Meakin hits back: “I never, ever promised Adam my job”
Seven's Director of News and Current Affairs Peter Meakin denies he promised Adam Boland his job when he left the network.
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Seven’s Director of News and Current Affairs Peter Meakin (pictured) has denied a claim by former Sunrise Executive Producer Adam Boland that he promised him his job.
“I never, ever promised Adam my job when I left the network and that’s because it’s not up to me as an incumbent to choose my replacement. That’s up to (David) Leckie and Kerry Stokes,” Meakin told News Limited yesterday.
“I’m incredibly saddened that someone I have worked with, and the network has nurtured, is suddenly and prematurely taking us to court after only raising concerns last week.”
An Affadavit filed by Boland in the Federal Magistrates Court last week stated, “During the period from early 2003 to August 2007, Peter Meakin, the respondent’s head of news and public affairs, made representations and assurances to the second applicant (Boland) that the second applicant would be appointed to Mr Meakin’s role.”
Boland asked to be released from his two-day-a-week consultancy contract last Tuesday,
But Meakin insists, “I said we could cancel his contract but he would have to stand by the non-compete clause he signed last year. Then the legal papers arrived without warning. I mean, come on.”
Boland is currently in London for the Royal Wedding coverage while continuing in a part-time consultative capacity for Sunrise.
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12 Responses
@Tina Sullivan On the contrary. I applaud Adam Boland for speaking out about the David Campbell story and making his thoughts well known. But whether the story should have run or not was Meakin’s call as News Director – and he obviously made a tough call even when faced with some very strong opinions within. This is what I mean by a “real news man” … Someone who makes hard calls based upon many decades of experience in journalism of all forms.
Bolands’ ego is as big as Warburton’s. They are made for each other.
If one examines Boland’s production/programming record outside morning TV, it’s been disastrous. Example one: The Guy Sebastian special. Example two: the early audience-based Sunday Night episodes.
He’s a one-trick pony. His real talent is building content based on brand funding. Example one: the McCafe sequences in Sunrise; Example two: segments opened with product Billboards; Example three: the weather crosses to locations are more-often-than-not paid for; Example four: The Morning Show, built around infomercials is a cash-cow for Seven … and so on.
That’s why Warburton likes him and needs him at cash-strapped Ten.
i want my bat and ball and iam going home………
@straightshooter .. you want “real news men tackling any issue” — so things like David Campbell, do you mean? Maybe you’re right. Adam was against that story so it wouldn’t have got to air if he’d been in charge. I guess that means he’s not a real news man. Thank God.
Unfortunately most of the “hard and confronting” decisions in News and Current Affairs these days are little more than diet and bra stories. Take a look at ACA and TT sometime. Most of the big decisions are made by the network lawyers, determining how far they can push the boundaries of the law in ripping off another network’s stories, or in the promo departments in determining how big and annoying they can make the Exclusive watermark on the promos.. or how to remove one from footage that they want to rip off.
By threatening legal action, he is actually just stepping up to the plate by playing things by their stupid, and in many cases barely-legal, rules.
Ten is hardly the ABC. Boland would be perfect for Ten. They need someone young and innovative.
Nine have a far better and more likable news boss! No wonder I would most likely see it first on Nine and never watch Seven News. Ten is far better than Seven and ABC are very trustworthy and ad free.
Now, let’s see…
Boland is sueing 7 because he was promised Leckie’s job – but that never eventuated.
Boland is also sueing 7 because he was promised Meakin’s job – but that never eventuated.
I wonder if Boland thought he heard Stokes say something like “just thnk, one day, this could all be yours”…
Who cares what was promised verbally, we have all been there, at the end of the day he signed a clause to stay with Seven and not compete, perhaps the clause should have made him think what am I really agreeing too here.
I wonder who will this saga?
Obviously, only the people involved know what was or not promised to Adam, but as uber talented as Mr Boland has demonstrated, he is at the end of the day a pretty ‘lite’ infotainment executive. Head of News and Current Affairs calls for a significant experience or background in the harder news arena. I don’t think Sunrise and The Morning Show really qualify. I speak from having worked in News/;caff at the ABC, and observed the hierarchy of journos and producers that rise to the lofty jobs. Granted the ABC is best known for its news service, but the commercials have also had some heavier hitters in their top News executives. Boland is in part credited with the swing away from 9 in recent years to 7 in overall viewers, and perhaps he believed that was a his career path post Sunrise.
Sure Adam Boland did a great job in turning around Sunrise and The Morning Show, but adding some well placed froth and bubble to an existing staid formula of morning TV is not the stroke of a news programming genius.
And turning like a brown dog on a dime to hide behind lawyers is also not the hallmark of someone with the intestinal fortitude that is required to make some very hard and confronting decisions as the News & Current Affairs Director role quite often demands well beyond this weeks diet and bra stories.
I think the wunderkind should be allowed to toddle off and pursue other interests once his non-compete is up … so the news can be left in the safe hands of real news men who have the guts to tackle any issue head on and without favour.