OMEN
06-28-2006, 08:38 PM
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Love her work ... Eddie backs Jessica amid a growing revolt.
CHANNEL Nine boss Eddie McGuire last night declared his full support for besieged Today show co-host Jessica Rowe, as he faced a growing revolt among stars and senior staff anxious about the network's future.
Mr McGuire said the former Channel 10 newsreader, hired late last year on a $500,000 contract, was the target of "a malicious and unprecedented vilification campaign" after reports he had wanted to sack her.
Confirming her job was safe, Mr McGuire launched a strong defence of Rowe that conflicted with a reported recollection of Nine's former news chief that the network chief executive wanted to "bone" (sack) her. Mr McGuire's rush to protect Rowe came as the network faced more turmoil in the wake of revelations from a highly embarrassing affidavit from former news and current affairs director Mark Llewellyn.
The affidavit is believed to show senior executives pitted against each other, and refer to conversations which include the potential sacking of Rowe.
Jana Wendt, star presenter on Nine's Sunday program, is understood to have consulted her lawyers about her future on the program. It is understood Wendt is disturbed that the sacking on Monday of Sunday director Peter Hiscock leaves her in limbo, because she had an agreement to report to Hiscock and not the program's executive director, John Lyons.
Wendt is also believed to be concerned that Sunday will struggle to continue with reduced funding and staff, amid plans to cut it from two hours to 1 1/2 hours with a mainly low-budget studio format.
Nine faces further highly embarrassing fallout from a second affidavit, written by Hiscock, who is expected to commence legal action against Nine today claiming breach of contract.
Hiscock is expected to threaten court action after Nine agreed to pay him only until August, not the end of next year when his contract expires.
Hiscock last night declined to comment or outline his grievance.
However, sources predicted that an affidavit he prepared would contain revelations even more explosive than those from Llewellyn.
The strife that has engulfed Mr McGuire, recently appointed Nine boss after a career as a game show host and sports reporter, comes in the middle of $15 million worth of budget cuts and 100 redundancies at news and current affairs. For several months, Mr McGuire is known to have been privately highly critical of Rowe's on-air performance.
She was poached from Channel 10 before he took over at Nine and has received much criticism about her on-air performance, including one gaffe involving Brigadier Michael Slater, Australian Defence Force commander in East Timor.
Mr McGuire last night blamed a campaign against Rowe on "our opponents" and confirmed she would remain Today's co-host.
"She has handled this with dignity and grace and has shown a remarkable level of professionalism," he said.
"She has my full support. We have confirmed with her that she remains as co-host of the show."
When The Australian asked last night if Mr McGuire was disputing that he had wanted to sack Rowe - as reported in The Age newspaper yesterday - his spokesman said: "You're referring to a reported statement in an affidavit that he's not willing to comment on."
Llewellyn's affidavit was filed in the NSW Supreme Court last week as part of a failed bid by Nine to stop him defecting to Seven.
Nine accepts that Llewellyn has kept the affidavit confidential as part of a settlement.
But the network's lawyers have tried desperately since Monday to stop publication of its leaked content by media organisations by gaining an injunction in the NSW Supreme Court.
During continuing proceedings in the court yesterday, Nine barrister Tony Bannon at one point tendered as evidence a Page 1 story from a Melbourne newspaper that quoted from Llewellyn's affidavit.
He also tendered an article from The Australian, but then asked to have them "untendered" after realising that the media would be free to report on them if they were accepted as evidence.
The Australian also attempted to seek responses from Mr Browne and Rowe, but they declined to comment.
Arriving at her home in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs yesterday afternoon after a trip to the gym, Rowe told The Australian she "was not talking to anyone at the moment".
But Rowe's husband, 60 Minutes reporter Peter Overton, later spoke out in support of his wife outside the couple's home.
"Jessica is an inspiration. She is the strongest woman I have ever met," Overton said.
As reported by The Weekend Australian on Saturday, it is believed the affidavit says Llewellyn warned the Nine Network that losing Rowe might prompt Overton to quit as well.
Wendt is believed to have canvassed her options with solicitor Michael Harmer of Harmer and Associates.
Sources said she was concerned that staffing levels after the latest redundancy program and cost cuts at Nine could jeopardise continued quality programming.
Hiscock, while officially called "director" at Sunday, was regarded by many as effectively running the program. He was appointed in February to replace Sunday executive director John Lyons, who was sacked by then news chief Llewellyn. Within 24 hours Lyons was reinstated on orders from PBL chief executive John Alexander and Hiscock was shifted sideways with the title "director".
Nine has been locked in a ratings war with Seven, which has overtaken Nine as the top-rating program for news and current affairs.
Seven's Today Tonight is well ahead of A Current Affairs, while its nightly news bulletin is ahead of Nine in key capital cities.
http://network.news.com.au/images/h14_theaustralian.gif
Love her work ... Eddie backs Jessica amid a growing revolt.
