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“We’re now in a death spiral”: Complete collapse of Channel Ten predicted

The future of Network Ten is in jeopardy, as the broadcaster continues to face dwindling ratings nationwide, while also juggling a turbulent ownership battle at its American parent company Paramount. <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/media/network-10-is-in-total-turmoil-and-may-not-survive-as-australias-third-commercial-broadcaster/news-story/8834f836947d5f4ca478c9b88db9e47f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to a report by news.com.au</a>, the existence of the Network is in "total turmoil", after high profile shows such as The Masked Singer and The Bachelor have both been axed, leaving many wondering how long the broadcaster can stay afloat. Queensland University of Technology Professor Amanda Lotz, who leads the Transforming Media Industries research program, told the outlet that it’s unlikely Australia will still have three free-to-air commercial networks in the near future. “I would suspect by the end of the decade that we will have two commercial broadcasters,” Prof Lotz said. “It’s just math. We’re now in a death spiral. And eventually, it might be that we just have one.” QUT Professor Anna Potter, an expert in digital media and cultural studies, agreed that the landscape for commercial TV in Australia is now so stretched that television businesses are dangerously unviable. “I think there’s a big question too about whether Australia can support three television (commercial) broadcasters – and I’m not sure we can,” Prof Potter said. A major part of Ten's toppling has been the ongoing defamation suit against the network, launched against Bruce Lehrmann. While Ten successfully defended the suit, they hardly came out unscathed as the Federal Court criticised its handling of various matters related to the broadcast of The Project’s explosive interview with Brittany Higgins in 2021. Daily headlines about the court case overshadowed many popular programs, many of which failed to deliver a significant ratings recovery. As the network has consistently lost viewers over the past years, nationwide ratings have continuously put Network 10 behind its other commercial competitors, making parent company Paramount doubt how viable the business can be long term. Media analyst and Pearman director of strategy and research Steve Allen said, “A new owner of Paramount Global is unlikely to see Ten as an asset worth retaining because the business is in serious turmoil.” “There’s no programming momentum and they haven’t found a really solid anchor for prime time, their revenue looks steady but they can’t seem to significantly reduce overheads, and now there’s upheaval in terms of their US ownership." “Network 10 is in a real pickle and I don’t see a way out for them.” Image credits: Ten

Student wrongly named as Bondi killer sues Seven Network

A 20-year-old university student who was wrongly named as the Bondi Junction killer has made moves to sue the Seven Network for defamation. As the terrifying rampage at the eastern suburbs Westfield unfolded on Saturday which resulted in the deaths of six people, Ben Cohen was named by the Seven Network as the knife-wielding man. Mr Cohen’s name was wrongly linked to the attack by Sunrise co-host Matt Shirvington shortly after 6am on Sunday and again by journalist Lucy McLeod just 10 minutes later. It wasn't until hours later that Seven identified the right man, Joel Cauchi, as the killer as journalist Sarah Jane Bell issued an on-air apology to Mr Cohen during the evening news bulletin. “Earlier this morning, reports of the incident incorrectly named the perpetrator as 40-year-old Benjamin Cohen,” she said on air. “It was later confirmed that the name of the 40-year-old is Joel Cauchi from Queensland. Seven apologises for any distress caused by our earlier reports.” Mr Cohen is still reeling from the incident, saying he has been targeted by online trolls on social media ever since he was wrongly named by the network. His name was one of the most trending topics on X in Australia the day of the mass stabbing, with many people quick to point out Mr Cohen's Jewish identity, claiming the stabbings were an act of violence in support of the war in Israel against Palestine. The university student has taken the first steps in launching legal action against the network, engaging with two of Australia’s foremost defamation lawyers in Patrick George of Giles George as his solicitor, and Sue Chrysanthou SC as barrister. Mr George confirmed he had sent a concerns notice to Seven, the first step in defamation proceedings. “We await a response from Seven,” Mr George told NCA NewsWire. Mr Cohen told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/student-wrongly-named-as-westfield-bondi-junction-killer-moves-to-sue-seven/news-story/f4c67b123e19cbf3d5a6a6bf39708ea8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a> earlier this week that he had been inundated with friend requests and messages on social media after being named by Seven, with the unwanted attention taking a toll on his mental health. “It’s just gone crazy, it’s like ‘look, you’ve got the wrong guy’,” Mr Cohen, a first year computer science student, told news.com.au. “People don’t really think too hard about what they’re posting and how it might affect someone. It’s very dangerous how people could just make stuff up and destroy people’s lives.” Image credits: news.com.au

