “stars”, German-born doc Dr. Kai Kursatz, was so mesmerized by the Nine drama The Flying Doctors, that he decided to join the service. The show is so popular in his home country, German public broadcaster ZDF is looking for international production partners to produce a RFDS-themed drama in the Australian outbreak.
- The History Channel will mark five years since the Bali bombings in 2002 with the Australian premiere of the telemovie Long Road To Heaven, starring Raelee Hill and John O’Hare. The movie airs on October 12 at 8.30pm.
-Â Liza Minnelli‘s ex-husband David Gest will be out in Australia in December to launch I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! on UKTV.
- British production company Chorion are working on a TV sequel of Enid Blyton‘s iconic The Famous Five book series. The sequel would follow the five in adulthood solving mysteries. There have been many adaptations, including a 26 episode series produced by former ITV company Southern Television in 1978, which aired on the ABC.
- Turning to radio, and the staff at the Australian Radio Network are still reeling at the departure of two senior executives, Jeremy Millar and Tim McDermott, last week. A new group program director is to be announced, and is said to be causing a stir in media circles. This follows parent company APN News and Media‘s recent profit announcement, the lowest in five years. One of the first tasks will be to improve the performance of the Mix breakfast shows in Sydney and Melbourne, amongst some of the worst in their markets.
- Meanwhile, things can only go from bad to worse at WS FM when someone reveals what radio station is being played in the office…and it’s not your own. A courier told a feedback line that they were listening to Vega in the WS FM office. The station shared the recording with listeners throughout the day.
- One of the potential candidates for the morning shift at 2UE, to be vacated by John Laws at the end of the year, Tim Webster, is under pressure to prove he’s the one to take on the role permanently. 2UE executives want more mongrel and less nice guy out of Webster to show he can take on Lawsy’s role in 2008.
- Finally, respected television journalist Jacqueline Lee Lewes will write her final column for the Daily Telegraph this week, as she retires after a journalistic career spanning four decades.
Lepatron September 3rd 2007
Aug 17
Television producer and host Andrew Denton has had talks with Sydney radio station 2UE about the possibility of taking over the station’s morning shift after the retirement of broadcasting icon John Laws later this year.
Denton has made known plans to return to radio following a successful stint on Triple M in the ’90s, but following recent discussions with 2UE executives Simon Ruhfus and Greg Byrnes has reportedly knocked back taking over Laws’ shift.
Other potential suitors for the timeslot have included 2UE breakfast co-host Mike Carlton and Network Ten presenter Tim Webster who regularly fills in for Laws.
One thing is certain, though – whoever replaces Laws will not get the $6 million salary that the radio veteran was taking home, according to Ruhfus:
“We will be getting someone excellent to fill the shoes of Lawsie but we won’t be paying anywhere near the money. Absolutely not. Nowhere near it,”
“They were quite extraordinary and exceptional circumstances with John and that money is just not on offer anymore – let’s say times have changed dramatically.”
John Laws is expected to present his final program, ending a career that has lasted over fifty years, on 30 November.
In the meantime, however, Laws is facing new outrage over comments made on his program this morning attacking Chinese drivers. In an on-air conversation with ‘Helen’ regarding her not paying tolls on the Sydney cross-city tunnel, Laws launched his attack when the listener said she was from China:
“I understand that Chinese drivers are probably the worst drivers on the face of the earth,”
“You probably fall into that category, along with the rest of them.”
Laws has admitted that his comments may attract complaints. If any complaint is made to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), they may investigate whether Laws’ comments were ”likely to incite or perpetuate hatred against or vilify any person on the basis of ethnicity”.
Source: news.com.au, news.com.au
MediaSpy discussion: Southern Cross Radio
n1ck (Guest Reporter) August 17th 2007
May 04
The Ten Network has copped the brunt of the TV viewing public’s anger with flagship programs Big Brother and Australian Idol receiving the top gongs in the 2007 TV Fugly Awards. Big Brother won the Worst TV Show award, while Idol judge Kyle Sandilands and BB host Gretel Killeen winning the worst TV personalities in their genders.
The Nine Network didn’t escape the viewer’s ire, with rugby league commentator Phil Gould voted the most biased sports commentator, and Bert Newton the most overexposed TV personality, dubbed “The Eddie” after his boss, Eddie McGuire.
The ABC won some of the more favourable awards, with Spicks and Specks stars Myf Warhurst and Adam Hills voted most spankable and spunkiest TV personalities respectively. The Chaser’s War on Everything was named most under acknowledged TV show, while Adam Hills was also voted most under acknowledged TV personality. 7.30 Report presenter Kerry O’Brien was voted the journo with the most gravitas.
Scrubs was voted the show most messed around by an Australian network, while viewers “honoured” former Today Tonight presenter Naomi Robson, voting her “tribute” to Steve Irwin her worst incident of the year. And the most popular new sport people want to see on TV? The Birdman Rally.
MediaSpy users can discuss these results and the results of other comps in the 2007 TV Fugly Awards thread.
The Spy Report May 4th 2007
Mar 26
A university professor has labelled 2GB‘s top-rating breakfast show hosted by Alan Jones as one of the worst talkback shows in the country.
Professor Graeme Turner, director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland, has released the findings of his three year project into Australia’s talkback radio programs at a lecture titled The Good, Bad and Ugly of Australian Talkback at a lecture at the University of Sydney last week.
Turner studied transcripts of shows presented by Jones, 2UE‘s John Laws, 3AW‘s Neil Mitchell and the ABC‘s Australia Talks Back, as well as others during the three year period. He rates Mitchell’s show on 3AW as “good”, citing he has an journalistic news agenda, rather than a commercial agenda, highlighted by Mitchell’s refusal to read live ads.
Presenters labelled as “bad” included Laws, 5AA‘s Bob Francis and 2GB‘s Ray Hadley. Turner says “The biggest concern about shock jocks is that they behave as if they know what they are talking about when they don’t”. Jones’ show was the only one labelled as “ugly” in the report, with Turner defining the category as those seeking to exploit personal power in order to build authority and influence with little regard to social consequences.
Source: The Guide – Sydney Morning Herald. The full report can be found online at the University of Queensland‘s website. MediaSpy users can discuss issues like this in the Radio and Print forum.
The Spy Report March 26th 2007