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Liam Bartlett sticks with 60 Minutes

Back in March, he slammed the direction of the show, but Liam Bartlett is staying put on 60 Minutes.

The Nine Network is believed to have increased the contract “significantly” for 60 Minutes reporter Liam Bartlett in a bid to keep him from returning to his home city of Perth for a local radio job.

He will stay with the top rating show until the end of 2010.

According to The Sunday Times, Nine’s chief executive, David Gyngell, likes Bartlett’s “hard-hitting, intellectual style”.

“He was definitely a priority at the station,” an insider said. “There was some negotiating, but he’s finally agreed and everyone’s happy.”

Yesterday, 60 Minutes executive producer Hamish Thomson said he was keen for Bartlett to stay with the show.

“He’s done an exceptional job and has certainly proven himself,” Thomson said. “In recent months he has really shone in a wide variety of stories.

One option presented to Bartlett was to stay with the program and base himself in Perth, but he decided against that.

In March Bartlett is said to have criticised the direction of the Nine show, slamming Eddie McGuire’s story on Sam Newman as “not a story.”

This week Seven announced the signing of former Sunday reporter Ross Coulthart to its new Sunday Night programme, to launch in 2009.

Source / Photo: Sunday Times

4 Responses

  1. Bartlett rightly criticised 60 minutes for that story on Sam Newman. But then last night I see him fronting a light weight story on pornography. Surely he should have raised the same reservations.

  2. The quality of the stories on 60 minutes has improved significantly compared with the start of the year, and I imagine Bartlett would probably take a lot of the credit for that. If they lose him they would probably take a dent in their ratings as a result.

    So it makes sense for them to do what they can to keep him happy.

  3. it’s a battle royal, no holds barred in TV land! 7 and 9 are going at it toe to toe! Whos got the skill, the will and the street smarts to win sunday nights? We’ll soon see.

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