Legal

Judge finds Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins and dismisses Network 10 defamation case. How did it play out?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brendan-clift-715691">Brendan Clift</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Bruce Lehrmann has lost his defamation suit against Channel Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson after the media defendants proved, on the balance of probabilities, that Lehrmann raped his colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019. After a trial lasting around a month, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee – an experienced defamation judge – concluded that both Lehrmann and Higgins had credibility issues, but ultimately <a href="https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2024/2024fca0369">he was persuaded</a> that Lehrmann raped Higgins, as she’d alleged and he’d denied. <h2>Criminal trials by proxy</h2> Ordinarily, charges like rape would be resolved through the criminal courts, but Lehrmann’s criminal trial was <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-27/jury-discharged-in-trial-of-bruce-lehrmann-brittany-higgins/101583486">aborted</a> in October 2022 after juror misconduct. The charges against him were soon <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/bruce-lehrmann-sexual-assault-charge-dropped-dpp-confirms/news-story/3f82dd388d2cfa38680f7d4f4ceb1c5e">dropped</a>, nominally over concerns for Higgins’ mental health. Higgins, however, foresaw civil proceedings and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/05/brittany-higgins-volunteered-to-be-defamation-trial-witness-as-she-would-not-let-rapist-become-a-millionaire-ntwnfb">offered to testify</a> should they arise. That they did, as Lehrmann, free from the burden of any proven crime, sued several media outlets for defamation over their reporting into the allegations (<a href="https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/services/access-to-files-and-transcripts/online-files/lehrmann">the ABC</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/06/abc-agrees-to-pay-bruce-lehrmann-150000-to-settle-defamation-claim-court-documents-reveal">News Corp</a> both settled out of court). <iframe class="flourish-embed-iframe" style="width: 100%; height: 550px;" title="Interactive or visual content" src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/17195035/embed" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe> <div style="width: 100%!; margin-top: 4px!important; text-align: right!important;"><a class="flourish-credit" href="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/17195035/?utm_source=embed&utm_campaign=visualisation/17195035" target="_top"><img src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/made_with_flourish.svg" alt="Made with Flourish" /></a></div> Like Ben Roberts-Smith’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/dismissed-legal-experts-explain-the-judgment-in-the-ben-roberts-smith-defamation-case-191503">recent defamation suit</a> against the former Fairfax papers, this became another case of civil proceedings testing grave allegations in the absence of a criminal law outcome. The form of proceedings made for some key differences with the aborted criminal trial. In criminal cases, prosecutors are ethically bound to act with moderation in pursuing a conviction, which requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, while defendants have the right to silence. By contrast, this trial featured detailed accounts from both sides as each sought to convince, in essence, that their contentions were likely to be correct. Also like the Roberts-Smith case, live streaming of the trial generated very high levels of public engagement. Today’s stream reached audiences of more than 45,000 people. It gave us the chance to assess who and what we believe, and to scrutinise the parties’ claims and the media’s reporting. The Federal Court doesn’t have juries, but we, the public, acted as a de facto panel of peers. We saw accusations and denials, revealing <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-23/bruce-lehrmann-defamation-trial-network-ten-lisa-wilkinson-ends/103260752">cross-examination</a> of the protagonists, witness testimony from colleagues, CCTV footage from nightclubs to Parliament House complete with lip-reading, expert testimony on alcohol consumption and consent, and lawyers constructing timelines which supported or poked holes in competing versions of events. The complexity of high-stakes legal proceedings was on display, with Justice Lee issuing many interim decisions on questions of procedure and evidence. Whenever transparency was at stake, it won. The preference for full disclosure led to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/apr/02/bruce-lehrmann-defamation-trial-network-10-fresh-evidence-bid-lisa-wilkinson-brittany-higgins-delay-ntwnfb">case being re-opened</a> at the eleventh hour to call former Channel 7 producer Taylor Auerbach as a witness, providing a denouement that the judge called “sordid”, but which had little relevance to the final result. <h2>An argument over the truth</h2> Lehrmann had the burden of proving that the defendants published matter harmful to his reputation. That matter was Wilkinson’s interview with Higgins on Channel Ten’s The Project in which the allegations were made. A statement is only defamatory if it’s untrue, but in Australian law, the publisher bears the burden of proving truth, should they opt for that defence. And more serious allegations usually require more compelling proof, as the law views them as inherently more unlikely. This can be onerous for a defamation defendant, but it also involves risk for the plaintiff, should the defendant embark on an odyssey of truth-telling yet more damaging to the plaintiff’s image. That happened to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65717684">Ben Roberts-Smith</a> and it happened to Lehrmann here. On the other hand, if the media hasn’t done their homework, as in <a href="https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2023/2023fca1223">Heston Russell’s case</a> against the ABC (also presided over by Justice Lee), the complainant can be vindicated. This case was a manifestation of Lehrmann’s professed desire to “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/26/how-bruce-lehrmanns-media-interviews-cost-him-his-anonymity-in-toowoomba-case">light some fires</a>”. Few players in this extended saga have emerged without scars, and here he burned his own fingers, badly. As Justice Lee put it, Lehrmann, “having escaped the lion’s den [of criminal prosecution], made the mistake of coming back to get his hat”. <h2>How was the case decided?</h2> Lehrmann denied having sex with Higgins, whereas Higgins alleged there had been non-consensual sex. The defamatory nature of the publication centred on the claim of rape, so that was what the media defendants sought to prove. This left open the curious possibility that consensual sex might have taken place: if so, Lehrmann would have brought his case on a false premise (there had been no sex), but the media would have failed to defend it (by not proving a lack of consent), resulting in a Lehrmann win. That awkward scenario did not arise. The court found sex did in fact take place, Higgins in her heavily-inebriated and barely-conscious state did not give consent, and Lehrmann was so intent on his gratification that he ignored the requirement of consent. Justice Lee found Lehrmann to be a persistent, self-interested liar, whereas Higgin’s credibility issues were of lesser degree, some symptomatic of a person piecing together a part-remembered trauma. The judge drew strongly on the evidence of certain neutral parties who could testify to incidents or words spoken in close proximity to the events. <h2>Defamation laws favour the aggrieved</h2> Australian defamation law has historically favoured plaintiffs and, despite recent <a href="https://www.ruleoflaw.org.au/civil/defamation/2021-law-reform/">rebalancing attempts</a>, it remains a favoured legal weapon for those with the resources to use it. This includes our political class, who sue their critics for defamation with unhealthy frequency for a democracy. In the United States, public figures don’t have it so easy: to win they must prove their critics were lying. In Australia, the media sometimes succeeds in proving truth, but contesting defamation proceedings comes at great financial cost and takes an emotional toll on the journalists involved. Nor can a true claim always be proven to a court’s satisfaction, given the rules of evidence and the fact that sources may be reluctant to testify or protected by a reporter’s guarantee of confidentiality. But this case demonstrates that publishers with an appetite for the legal fight can come out on top.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225891/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brendan-clift-715691">Brendan Clift</a>, Lecturer of law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/judge-finds-bruce-lehrmann-raped-brittany-higgins-and-dismisses-network-10-defamation-case-how-did-it-play-out-225891">original article</a>.

