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Axed: The Circle

Breaking news: TEN revamps its morning line-up by axing The Circle but keeping Breakfast.

TEN is revamping its morning line-up by axing The Circle and retaining its struggling Breakfast show.

The Circle will air its final episode on Friday, as part of a new line-up of programming from Monday August 6th, including several US titles.

This includes:

· The Talk: US weekday talk show hosted by Sara Gilbert.

· TEN Morning News: Hosted by Ron Wilson.

· Entertainment Tonight: Entertainment magazine institution, part of TEN’s CBS deal after Nine did not renew.

· The Insider: Spin-off of Entertainment Tonight.

From August 6, Breakfast will run from 6am to 8.30am, presented by Paul Henry, Kathryn Robinson and Magdalena Roze. TEN is yet to comment on rumours the show will undergo a further revamp.

In a statement TEN thanks Pam Barnes, the Executive Producer of The Circle, hosts Gorgi Coghlan and Yumi Stynes and show staff.

“The decision to cease production of The Circle is unfortunate and was not taken lightly. But tight fiscal control and cost discipline are a core part of our strategy,” TEN CEO James Warburton, said.

Network TEN Head of News and Current Affairs, Anthony Flannery, said: “We appreciate the efforts and dedication of everyone involved with The Circle, including Executive Producer Pam Barnes.

“Network TEN remains focused on providing viewers with a comprehensive News and Current Affairs line-up from breakfast to bedtime, with Breakfast, TEN News At Five, The Project, TEN Late News and now TEN Morning News,” Flannery said.

The Circle has struggled since the exit of Chrissie Swan and Denise Drysdale in December, using guest co-presenters.

Beginning Monday August 6th:
• 6am to 8.30am: Breakfast
• 8.30am to 9am: Wurrawhy
• 9am to 10am: The Talk
• 10am to 11am: TEN Morning News
• 11am to 11.30am: Entertainment Tonight
• 11.30am to 12: The Insider

This post updates.

94 Responses

  1. TEN have been very quick to remove all existence of The Circle from their iPhone application where you could watch episodes. It was on the app yesterday (Thursday). As of today, the show has been completely removed…they didn’t even upload the final episode! Idiots!

  2. @ Spiro
    “brain at bottom of pool” hardly piercing, particularly for a bloke brave enough to bare his chest to bullets, Channel 7 cameras and the Men’s Health cover. And particularly following Gorgi, who called him “the perfect embodiment of masculinity”.

    I think how the tabloids treated (and trashed) Yumi, and fired up the worst online hate campaign this country has seen, bears much closer examination for its implications for Australian media, gender relations, the military, racism, and online discourse.

    But I definitely agree with you regarding the grace and professionalism with which all involved with the Circle have conducted themselves, and the void for women-focused television its axing creates.

    “Andrew Bolt has a short programme on Channel 10 on Sundays. It is noted that his programme is very popular in country areas, yet unfortunately many country areas are unable to receive Channel 10. As stated previously by Mrs Rinehart, Mrs Rinehart hopes that should Mr Bolt’s time permit, that he would consider longer programmes on Channel 10.”

  3. @bonobo
    Yumi’s comment “He’s going to dive down to the bottom of the pool to see if his brain is there” is a little stronger than referring to the guy as “dim” as you suggest.

    Having said that (It’s all history now) and can I just add my voice to the many disappointed to see this wonderful show taken off air. As I currently watch the second last episode I congratulate both Gorgi & Yumi for showing grace, strength and humour when inside they must be feeling devastated.

    Aussie TV will be worse off for no longer having a show like The Circle on air.

    Will miss you guys x

  4. Don’t believe everything you read in a tabloid hate campaign. Yumi never made distasteful comments. Negus (arguably) did. She just asked Negus to confirm it- “Are you, George Negus, intimating he is a dud root?”. The tabloids (and men in general, particularly in the ADF) find Yumi makes a more enjoyable target than Negus. I think blokes subconsciously find it easier to attack a woman because they know she can’t come round and punch their faces in, whereas a man conceivably can). The worst Stynes said was that Roberts-Smith looked dim- Channel7 did show him standing in his jocks and muscles and tatoos staring vacantly into the middle distance. His own mother could make such a joke and it wouldn’t be mean or distasteful.

