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No day but Today for Karl

Karl Stefanovic reckons Mike Munro tried to tell him he'd been offered his job.

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Newly-empowered Karl Stefanovic says in an interview today that there was a time working on the Today show where his esteem hit such a low that Mike Munro once tried to tell him he’d been offered his job.

But Stefanovic hung on, delivering the best he could -a strategy which has ultimately won him respect, and a future at Nine.

Last week there were reports he had held talks with Seven over the hosting gig on Today Tonight. While there are varying stories on the finer details, not even Stefanovic is denying he chatted with David Leckie.

“It was incredibly difficult to go and see what David Leckie had to offer,” he tells news.com.au, “I decided to stay with David Gyngell because I do believe he’s my future and the future of TV. Having told him (about Seven’s approach) he was very matter-of-fact. He said “that’s a good offer (from Seven) but I don’t think you should be doing that show (Today Tonight)”. I’d like to see you doing something else, I’d like to see you finish what you started. I thought it might have been more awkward than it was.”

Of the difficult times at Today he adds, “I know there were several people offered the job while I was in it. Once you’ve had one or two offered your job, you go, ‘you know what, you can have it, but in the meantime I’m going to do as well as I can at it and make it very difficult for you (to replace him)'”.

On Monday Today had 268,000 viewers to Sunrise‘s 346,000, but there are consistent wins in Melbourne and the show has lifted its national score since Lisa Wilkinson joined Stefanovic.

Source: news.com.au

24 Responses

  2. I actually really like Karl, and today. Sunrise panders to the ‘mum’n’dad suburban bores’ who care only about issues like child care – valid yes, but certainly not of interest to many people. Sunrise is mumsy and insipid, and whil Today certainly isn’t edgy, at least Karl and Lisa know how to have a bit of a joke.

  3. @ brisvegas

    Sorry, mate, I was just being a bit sarcastic 🙂

    It’s probably expecting a bit much for some gravitas in a breakfast tv presenter but the man is a bit too blokey, a bit too tabloid and a bit too clueless for my taste. I think Cameron does a much better job in the main seat.

    Go Karl! And don’t come back 🙂

  4. @ jetsam

    🙂 i didnt mean “go Karl” as in “get outta here” lol

    If it came down to Karl, Kochie or (currently, filling for Karl) Cameron – I’d pick Karl any day.

  7. 50% 2 n half men and 50% CSI?

    I have never seen an episode of CSI in my life, and going by what you say the only two shows they play on C9 is those two…. :/
    I swear I saw some other people on Nine as well!!

  8. >> “if you cant remember the last time u watched Nine how can u be commenting on a story about Nine”

    I didn’t say I have never ever watched Nine. The reason I don’t watch it *any more* is because the choice of programming, currently at 50% Two And A Half Men, 50% CSI, is uninspiring, and the scheduling is ridiculously unpredictable. This convinces me to spend my time elsewhere.

  9. Karl is a quite good host, – basically like one of the guys – BUT – he’s not terribly great with the interviews – as pointed out by a few people. In his questioning the interviewee, he uses too much “Tell us EXACTLY……….”, “What EXACTLY……”.
    His interviewing style is more like using a club, where Lisa’s is more like a scalpel.

    On a different note, thinking back, you could tell when he was unhappy on the show – specifically when Jessica Rowe was the co-host. Who would want to get up at 3am, go to work and have her opions forced down your neck? The rapport was obviously laboured. At least with lisa, they at least appear to get along.

    Go Karl !

  10. Yes, we need Coln Carpenter running this Industry!! 🙂

    As harmless as Karl is, he is the essence of white guy. Physically unco, the biggest lack of sense of humor in TV history :), absolutely no flair or zing in his personailty… but you know what? When I’m getting ready for work in the morning, its exactly whats needed, a generic vanilla man that will neither offend nor pleasure us.
    It’s probably why I don’t bother changing channels in the morning, I know I wont miss anything and I know I wont be given anything I have to think about for the rest of the day. 🙂

  11. I can’t see anything wrong about Nine being the future of tv it’s the best of the networks and will be #1 again in the next couple of years thanks to Mr Gyngel.
    And yeah I hear ya JM. I’m almost the same with Seven and only watch maybe City Homicide as pretty much all their shows are grey tv.