Legal

Seven's insane plan to ambush Lisa Wilkinson exposed

A bizarre plan pitched by Channel Seven for Bruce Lehrmann to ambush Lisa Wilkinson has been revealed. According to several close friends of Mr Lehrmann, Channel Seven's Spotlight program suggested that Lehrmann hover around the Sydney suburb of Cremorne in the hopes of catching Lisa Wilkinson unawares. They proceeded to explain to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/sevens-plan-for-bruce-lehrmann-to-ambush-lisa-wilkinson-in-public/news-story/1e6df346affc123ad23f1f7efcb12136" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a> how they wanted Lehrmann to confront Wilkinson while a cameraman stood close in the hopes of manufacturing a must-see TV moment. Mr Lehrmann's friends said he was not keen on the idea, although the program continued to suggest the ambush. As the fallout continues over untested allegations in the Federal Court that Mr Lehrmann leaked Brittany Higgins’ private text messages to the current affairs program, the former Liberal staffer’s mates are spilling the beans on claims of the program’s bizarre plan. “Bruce very much wanted a third program. But that was a bridge too far," another friend said. “Seven were desperate for ideas. They raised it several times. On many occasions I met with Bruce after meetings and they were pushing for it." “The plan as described was (they) wanted Bruce to be at a local cafe that they knew Lisa Wilkinson would go to and they would have a TV camera confront her.” When asked what Mr Lehrmann planned to say during the ambush, the friend admitted, “I dunno. I don’t know if they thought that far ahead.” Mr Lehrmann’s inner circle claim that it was just one of a number of wild ideas floated by Spotlight producer Steve Jackson as they pitched ideas for future programs about Lehrmann. Another confidante of Mr Lehrmann’s said the Wilkinson plan was “bizarre” and joked it seemed to involve Mr Lehrmann jumping from behind a pot plant to startle the TV star, an idea the former Liberal staffer wasn't keen for, despite the Seven “ideas factory”. “It wasn’t something that Bruce (Lehrmann) pushed," the source said. “Spotlight had a million viewers and so they were always looking for any excuse for a third program. The plan was to spark some sort of public row.” Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial was delayed in the wake of Wilkinson’s ill-fated Logies speech, but his barrister Steve Whybrow SC has hailed the speech as keeping him out of jail. “Frankly, if it wasn’t for Lisa Wilkinson’s speech at the Logies, Bruce would probably be in jail. Thank God for that speech," Mr Whybrow said. Image credits: Getty Images

Legal

Network Ten's heart-wrenching tribute to Jesse Baird

Network Ten have shared a heart-wrenching tribute to former colleague Jesse Baird, whose remains were found alongside the body of his boyfriend Luke Davies. Sandra Sully introduced the emotional tribute to the 26-year-old, becoming teary as she remembered her slain friend, while calling on people to remember Jesse as a kind and talented young man. “We want to pay tribute to our friend and former colleague Jesse Baird, his murder alongside that of his partner Luke Davies has rocked Network 10. Our hearts go out to their family and friends,” Sully began. “We want to remember Jesse for the man he was, and not how he died. “Amazingly talented, funny, beautiful inside and out - and forever loved and missed.” <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C34z-Fux8E_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C34z-Fux8E_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ☕️ #SandraSully AM 📺📻🎙️🎧 🏑🇦🇺 (@shortblack_)</a> </div> </blockquote> The tribute, narrated by entertainment reporter Angela Bishop, recapped Jesse's career in the spotlight, from his first hosting gig on children's TV show Totally Wild, to all the unique experiences he took on during his role on Studio 10. He was also an avid AFL fan and worked as a goal umpire for the league, in a role that meant a lot to him. Other Network Ten colleagues have shared tributes to Jesse this week, with news reader Lachlan Kennedy writing on social media, “His talent was undeniable and energy infectious. Jesse Baird has had the brightest of futures stolen from him.” The <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/update-on-search-for-bodies-of-murdered-couple" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bodies</a> of Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies were found on Tuesday by NSW police, with their remains located in the NSW Southern Tablelands. Accused murderer and former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon has been charged with two counts of murder over the deaths of the couple, after turning himself in to police in the days after their disappearance. Police will allege the murder of Jesse was premeditated by Lamarre-Condon, but his partner Luke Davies was killed only for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Image credits: Ten / Instagram

