★★★★★ 0/5

Production whispers on Kerri-Anne

Whatever's going on behind the scenes at Kerri-Anne, she's a host who's seen it all before.

29
Leave a comment

TV doyenne Kerri-Anne Kennerley is back in the media spotlight this week following production meetings to address her morning show’s format and the “short notice” given to management before taking this week off.

The moves come at a time when KAK is in contract negotiation with the Network.

A Nine source tells the Daily Telegraph, “There is no gun at her head nor any suggestion her contract won’t be renewed … just a determination to rework it and make (the show) better.”

Off air this week, KAK is replaced by Catriona Rowntree, with Amanda Keller and Jonesy to host on Friday.

But production meetings have said to have debated the idea of a co-host (how about John Stamos?), to tackle ratings winner The Morning Show. Next year TEN’s new Breakfast show could also give The Circle a bigger lead in.

While they’re at it, could they change that flat set behind her please? So very 1990s.

Kennerley told the newspaper: “My experience tells me there’s nothing I can say that will stop the (gossip) merry-go-round. I have been at pilates, played seven holes of golf and I’m having a massage at 5pm … I could just as happily keep doing the same.”

Kerri-Anne is certainly a small screen survivor. If anyone has survived such turmoil in the past it’s KAK.

29 Responses

  1. Latest whisper coming out today in Daily Telegraph(19-10-2011) is she walked after they raised the idea of giving her male a co-host for 2012,Kerrie has been in showbiz for nearly 40 years,l am sure she will get her way.She is currently in negotiations with network.But my personal view a male co-host is good idea to freshen up the show,But what ever the outcome l am sure she will be back next year.

  2. David – I agree the production costs to run Midday will never be seen on Australian Television again. But if you take her show with advertorials at Lunchtime that concept is a point of difference and will work – the show really needs a vibrant insert from somewhere. I have followed Kerri Anne career over the years and have watched the show getting worse. Viewers don’t want gossip everyday from LA with that annoying Womens Day person who delivers it. Australians want stories that hit the pocket which we all can relate too in our everyday lives. Throw in some local artists and comedy along with Kerri Anne as the host and you’ve got a good mix. The question now is: 9am is over crowded with ch 7 and ch 10. Remeber this ; When KAK started Mornings back in 2002, it was only up against Bert Newtowns GMA, and you got to remember KAK killed Bert in the ratings. Then of course, Ch7 thought they’d have a crack at KAK’s revenue and they killed her off and took revenue from her show with their new ideas. Then everyone panicked at Nine and had to play catch up to Seven. Now the lead is too far to claw back, so re-brand the show for lunch time entertainment and re-launch KAK with a crowd.

  3. It has nothing to do with age, Just look at the circle,they have Ding Dong on and she must be at least 60. KAK has had a good run and nothing lasts forever. The problem is the show itself, it is dated. It could still work with Kerrie-anne if Nine put some $$$ into it. The set looks like offcuts from the old Midday Show. TMS is light and fluffy but is pacey and slick. The circle is the only entertaining morning show on. The girls work so well together and with a better lead in next year,hopefully it finds a bigger audience that it deserves.

  4. Its simple – young producers are killing off Kerri Anne.
    Kerri Anne needs an audience to work off – get her a piano player maybe a John Fordham and get the buzz back into the studios. Put this show on at Middday even with the advertorials – if Kerri Anne leaves, viewers will backlash and doesn’t matter who ch 9 replace KAK with it will never work. So get her back at Midday and get into the bigger studio and get a crowd in there! And get a EP that knows something about television – the one they have now wouldn’t know a thing. Lucky for her support staff in the control room calling the shots visually I say

  6. Here’s an idea – KAK at breakfast time. Nine needs to inject some class and intelligence at that time of the day. The sooner Karl Stefanovic goes, the better. He is as bad as TV gets. Oh hold on, there is also Andrew O’Keefe…

  7. The presentation as a whole is disgusting. It’s time to move Kerri-Anne aside and allow 2 new fresh faces to the show. There’s no real words to describe the set, its simply outright disgraceful for 2011.

  8. Most likely for budget reasons, they moved her a few years ago into the Today studio which is a wee bit small for an audience. I believe that they also brought the show under the Today EP’s purview, which would partly explain some of the lack of quality and spontaneity.
    Mornings With KAK was a much better show when it was in the larger studio with an audience.
    Maybe with TMS & The Circle doing well, the timeslot is a bit cluttered with these advertorialy based shows. A move back to lunchtime might give the show a point of difference and re-invigorate it.
    Whatever, she’s a trouper, well accustomed to live television and interviewing on varied subjects. It would be sad to see others such as CR replace her just because she’s 58. Age is just not a good enough argument and it’s about time the broadcast industry here respected experience across the board a bit more. The UK, US and even Asian entertainment industries don’t have this issue because culturally, they respect and even reveer their elders.

  9. KAK is Oz TV Royality, and the only thing that holds her back is the lack of a studio audience.
    She needs them there to work off, and interact with.
    I say revive Midday so those rowdy old age pensioners will have something to occupy rather than causing chasos round town as they do now 😛

  10. Put Ron Wilson and Deb Knight on it, make it more Newsworthy, call it Today Extra and let the adults have their show whilst the ADDers watch TMS and Circle.

  12. KAK is a survivor.
    Let’s celebrate talent and not throw them on the scrapheap after a certain time limit.
    American television for all it’s faults has a good mixture of youth and experience, which is what we need here.

  13. Really time has moved on with this format and style of show. Its little more than a long commercial with those advertorial ads. And people complained that Hey Hey was outdated.Give me a break.

  14. I thought ‘respected’ TV veterans were supposed to have class. Her recent diatribes against refugees etc have been spew worthy. She should retire to writing opinion pieces for the Telegraph.

  17. The show makes Nine a lot of money, with all the advertorial crap they, 7 and 10 are surprisingly allowed to get away with showing, but I agree, she needs a male co-host.

  22. Trying to take her salary down without actually losing her from the show. PS – believe it or not David, the entire look of the show was refreshed last year! It’s just that it’s very Nine.

  24. The whole show is a very dated format.

    KAK and she is great – but she is not enough of a unique personality (like Oprah, Ellen, Rosie etc) to have her own show.

    She need’s a co host – a young male – and it needs to be a morning show (Seven) format.

    KAK alone on the couch talking to viewers on a 1990s pink set is very dated tired TV.

Leave a Reply