CHANNEL Nine boss Eddie McGuire last night declared his full support for besieged Today show co-host Jessica Rowe, as he faced a growing revolt among stars and senior staff anxious about the network's future.
Mr McGuire said the former Channel 10 newsreader, hired late last year on a $500,000 contract, was the target of "a malicious and unprecedented vilification campaign" after reports he had wanted to sack her.
Confirming her job was safe, Mr McGuire launched a strong defence of Rowe that conflicted with a reported recollection of Nine's former news chief that the network chief executive wanted to "bone" (sack) her. Mr McGuire's rush to protect Rowe came as the network faced more turmoil in the wake of revelations from a highly embarrassing affidavit from former news and current affairs director Mark Llewellyn.
The affidavit is believed to show senior executives pitted against each other, and refer to conversations which include the potential sacking of Rowe.
Jana Wendt, star presenter on Nine's Sunday program, is understood to have consulted her lawyers about her future on the program. It is understood Wendt is disturbed that the sacking on Monday of Sunday director Peter Hiscock leaves her in limbo, because she had an agreement to report to Hiscock and not the program's executive director, John Lyons.
Wendt is also believed to be concerned that Sunday will struggle to continue with reduced funding and staff, amid plans to cut it from two hours to 1 1/2 hours with a mainly low-budget studio format.
Nine faces further highly embarrassing fallout from a second affidavit, written by Hiscock, who is expected to commence legal action against Nine today claiming breach of contract.
Hiscock is expected to threaten court action after Nine agreed to pay him only until August, not the end of next year when his contract expires.
Hiscock last night declined to comment or outline his grievance.
However, sources predicted that an affidavit he prepared would contain revelations even more explosive than those from Llewellyn.
The strife that has engulfed Mr McGuire, recently appointed Nine boss after a career as a game show host and sports reporter, comes in the middle of $15 million worth of budget cuts and 100 redundancies at news and current affairs. For several months, Mr McGuire is known to have been privately highly critical of Rowe's on-air performance.
She was poached from Channel 10 before he took over at Nine and has received much criticism about her on-air performance, including one gaffe involving Brigadier Michael Slater, Australian Defence Force commander in East Timor.
Mr McGuire last night blamed a campaign against Rowe on "our opponents" and confirmed she would remain Today's co-host.
"She has handled this with dignity and grace and has shown a remarkable level of professionalism," he said.
"She has my full support. We have confirmed with her that she remains as co-host of the show."
When The Australian asked last night if Mr McGuire was disputing that he had wanted to sack Rowe - as reported in The Age newspaper yesterday - his spokesman said: "You're referring to a reported statement in an affidavit that he's not willing to comment on."
Llewellyn's affidavit was filed in the NSW Supreme Court last week as part of a failed bid by Nine to stop him defecting to Seven.
Nine accepts that Llewellyn has kept the affidavit confidential as part of a settlement.
But the network's lawyers have tried desperately since Monday to stop publication of its leaked content by media organisations by gaining an injunction in the NSW Supreme Court.
During continuing proceedings in the court yesterday, Nine barrister Tony Bannon at one point tendered as evidence a Page 1 story from a Melbourne newspaper that quoted from Llewellyn's affidavit.
He also tendered an article from The Australian, but then asked to have them "untendered" after realising that the media would be free to report on them if they were accepted as evidence.
The Australian also attempted to seek responses from Mr Browne and Rowe, but they declined to comment.
Arriving at her home in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs yesterday afternoon after a trip to the gym, Rowe told The Australian she "was not talking to anyone at the moment".
But Rowe's husband, 60 Minutes reporter Peter Overton, later spoke out in support of his wife outside the couple's home.
"Jessica is an inspiration. She is the strongest woman I have ever met," Overton said.
As reported by The Weekend Australian on Saturday, it is believed the affidavit says Llewellyn warned the Nine Network that losing Rowe might prompt Overton to quit as well.
Wendt is believed to have canvassed her options with solicitor Michael Harmer of Harmer and Associates.
Sources said she was concerned that staffing levels after the latest redundancy program and cost cuts at Nine could jeopardise continued quality programming.
Hiscock, while officially called "director" at Sunday, was regarded by many as effectively running the program. He was appointed in February to replace Sunday executive director John Lyons, who was sacked by then news chief Llewellyn. Within 24 hours Lyons was reinstated on orders from PBL chief executive John Alexander and Hiscock was shifted sideways with the title "director".
Nine has been locked in a ratings war with Seven, which has overtaken Nine as the top-rating program for news and current affairs.
Seven's Today Tonight is well ahead of A Current Affairs, while its nightly news bulletin is ahead of Nine in key capital cities.
http://network.news.com.au/images/h14_theaustralian.gif