Caring

“Entitled” bride unleashes after only seven people RSVP to her wedding

A furious bride has been slammed online after unleashing on a lengthy tirade, calling out her friends and family who aren’t attending her wedding. Sara took to Facebook to share the extensive rant about her upcoming nuptials, after only seven people RSVP’d to the big day. The American bride-to-be called out those she invited to her destination wedding, saying they showed how little they “really” cared about her and her fiancé. “When we invited our friends and family to our destination wedding in Thailand, only nine people RSVP'd. Out of 150!!! OK, I get it, paying $3,000 to share my special day is too much for some of you. I'd pay for yours, but whatever,” she wrote. “But then, when we changed the wedding to be in Hawaii, so it's within everyone's reach, only seven of you RSVP'd? It costs less but less if you want to come? Is that what you think of me? You can't spare $2,000 to come and share our happiness?” Sara said that she was willing to take drastic measures to make up for the disrespect she'd been shown by her loved ones. “I'm tempted to just elope and not let any of you be part of our happiest day. This is it guys, you have three days to respond to our e-vites or we're deleting you off Facebook and good luck keeping up with our lives then.” “And don't get me started on the registry - only the cheap stuff is gone, I swear I thought I had better friends.” “[My fiancé] and I are asking you to reconsider.” Sara’s unhinged rant was quickly shared to a Facebook group dedicated to shaming people’s wedding choices, where it garnered hundreds of comments slamming the bride. “People who get married abroad have chosen not to have guests at their wedding,” one person said. “Does she not understand people have jobs and kids or just simply don't want to spend thousands on someone else's wedding?” another asked. “If I was her friend I’d save her a job and unfriend myself after reading that,” a third person admitted. Image credits: Shutterstock

Relationships

"We apologise sincerely": Cause of major Optus outage revealed

Optus have finally shared the reason behind the major outage that crippled Australia last week, while laying out the steps they are taking to prevent further disruptions to the network. A statement from Optus cited a "routine software upgrade" as the trigger for the outage, which affected up to 10 million Australians and 400,000 businesses, who were cut off from the network for 12 hours. On Monday afternoon, Optus told its disgruntled customers it had spent the last six days trying to discover what went wrong and insisted they had "taken steps to ensure it will not happen again". "We apologise sincerely for letting our customers down and the inconvenience it caused," the statement said. "At around 4.05am Wednesday morning, the Optus network received changes to routing information from an international peering network following a routine software upgrade." "These routing information changes propagated through multiple layers in our network and exceeded preset safety levels on key routers which could not handle these." This action meant millions of routers disconnected from the core network, resulting in a large-scale logistical effort to reconnect or reboot the routers physically, requiring "the dispatch of people across a number of sites in Australia". "Given the widespread impact of the outage, investigations into the issue took longer than we would have liked as we examined several different paths to restoration," the statement said. The outage meant millions of homes were disconnected, with many people also not able to call 000 in an emergency. For compensation of the disruption the outage caused, Optus customers were offered an extra 200GB of data for their "patience and loyalty". But Federal Labor minister Bill Shorten said on Friday the extra data wouldn't "touch the sides" of customer frustration. "The telecommunications industry ombudsman can assist small businesses who are dissatisfied with the responses, I would encourage those customers to keep records, to document the impacts of the outage on them, but it was a nightmare for everyone," he told Sydney radio station 2GB. Image credits: Getty Images

Legal

Channel 7 star secretly welcomes "lionhearted" bundle of joy

Amelia Brace is a mum! The Channel Seven presenter secretly welcomed her first child with husband cameraman Adam Bovino last week, but only just shared the happy news to her followers on Instagram. “One week with Leonardo Andrea Bovino,” she captioned the series of photos of her son and a few intimate moments from her birth. “️His name means ‘lionhearted’ in Italian, something our little Leo has certainly proven to be this year," she added. “He’s a brave boy, just like his Daddy. And looks like him too. Our beautiful reward.” Brace's colleagues were the first to comment their delight. “Congratulations beautiful family,” Sunrise host Natalie Barr commented. “So perfect! Congratulations," added former Sunrise host Melissa Doyle. “Beautiful, beautiful Leonardo. Can’t wait for cuddles xxx,” wrote Tracy Vo, Nine News' weekend presenter in Perth. “Congratulations!! You and your beautiful boys,” Weekend Today co-host Belinda Russell also wrote. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyzKweRPTsW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyzKweRPTsW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Amelia Bovino (@ameliabrace7)</a> </div> </blockquote> A few fans also took to the comments to share their congratulations. "He is divine! What a beautiful boy. Congratulations," wrote one fan. "Welcome to the world little Leo ❤️," commented another. "Leo!!! You are the cutest. You are so loved already little man. Congratulations you three. Sending so much love," wrote a third. Brace first announced her pregnancy with an ultrasound video in June. “It’s always darkest before the dawn. A little ray of sunshine, and hope, coming in spring,” she captioned the photo at the time. Brace and her husband Bovino tied the knot in a beautiful outdoor wedding at Kangaroo Valley, NSW in March 2022 after a three-year engagement. Images: Instagram

