Seven denies Leckie to exit Seven role

Rumours on the succession plan for Seven boss David Leckie have emerged once more with an Australian Financial Review headline today “Leckie on the move in new Seven line-up”.

The paper goes on to report “Seven West Media chief David Leckie will celebrate his 21st anniversary as a television network boss later this month but he’s unlikely to be in an executive role for much beyond the August 28 anniversary.”

It indicates  Tim Worner, the head of Production and Programming, is to replace him and that a succession plan has been in place since the merger of West Australian Newspapers and Seven Media Group as Seven West Media.

But a Seven spokesperson told Media Week: “Our rejection of their assertion was somewhat buried in the story and particularly so in the headline. Nothing in the claims.”

Speculation about the succession of the colourful Seven CEO emerges regularly in the media, fuelled by his robust performance in the witness box during the James Warburton case against Seven.

Update: The Australian has run an email Leckie issued to staff today which says in part: ‘Once again I am writing to you to ensure that we correct another false and inaccurate article which appeared in the Australian Financial Review this morning. It is all the more disappointing because we rejected the claims when they were put to us yesterday, but they still ran the story. The Chairman wanted me to pass this on from him: “I am disappointed as I categorically denied the claims when they were passed on to me yesterday.” Meanwhile we are number one and we are focused on being number one.’