  12. I can’t stand Germaine either knoxoverstreet, but there’s a thing called fair and balanced reporting and the interview just made ACA look even more like Today Tonight.

  13. I watch Today because I hate it. It annoys me and it makes me angry. That seems to wake me up in the morning. Its a crap programme, in fact, its the sort of programme which would spell programme “Program” which would annoy me. Even the hostess used the American pronunciation of “Tomato” the other day. That annoyed me too. Its Sydney centric (which annoys me), and karl keeps on elongating peoples names eg. Indira Niii (pregnant pause) Doooooooooooooooooo. which annoyed me.

  14. GuanoLad if you cant remember the last time u watched Nine how can u be commenting on a story about Nine……… love the Nine bashers that dont even watch the network

  16. If David Gyngell and Channel Nine are the future of TV, then that’s a sad state of affairs. I can’t remember the last time I watched anything on Nine.

    Now, if Kim Gyngell was the future of TV, that I could get behind.

  17. karl always cuts or nearly cuts people off..it is like the show is running behind time or he is bored and wants the camera on him. i dont care for him or TODAY since he is on it..same for the homopobic sports person too. he passed a comment about same sex balls at highschools months back and i have never watched him again or TODAY.

  18. Nobody listens to germaine greer she’s full of it! I agree with doris,karl is great & much better then the tools on sunrise especially koch who is useless. Do agree that recruiting lisa was a good idea as she and karl have great chemistry and will eventually lead Today back to the top.

  19. Both Karl and Lisa are the reason for the TODAY show’s recent ratings success. They work well together and are producing a morning show that, while still tackling the important news issues around the world, is light and entertaining and simply perfect for mornings. The show has a good vibe about it now and is simply enjoyable to watch. The entire team should be congratulated on a great job.
    It will not be long before TODAY is number 1 in the mornings again.

  20. Doris, not sure why you mentioned
    ” Four things I have to wake up within the mornings, Karl, Lisa, porridge and prunes not necessarily in that order”
    But they have things in common. I know what Karl, porridge and prunes and do to me!!!

  21. Poaching Lisa was the best move Nine has made in a VERY long time. She’s intelligent and does a great job of hosting live television. I just wish her co-host was someone other than Karl, I still don’t know how he got to where he is. He belongs on Today Tonight, anyone who has seen the ACA interview with Germaine Greer after Steve Irwin’s death would agree – most embarrassing interview ever, he didn’t even listen to a single thing the talent said.

  22. Oh please peoples, Karl’s interviewing is fine, He is light bright and breezy definitely better than the two Muppets on Sunrise. Never was a Lisa fan when she was on Seven but with Karl She is great ….
    Four things I have to wake up within the mornings, Karl, Lisa, porridge and prunes not necessarily in that order ……

  23. Lisa Wilkinson is the only reason that the Today show is doing better in the ratings, plain and simple. Karl is terrible and I agree with you Graeme with his interviewing skills. I can’t even watch the show for 5 seconds when he is on, I feel Jessica Rowe was a bit of a scapegoat in his inabilities. If Seven did try to poach him it just goes to show that they don’t know what the viewers want either, get him off the air.

  24. Why would Seven offer Karl a job. What job.. to host a cartoon show.
    The only reason Today has picked up in the ratings is because people are sick of Sunrise and Liza’s presence.
    Karl’s interviewing skills are dreadful he does not listen. I’d heard him described recently as the Mel (as in Mel and Kochie) of the Today show. Light weight, always giggling. One job he would suit at Nine would be the NRL Footy Show, no skill required there.

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