Family & Pets

Man who died for seven minutes reveals his encounter with the afterlife

A British actor has shared what happened during his brief, yet profound experience in the afterlife, after he was pronounced dead for seven minutes. Shiv Grewal, 60, was having lunch with his wife when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. His wife frantically called an ambulance, but Shiv's heart had already stopped beating. “I knew, somehow, that I was dead,” Grewal said, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/24/i-died-for-7-minutes-before-being-brought-back-to-life-heres-what-i-saw/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_content=curalate_like2buy_7Rd1H9jc__bf5c46e3-ff70-4690-9b19-4f40d83c952f&utm_term=curalate_like2buy&crl8_id=bf5c46e3-ff70-4690-9b19-4f40d83c952f" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-type="article-inline">The New York Post.</a> “I felt things completely separate from my body. It was like I was in a void but I could feel emotions and sensations.” Shiv went on to say the experience felt similar to "swimming through water" with a sense of weightlessness and disconnection from the physical world. “At one point, I was travelling over the moon, and I could see meteorites and all of space,” he said. Grewal remembers feeling like he definitely didn't want to die and would do whatever it took to return to his physical body, despite the endless possibilities of the afterlife. “There was a whole set of possibilities, various lives and reincarnations that were being offered to me,” he said. “I didn’t want them. I made it very clear that I wanted to return to my body, to my time, to my wife and to go on living.” Grewal was rushed to hospital were he underwent a surgery to have a stent put into his main artery, which had clogged. He was then put in an induced coma for a month. While the traumatic experience happened almost ten years ago, Shiv explained that he hasn't fully recovered from the emotional impact. He said his life has been completely transformed, and is still trying to work through the profound emotions of that day. “I remembered everything that happened when my heart stopped and have tried to translate it into art,” he said. Before the accident, Grewal was more cynical about the idea of an afterlife, but now has completely changed his mind. “I’m less fearful of death because of it, but at the same time, I’m also more fearful, because I’ve realised how precious everything I have in life is,” he said. “I’m grateful just to be here.” Image credits: Instagram

Caring

Dr Chris Brown calls out Seven’s “stupid” Logies decision

Dr Chris Brown has jokingly called out Seven’s “stupid” decision to make him co-host of this year’s TV Week Logies red carpet. The Bondi Vet star is set to present at the red carpet alongside Sonia Kruger on July 30, but he is still unsure as to why he was chosen. “Can I just tell you, it is one of the more stupid decisions ever made by Channel 7 to put me on the Red Carpet,” he joked during his guest appearance on Triple M’s Mick & MG in the Morning on July 13. “I know nothing about fashion... and I am also colourblind,” he said, which made the radio hosts chuckle. Brown wondered how he would comment on the stars’ gowns given his condition. “The joy that I’m going to have in telling women that I love their green dress and (I’m) gonna be told it’s red... what could possibly go wrong?” he told the radio hosts. “The insulting nature of my commentary is going to be worth it.” Mick Molloy then joked that he was “going to make the carpet green” for extra laughs, to which Brown replied: “it might as well be, Micky”. Brown and Kruger will present the star-studded event and bring viewers straight into the action from the Logies red carpet at Sydney’s The Star on Sunday, July 30. This will be Brown’s first official role at Seven since he<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/the-doctor-is-out-chris-brown-changes-the-script" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> left Network Ten</a> in February, where he had worked for the last 15 years. Image: News.com.au/ Triple M’s Mick & MG in the Morning

Kyle and Jackie O “in talks” with rival network

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have reportedly been talking with rival networks as their contract with KIIS FM and ARN comes to an end in 2024. The powerhouse radio duo’s old network Southern Cross Austereo, where they previously found success with their hit show on 2Day FM, has reportedly been “pretty aggressive” in pursuing the pair, according to the Australian Financial Review. A network insider has also revealed that for rival networks this process is “like sports rights for radio. It's very likely it'll end up being the biggest talent media deal ever.” Kyle and Jackie O have been unstoppable and have even made history for ARN, topping the latest radio ratings survey with a 17.9 per cent of the audience share. They have been the top breakfast show in Sydney for the third time running and averaged a whopping 921,000 listeners a week. ARN Media CEO & Managing Director Ciaran Davis has told the Daily Mail about the value of the radio hosts: “We don't see contract negotiations as being an on-off exercise.” “Since Kyle and Jackie O have been with us, we have been working very hard to make sure they feel part of a bigger network, and that everybody contributes to that.” He then proceeded to praise the duo for being the best at what they do. “I don't think that it's a surprise to us that they have had the highest listenership they have ever had. Honestly, having worked in many countries in radio, I think they are the best in the world at what they do.” However, the SCA themselves have declined to provide a comment on these rumours. Images: KIIS FM/ Instagram

