Channel Seven has thrown its hat into the ring as it attempts to win the ongoing Sunday night ratings war.
Seven has reportedly ‘poached’ a key Channel Nine employee as they pit Spotlight against rival current affairs show 60 Minutes, the Daily telegram claimed on Monday.
Gemma Williams has been appointed to replace Mark Llewellyn as executive producer of Spotlight after being dubbed a ‘rising star’ at Nine.
The hire is intended to revamp Spotlight following the fallout from the network’s controversial Bruce Lehrmann interview.
Gemma, 25, has media in her blood: her father is A Current Affair executive producer Grant Williams.
Seven has reportedly ‘poached’ a key Channel Nine employee as they pit Spotlight against rival current affairs show 60 Minutes. Gemma Williams (pictured) has been tapped to replace Mark Llewellyn as executive producer of Spotlight after being dubbed a ‘rising star’ at Nine
It comes after the Channel Seven staff massacre took a turn last week, days after reports claimed Mark Ferguson would be ‘shuffled’ as the weekday newsreader.
News Corp previously reported that seven bosses were “warming” to the idea of replacing 58-year-old Ferguson with the network’s weekend team, Michael Usher and Angela Cox.
However, a Seven insider has since told Daily Mail Australia that this is not the case.
Instead, the source is reliably informed. Seven bosses are ready to rob Usher, leaving Cox to present the Friday and Saturday evening bulletins solo.
Executives hope to “save money and increase gender balance” with Cox as a one-woman show on weekends.
Gemma, 25, has media in her blood: her father is A Current Affair executive producer Grant Williams
The hire is intended to revamp Spotlight following the fallout from the network’s controversial Bruce Lehrmann interview. Spotlight host Michael Usher is pictured
In nine, Spotlight will go head-to-head with rival current affairs show 60 Minutes (pictured)
The insider also believes that, contrary to previous reports, Ferguson remains safe in his role.
‘Mark [Ferguson] is the ultimate professional and beloved in the newsroom,” the Seven source said.
“It would be suicide to replace Mark now, and it would be courageous for a new news boss – who has no television experience – to replace the 6pm reader as his first move,” they added.
Seven denied the claims when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Rumors of the overnight commotion in the news come as the Channel Seven carnage continues in the wake of Bruce Lehrmann’s sex and drugs allegations on the network’s flagship current affairs show Spotlight.
Seven confirmed last month that then-news director Craig McPherson – partner of Dancing with the Stars presenter Sonia Kruger – had suddenly left his role as network director of news and public affairs after nine years in the role.
It comes after Channel Seven’s staff massacre took a turn last week, days after reports claimed Mark Ferguson (pictured) would be ‘shuffled’ as the weekday newsreader
He will be replaced by Anthony De Ceglie, who currently works as editor-in-chief for News Corp’s mastheads in Western Australia.
The insider also believes that, contrary to previous reports, Ferguson remains safe in his role.
‘Mark [Ferguson] is the ultimate professional and beloved in the newsroom,” the Seven source said.
“It would be suicide to replace Mark now, and it would be courageous for a new news boss – who has no television experience – to replace the 6pm reader as his first move,” they added.
Seven denied the claims when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Rumors of the overnight commotion in the news come as the Channel Seven carnage continues in the wake of Bruce Lehrmann’s sex and drugs allegations on the network’s flagship current affairs show Spotlight.
Seven confirmed last month that then-news director Craig McPherson – partner of Dancing with the Stars presenter Sonia Kruger – had suddenly left his role as network director of news and public affairs after nine years in the role.
He will be replaced by Anthony De Ceglie, who currently works as editor-in-chief for News Corp’s mastheads in Western Australia.
McPherson is the fourth executive to leave the network in April following the scandal over Spotlight’s lucrative deal with Lehrmann, who was found by the Federal Court to have civilly raped Brittany Higgins.
Seven plans to sack Michael Usher, leaving Angela Cox to single-handedly present Friday and Saturday night news bulletins, a source claims (Usher and Cox pictured above)
Seven confirmed last month that then-news director Craig McPherson (pictured) – partner of Dancing With The Stars presenter Sonia Kruger – had suddenly left his role as network director of news and public affairs after nine years in the job
Spotlight obtained two exclusive interviews with Lehrmann last year in exchange for a year’s rent on a luxury unit, worth around $105,000, ahead of his defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson in the Federal Court.
In the month of April alone, the network lost McPherson, general manager James Warburton, commercial director Bruce McWilliam and Spotlight executive producer Mark Llewellyn.
Seven also became the subject of a defamation case when Benjamin Cohen was wrongly named as the Bondi Junction killer on Sunrise.
The network settled the case out of court in April for an undisclosed amount.
In a press release last month, Jeff Howard, director and CEO of Seven West Media, spoke highly of De Ceglie.
“Anthony brings a compelling vision to the role of Director of News and Current Affairs and Editor-in-Chief of Seven West Media,” said Howard.
“His absolute focus on newsgathering and storytelling will underpin his approach, while his knowledge of digital and innovative mindset will be exactly what SWM needs as we continue to build a better media company.”
Of McPherson, he said: “Craig has been one of Australia’s leading news leaders and we wish him all the best for the future.”
McPherson said he will take a break to spend time with his family.