    Sad that even her defenders, including Mia Freedman/John Birmingham et al, accepted the tabloid version of events and said “I don’t condone what she said, but the response was disproportionate, she made a mistake, move on.” She didn’t make a mistake. Her mistake was being an articulate, strong, attractive, Eurasian woman sharing a couch with a confusing George Negus.

    Now there is no morning show for women at home that does not feature a male host with a fawning female co-host (and that includes Ten’s Breakfast).

    At any rate, the ratings did not change much before or after Dud-root Gate. Ten just didn’t invest in new hosts, promotion or a decent lead-in show.

  5. If they had let Yumi go for shooting her mouth off all the time, the show could and should have continued and worked as a 1 hour show only, without any of the advertorial crap.

  6. Wow, I didn’t see that coming… so instead of (what I believe to be) a quality local show capable of producing a logie win for the network, morning viewers are treated to US tabloid gossip “news magazine” trash in the form of Entertainment Tonight and the Insider. I used to enjoy ET a decade ago when there was interesting stories, but now its just gossip-magazine material. Poor move ten…

  7. RIP Ten
    Death by a thousand fails.
    Was resilient till the end but Paul Henry retaining his job was the killer blow.
    Farewell, ONE HD awaits you in TV afterlife

  8. This is good news. Entertainment tonight is a good show and as I like “the View”, it will be interesting to see what “The Talk” is like. When Chrissie and Denise left “The Circle” probably for wanting more money, it was doomed to fail especially when they didn’t get regular replacements so it thier own fault. I’m probably one of the few people who like Paul Henry, he tells it like he is and is funny, but then, I don’t know how they work out the ratings, no one asks me what I watch. Ron Wilson is great, I’m happy with the new line up.

    1. Neither Chrissie nor Denise left over money. Chrissie returned to radio which allowed her more free time than TV demands to spend with her family. Denise lives in the bush and prefers to work part time.

  9. @ Aurora: I’m not referring to the classification edits TEN make to ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’. I’m referring to the timing edits they make. Two minutes is removed from every single episode to make it run to time…scenes are trimmed back and the opening and closing credits have been removed from every episode. This started on 23 February 2012…the day ‘Breakfast’ started and because the kids show is in the 4pm timeslot before Bold.

  10. The Circle went downhill after Yumi’s degrading comments about the Australian soldier, and I was told yesterday that she made two more comments that really was the last straw.

    Well, you know what they say: three strikes and you’re out.

  11. In my opinion advertisers wouldhave stayed clear of this show once Yumi Stynes denigrated the name of one of our soldiers. Everybody could see thorugh the subsequent “apology.” 10 should have bit the bullet at that stage and removed her from the show. At the end of the day it was a correct commerical decision that could have been avoided if the network had the “kahunas” to act appropriatelty earleir on in the year.

  12. In the end, the success of these shows is really about the people who front them. The Circle was much more popular when Chrissie Swan/Denise Drysdale were there, so why didn’t TEN pull out all stops to find credible replacements – even take some risks with new talent (e.g The Project). Breakfast has the reverse problem – it has been unpopular from the beginning mainly because of Paul Henry. The solution is the same though – replace him with someone who is credible, fair and informed.

  13. the circle girls would have been better suited to the breakfast panel, when i wake up henry’s not the first person i want to see. these girls would have been a breath of fresh air in early morning television. such a shame!

  14. @ Aurora: you’re incorrect I’m afraid. I’m not referring to the classification edits TEN make to ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’. Two minutes is removed from every episode to make it run to time…ever wondered why the opening and closing credits have been removed? This all came into effect on 23 February 2012…the day ‘Breakfast’ started and resulted in the kids show being moved to the 4pm timeslot. The classification edits are additional edits when necessary.

  15. Sad to see a harmless (and not overly expensive) show disappear from our mornings.

    But why 10 is persisting with Breakfast beggars belief. I called it before it started. Why oh why do we need a morning breakfast program on 4 networks?? Surely, some (carefully researched) alternative programming would be the way to go. Offer an alternative and make it work. Just doesn’t make sense to me!

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