Money & Banking

Major change ahead for Sunrise

Sunrise has had a lot of readjusting to do in 2023, with their casting change in the wake of longtime host David Koch’s departure being just the beginning. And now, the show is faced with another new development, as Channel 7 looks to pack up its Martin Place residence to move to its new studio. Fans of the show will be familiar with the window backdrop that came with the CBD location, as it’s where the company has called home for almost two decades. But Sunrise is next up to make the move to 7’s new Eveleigh studio, with 7 NEWS anchor Mark Ferguson giving the final go ahead. Over the course of a month, Channel 7’s flagship morning shows will be following their nightly counterparts to the new location, with Sunrise, Weekend Sunrise, and The Morning Show next on the removalist’s to-do list. They won’t be alone in the new studio, with the likes of 7NEWS.com.au and 7 NEWS Spotlight already having parted ways with Martin Place. And according to Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer James Warburton, the change marks the first time in 40 years that the network’s Sydney operation will be “under one roof”, as they embark on “the beginning of a landmark chapter”. “Martin Place has served as an exceptional home for us but as we aim to unite even more Australians across our much-loved news and public affairs content, our transition to the purpose-built, state-of-the-art studio space in south Eveleigh is a pivotal move,” he said. “7 NEWS’s relocation to south Eveleigh marks the start of this exciting phase and we look forward to Sunrise and The Morning Show joining our cutting-edge, new location soon.” Network Director of News and Public Affairs Craig McPherosn had his own words to share, noting that the move “marks a new beginning” for everyone involved. “Since first turning the lights on at Martin Place on August 30, 2004, Seven’s News and Public Affairs team has broadcast a mammoth 70,000 hours of television from the Martin Place studio,” he explained. “Hundreds of careers started there, as did programs. Not all lasted but the constant demand for the content never wavered. “It was a wonderful workplace for all of us, but it had served its time.” Images: Sunrise / Channel 7

Dr Chris Brown finally reveals two new gigs at Seven

Dr Chris Brown has finally revealed his two new projects at Channel Seven, more than four months after he left Network Ten. On Monday, Channel Seven announced that the popular veterinarian and TV presenter will host two new shows that are set to air next year. The first is a new untitled adventure series, which is produced and starred by Brown, who will explore some of the “most mind-blowing scenery on the planet, all in the pursuit of the ultimate animal encounter”. Channel Seven also confirmed the rumours that Brown will host their new series called Dream Home, which is an “inspiring” renovation competition where “the great Australian dream is transformed into the great Australian dream home.” Both programs are set to go into production later this year, and Brown has shared his anticipation. “To be able to bring my world of animals to life in an original, adventurous and breathtaking way truly excites me,” he said in a statement. “I can’t wait for the world’s wildlife and the search for Australia’s best dream home to land in our lounge rooms in 2024.” Brown is booked and busy as he will also be involved in Channel Seven’s red carpet coverage of the Logies, which will take place at The Star on July 30. In February, the TV personality <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/the-doctor-is-out-chris-brown-changes-the-script" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced his departure</a> from Network Ten after 15 years, with his new contract at Channel Seven reportedly worth a staggering $1m per year. Image: Channel Seven

Top-tier salaries for high-profile talents at Channel 9 revealed

Ray Hadley has been named the highest paid talent at the Nine Network, with his contract extension earning him a reported $9 million. The 68-year-old talk back radio host will remain the morning show host at 2GB until the end of 2026, with the gig lining his pockets with around $3.5 million annually. With the news of Hadley's new contract making headlines, an insider at Media Diary has revealed what the other top talents at the Nine Network are earning in comparison. The second highest paid personality at the network is reportedly comedian and Lego Masters host Hamish Blake, who rakes in around $2 million per year. Coming in with salaries around the $1.5 million per year mark are the likes of Today host Karl Stefanovic, A Current Affair host Allison Langdon, 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham and The Block host Scott Cam. Earning between $1 million and $1.2 million reportedly include veteran 60 Minutes journalist Liz Hayes, The Hundred host Andy Lee, and 3AW presenters Neil Mitchell and Ross Stevenson. Nine News journalist Peter Overton is said to make approximately $1 million a year, while Today co-host Sarah Abo and reality show host Sophie Monk are each said to net around $800,000. While the network does not disclose the salaries of each personality, an individual's annual pay is often leaked when star's renegotiate their contracts. When Lisa Wilkinson left the Nine Network in 2017 over a gender pay dispute, she reportedly signed a $2 million per year contract with Ten to co-host The Project. Also defecting from Nine, Sonia Kruger is said to have signed a $1.3 million contract with Seven as the co-host of Dancing with the Stars. Image credits: Today / Instagram

