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Media question Meakin’s future

Seven's News and Current Affairs boss Peter Meakin has denied his position is to be given to Seven's Brisbane news director, Rob Raschke.

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Seven’s News and Current Affairs boss Peter Meakin has denied his position is to be given to Seven’s Brisbane news director, Rob Raschke.

Raschke last week told colleagues he planned to move to Sydney to take over the running of Seven News in the new year, claims The Australian.

It follows reports that Seven Chairman Kerry Stokes has been unhappy with the News boss, exacerbated by the recent outing of NSW Parliamentarian David Campbell. Stokes is said to have expressed that view at a Board meeting.

He was also unhappy with Meakin’s handling of a Sunday Night story about SA Premier Mike Rann and his alleged relationship with Michelle Chantelois. Seven later ran an apology.

Crikey last week published quotes from Meakin about his future, in which he cheekily said of his future, “I don’t know if I’ll last that long. Certainly, a lot of people would be happy to see the back of me.”

Last week Seven News Sydney averaged 416,000 to Nine’s 392,000 (Monday – Friday).

A Seven spokesman told The Australian there were no plans to move Raschke from Brisbane to Sydney.

Source: The Australian, Crikey

6 Responses

  2. How quickly they forget. Seven News would still be languishing in the ratings doldrums if it were not for Meakin. He knows the Sydney television news market better than anyone. Stokes only needs to look at the parade of 1990’s news directors who stuffed up ATN’s news. Rashke will only repeat the mistakes of the past. When will these outsiders learn that Sydney siders don’t want Arthur and Martha half hour bulletins?

  3. Raschke, if he were to leave the Brisbane station, he would be given a hero’s sendoff by the Brisbane newsroom.

    I’d say there were probably some projects that BTQ had on the backburner (Gold Coast news, 5:30 solution, after all, a good week for Deal in Brisbane, won’t make up for the poor start it’s had in 2010) that may get funding prominence, with a local ear in Sydney.

  4. It’s starting to feel like the Leckie/Meakin era is coming to an end.
    Meakin’s errors of judgement, are a generational thing – we are more shocked by the tabloid and intrusive nature of these stories, than the actual content. If they are damaging the brand no wonder Stokes is not happy.

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