Longstanding Seven Sunrise host scales back role due to “gruelling schedule”
Fans were shocked as a major departure was announced from Seven’s hit breakfast show Sunrise.
Basil Zempilas has been with the network since 1994 but is set to “scale back” his current duties as the host of Weekend Sunrise.
According to TV Tonight, the Perth-based broadcaster will remain “part of the Sunrise inner circle” but is focusing more on his family due to the “gruelling schedule” which seems him travelling between Sydney and Perth every weekend.
Zempilas has a tough schedule at the moment, as he is flying to Sydney each weekend for Weekend Sunrise while presenting weeknight sports reports for Seven News in Perth.
He also has a top-rated breakfast radio show with Steve Mills on 6PReach weekday morning in Western Australia.
TV Tonight claimed that his “gruelling schedule” is most likely the reason for his revised workload for Seven.
The father of three has been co-hosting Weekend Sunrise since March 2018 but acknowledges that he would not have been able to host the show without the sacrifices made by his family.
“There's no doubt that [my wife] Amy and my family, the three kids have sacrificed a lot for my career, all of it I suppose,” he told The West Australian.
“All of my children have been born in the time that I have been travelling away interstate. I'm very aware had it not been for their support and flexibility I wouldn't be able to do the things that I'm doing.”
TV BlackBox reported that Sunrise is “on the hunt for a new host” as negotiations between Zempilas are continuing and the expectations are that he will still appear on the show, just as a more flexible guest presenter role instead of the co-host role he has now.
Zempilas will continue to play a key role in Seven’s coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Commitments are set to be scaled back before the end of 2019, but a replacement host for Weekend Sunrise is yet to be confirmed.