Money & Banking

“Sam has plans afoot”: Ratings smash puts Sam Armytage in the driver’s seat

Farmer Wants a Wife's Samantha Armytage has enjoyed early success with her new hosting gig, with the reality series seeing a wave of success in the ratings department for its first few episodes. The 2023 season premiere alone drew in approximately 1.08 million viewers, leading many to believe that Armytage has made leaps and bounds towards reasserting herself as a valued member of the team over at Seven. “She’s now in a place to get just about anything she wants from hereon in,” a source told New Idea, before noting that Armytage was driven by ambition, and was already looking ahead to her next steps with the network. “Sam has plans afoot,” they explained. “She's cleverly stayed on the network's radar, knowing if she landed and nailed a lead role like in FWAW [Farmer Wants a Wife] then doors would open.” Sam, who had parted ways with Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise in 2020, had a tough battle ahead when she took over from beloved former FWAW host Natalie Gruzlewski. Even though Armytage had previously appeared on the show in a guest capacity, fans were shocked by the news, and struggled to come to terms with the upcoming shift. According to New Idea’s insider, this applied in part to Gruzlewski too, with them explaining that “no one saw this coming, least of all Nat. She didn't know the full extent of the role changes until recently - it was a bolt out of the blue! “Sam has sold herself as the better choice because she maintains she is married to a farmer, grew up on a farm, and therefore is more relatable. Although that remains to be seen.” And it was an obvious change from the first 15 minutes of the new season, with Gruzlewski only seen in a handful of frames, while Armytage took centre stage interviewing the latest batch of hopeful contestants. The same source reported that Armytage is a “management favourite”, suggesting that the lineup shakeup was all part of an effort from the network to elevate Armytage’s professional profile again. They also explained that Gruzlewski was “taking the demotion in her stride”, all while demonstrating the good quality that fans had come to know from her. “Nat is no diva and was always a crowd favourite, the farmers and the women almost always warmed to her,” they said, before noting that there was a very real sense “this might end up being Nat’s final season” in light of the changes. Images: Instagram

"Our hearts are so full": Seven presenter welcomes first child

Seven sports presenter Abbey Gelmi has announced the birth of a baby boy, Louis, with partner and former AFL player Kane Lambert. “Louis James Lambert came into the world 8.3.23 🌎🤍 Our hearts are so full,” Gelmi wrote on Instagram on Tuesday, March 14. “Everyone happy, healthy and settling in at home. The exciting news of Louis’ arrival had friends and followers amped up in the comment section. “Congratulations. So happy for you,” Anna Heinrich, SAS Australia star, wrote. “Sending lots of love xx congrats,” Nadia Bartel commented. “Congratulations gorgeous girl,” wrote Rebecca Judd. “Perfecto! So happy for you & your little family,” Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac wrote. Other celebrities to congratulate the couple on their new bub include former Seven network star Sally Obermeder, Kate Waterhouse, Jesinta Franklin, model Elyse Knowles, swimmer Giaan Rooney and AFL player Jack Riewoldt. Kane Lambert, who retired from the sport in 2022, played 135 games for the AFL Tigers, including the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships. Lambert, who was initially overlooked in six drafts, did not make it to AFL level until he was 23 with pick No. 64 in the 2015 rookie draft. He has suffered an ongoing hip issue which forced him to leave the sport, but he remains at the club as a conditioning coach. Gelmi, 32, had an emotional departure from Seven when she left for maternity leave in February 2023. She shared a photo on Instagram of her final day, a snap of her at the news desk alongside anchor Mike Amor. “Annnd she’s officially on leave,” she wrote. “Thank you @7newsmelbourne @mikeoz7 for the lovely (and very unnecessary) send-off. “Lucky to have a job I can’t wait to come back to! @channel7.” When Gelmi first announced she would be taking maternity leave, viewers flocked to the comments on her Instagram post to wish her well. “Enjoy your maternity leave, I will miss you on screen but can’t wait to see you when you come back,” one commented. “Us Aussie viewers will miss you on our TV screens 😢 but all best in your soon to be family love bubble,” another said. The Seven presenter revealed she was pregnant when she reached the 23-week mark, posting a photo of her bump on Instagram with the caption, “Life lately”. “While it’s been such a special time, I’ve been quite unwell,” Gelmi told the Herald Sun in October last year. “I could not have felt more supported by my work family at Seven and I am so grateful for the grace they’ve given me. “It’s been a very busy few months for us and we’re excited about what’s to come.” Image credit: Instagram

Family & Pets

Carrie Bickmore’s “seven figure” job negotiation

Carrie Bickmore could be heading into the South African jungle for her latest job. After finishing up on The Project in December 2022, the presenter is rumoured to be negotiating a hefty salary for a potential role on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! Carrie has been absent from any on-air roles since her departure from the panel show, and is using her friendly connections at Network Ten to secure the new deal. The 42-year-old is rumoured to have the full support of the show's co-host Dr Chris Brown, who is long-time friends with Bickmore and her producer ex-partner Chris Walker. Bickmore and Brown have allegedly been attending secret meetings with executives at Network Ten since the beginning of the year, with inside sources saying producers are willing to pay her “up to $1 million” for the gig, according to reports from <a href="https://www.newidea.com.au/carrie-bickmore-im-a-celeb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Idea</a>. “It's been about three months of closed-door negotiations at Network Ten and while nothing has been locked in yet, TV executives are willing to wait until the very last minute if they have to,” an insider said. “They have thrown a lot of money at Carrie to get her on board,” they added. If Bickmore does secure the seven-figure payday, she will become the second highest-paid contestant to appear on the show, behind the late cricketer Shane Warne, who earned $2million for his stint in the jungle in 2016. Dr Chris has long been a public friend and supporter of Bickmore, sharing a heartfelt message after her final appearance on The Project last year. He wrote at the time, “Your time on The Project not only gave us all a masterclass in how to host with realness, humour, humanity…and a casual Qantas integration but it also gave me an amazing friend. Thank you. What a delight you are!” The newest season of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! will premiere on Sunday April 2nd, with co-hosts Brown and Julia Morris at the helm. Image credits: Instagram

