Channel Seven throws out the rulebook in search for Matt Doran’s Weekend Sunrise replacement: Sources tell INSIDE MAIL who’s in the running – including a wildcard candidate who breaks the unwritten law of breakfast TV

Channel Seven is secretly putting together a ‘hit list’ of seven internal candidates to replace outgoing Weekend Sunrise presenter Matt Doran as it looks to maintain its dominance over Nine’s Weekend Today for two decades.

Doran – once considered a successor to David Koch on weekdays before Matt Shirvington came in – confirmed last week that he would be parting ways with the network after five years fronting the Saturday and Sunday editions of Seven’s flagship breakfast show.

The 41-year-old will appear for the final time this Sunday, putting Seven’s top brass to bed for the ratings-less summer period in a new co-host for Monique Wright before the OzTAM surveys officially resume on February 9 next year.

Still, it’s a headache. Seven executives could have done without it, insiders tell me.

The network has only just breathed a sigh of relief after successfully pulling off a double run of the Sunrise program, replacing longtime co-hosts Samantha Armytage and David Koch within three years of each other..

Natalie Barr has exceeded expectations and proved a ratings hit since replacing Armytage following her departure in March 2021, while affable Olympian Shirvington has won over fans since being handed the torch by Koch last June.

Given that breakfast and morning shows are vital to the continued commercial success of a major network, Seven bosses are well aware that their choice of Doran’s long-term replacement is crucial if they are to prevent Nine from putting them on the heels.

And the pressure to ‘get it right’ has only increased since Armytage announced she had signed with Nine and would fill in for Today during the summer period..

Despite all that’s at stake, seven insiders tell me the broadcaster isn’t necessarily ‘pplacing it safely with Doran’s successor. They may even team Wright with another female presenter, breaking with a long-standing tradition of breakfast shows.

“The problem with playing it safe is that it’s boring and predictable… and boring and predictable television is the death of ratings,” says a well-placed source.

“So nothing is off the table at this point and there are a few surprise options that are being seriously explored and considered as potential Weekend Sunrise combinations.”

Inside Mail can reveal which seven stars are currently under consideration…

SAM MAC

The larger-than-life personality quickly became a Seven stalwart after replacing Edwina Bartholomew as Sunrise’s roving weatherman in 2016.

Since then, the hard-working presenter has appeared on a string of network shows, including hosting First Dates, taking part in the prime-time special The Real Full Monty and, most recently, fronting Sydney Weekender following Shirvington’s full-time move to Sunrise.

He was a firm favorite with viewers and was a finalist for the coveted Gold Logie for most popular personality on Australian TV in 2019, but lost out to ABC funnyman Tom Gleeson.

Is there anything he can’t do? Well, he can’t do everything – and a good weatherman is essential to Sunrise’s continued success. So Seven Brass will face some tough decisions in predicting Sam Mac’s immediate future.

JAAMES TOBIN

You know him, you love him, half of you grew up with him – Tobin first joined Seven twenty years ago as presenter of the popular children’s programs Go Go Stop and The Big Arvo.

In 2008, he signed with the Sunrise team as an entertainment reporter before becoming the ‘Weekend Warrior’ version of Sam Mac by taking on weather presenting duties on Saturday and Sunday mornings the following year.

A versatile talent, he replaced Bernard Curry as host of Seven’s offbeat reality dating show Beauty and Geek for two seasons from 2013 before the show was axed.

When he’s not looking at cloud patterns for Weekend Sunrise, he’s busy submitting stories to Seven’s lifestyle chapter Better Homes and Gardens, after joining the show. as an automotive and technology presenter in 2020.

SALLY BOWREY

Believe it or not (and you might as well believe it, because we’ve been reliably informed that it’s true), there’s actually a third weather presenter in the mix… well, sort of.

In a surprise move, network sources tell me that current Weekend Sunrise newsreader Sally Bowrey is among the candidates being seriously considered to replace the outgoing Doran.

Before taking on her current role, she was of course one of Seven’s most highly regarded weather presenters – and is still known to keep an eye on the skies for us from time to time.

Now, Nine did try an all-female hosting combo on Today five years ago. And we all know how Georgie Gardner and Deborah Knight’s collaboration ended… bat signal imploring crusader Karl Stefanovic to save the day with a glorious comeback.

But maybe Wright and Bowrey will prove to be a winning combination?

LARRY EMDUR

There’s a reason we all want to be as happy as Larry: he’s officially the most popular person on Australian television, after taking out the Gold Logie in August.

If you can think of a show the man hasn’t been on since joining Seven at the age of 19, when he became Australia’s youngest commercial TV newsreader, you’re doing better than us.

Heck, he even fronted Weekend Sunrise alongside Armytage for a year in 2010 before hosting The Morning Show with Kylie Gilles for over a decade.

Yet Emdur already has a bit of a side job at Seven, having replaced troubled former network star Andrew O’Keefe as host of weekday quiz show The Chase.

We understand why seven executives would love to parachute him in to save Weekend Sunrise, but even Larry deserves a day off.

MICHAEL USSER

The former 60 Minutes presenter left Nine in October 2016 after leaving his role as a globetrotting news and current affairs reporter to replace Melissa Doyle as weekend newsreader for Seven’s Sydney news bulletin.

He took on a second gig at the network, presenting late-night news offering The Latest, five years ago before having to give it away in March when the show was moved to Seven’s Perth studios as part of a cost-cutting initiative.

The man affectionately known within the industry as ‘Musher’ has since filled his spare time by reading the intros for Spotlight.

However, he’s only recently been paired with rising star Angie Asimus in the weekend bulletins and we think the network experts will be reluctant to make any sudden moves on that front before the experiment is completely over.

DAVID WOIWOD

Seven’s man on the ground in America made headlines this weekend as speculation mounted that he had entered the fray to replace Doran.

The Where’s Wally lookalike has been with the network for the past eight years, toiling as a Sunrise reporter from 2016 to 2020.

He moved to La La Land as a foreign correspondent in July 2020 before being promoted to head of the US agency in April last year.

A fascinating and personable young star, he is difficult to rule out.

MARK BERETTA

When it comes to gun reporters, few are as aptly named as Beretta.

And if you look at Berett’s Wikipedia page, you’d think he’s already landed the gig replacing Doran, as a hastily edited update describes him as “co-hosting Weekend Sunrise with Monique Wright.”

We’re not sure how reliable Wikipedia is… is anyone?

But given his successful reign as one of Seven’s brightest stars, we wouldn’t be surprised if “the free encyclopedia” knew something the rest of us didn’t.

For the latest informed gossip on what’s really happening in Australian media and politics, read the next INSIDE MAIL column next Thursday