Sam Armytage's major new role

Sam Armytage is making a move back to permanent hosting duties for the first time since leaving Sunrise in 2021. In a massie shake-up for Channel 7, Armytage has been announced as the new host for Farmer Wants a Wife, taking over from long-serving host Natalie Gruzlewski. Gruzlewski has hosted the reality show on and off since it began in 2007, with Armytage occasionally stepping in as the co-host. The two women have essentially swapped roles, with Gruzlewski staying on the team to co-host and mingle with contestants. When Armytage joined the show last year, she would engage with contestants in a more casual setting while Gruzlewski fronted the show. In a press release issued by Seven on Monday, it casually referred to Armytage as “host” and Gruzlewski as “co-host” in the last line of the statement. The media outlet did not address the major shake-up in their press release, but rather spoke to <a href="https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/02/sam-armytage-new-host-of-farmer-wants-a-wife.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TV Tonight</a> about what the host change will mean for the show. Seven’s director of scheduling Brook Hall said, “They’re both in the show still. [Previously] Nat was front and centre and Sam was advising on dates. But if I’m being honest, they’ve kind of slightly flipped.” “Nat has ‘Nat’s Getaway’ [a segment on Farmer] so she’ll be co-host, she’ll be opening the start. It’s more blended, with one front and one appearing. But yes, Samantha Armytage is taking more centre stage.” Farmer Wants a Wife originally aired on the Nine network from 2007 until 2012, before it was revived for one season in 2016 with Sam McClymont as host. It was cancelled shortly afterwards, before Seven picked up the rights to the show in 2019 and commissioned a new season, with Gruzlewski returning as series host yet again. Image credits: Seven

The doctor is OUT: Chris Brown changes the script

Dr Chris Brown has announced that he will be exiting Channel Ten to join rival network Channel Seven. The move comes after 15 years at Channel Ten for Chris, with his time at Seven set to begin on July 1. Chris will still star alongside friend and co-host Julia Morris for 2023’s I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! before leaving. Chris is only one on a list of notable TV personalities to jump ship from Ten, with fellow The Project hosts Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson, and Peter Helliar already having severed ties. It is reported that Chris’ new contract is worth a staggering $1m a year for two years. “Chris Brown has provided Australians with warmth and compassion as the resident vet on Bondi Vet, treating animals large and small,” said a 10 spokesperson. “He has served up a multitude of uplifting, inspiring and hilarious stories with Amanda, Barry and Miguel on The Living Room couch and Chris, along with Julia Morris is contracted to the upcoming season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! which will be back on screens and back in the South African jungle in April.” Chris launched his television career with Channel Seven, starring on Harry’s Practice and putting his skill as a vet to the test in 2003. The role earned him a Logie Award nomination for “Most Popular New Talent”. After a stint at Channel Nine, Chris moved to Ten for Bondi Vet in 2008. In 2010, Chris joined The Project as a guest panelist, and in 2012 added The Living Room to his resume as a co-host. The Living Room was put on hiatus after 10 years on the air, a decision that disappointed both Chris and his fellow hosts. Of Chris’ return to the network, Seven West Media CEO James Warburton said, “we are very pleased to welcome Chris back to Seven. It’s been too long. “Chris is one of the most popular and recognised people on Australian TV, bringing warmth, intelligence and a great sense of humour to everything he does. We can’t wait to have him on board and to announce the great new content he will star in.” Details of these projects have not been made public yet, but audiences can rest assured that Chris will be giving them his all, sharing his excitement for what lies ahead in his statement, “I’m not entirely sure my old access pass works but once we get over that hurdle and I’m back from the jungle, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some exciting new projects in the second half of the year and beyond with Seven.” Images: Getty

News

Lisa Wilkinson's surprising new career move

Lisa Wilkinson appears to have made a career shift from television personality to social media influencer, taking on paid promotions on Instagram. The journalist and presenter last month told viewers she would be departing The Project’s panel after five years on the show. However, she confirmed she would remain at the network. Now, it appears she is using her fame to promote brands. According to The Australian, the high-paid TV host promoted her recent stay at five-star Melbourne hotel, The Marriott - posting a picture of its infinity pool. She also promoted drinks and food from the ritzy hotel’s rooftop bar, Sunset House. “It’s time to reprioritise a few things in my life,” Wilkinson said in November as she announced her departure from The Project. “And after almost 15 years of the early alarm on breakfast TV, and now another five years here at The Project desk, I’m looking at how I want the coming years to play out, both professionally and personally." Ten bosses have been left scrambling to find Wilkinson a position within the network to uphold her lucrative, airtight contract and showcase her current affairs talent. As one of the country’s highest paid TV stars, with a seven-figure contract with Ten reportedly spanning years thanks to her clever negotiation tactics. But with The Project now off the cards, it’s up to executives to find her a suitable new role to get their money’s worth. Wilkinson will be taking a long break from any TV hosting duties, and may not return to screens until “well into 2023”. Image: Instagram

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