Report: Kapalos consults lawyers on TEN dumping
Helen Kapalos has reportedly called in lawyers after being "disgusted" about the way management handled her exit.
- Published by David Knox
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Helen Kapalos has reportedly called in lawyers after being “disgusted” about the way management handled her exit on Friday.
After TV Tonight revealed the Melbourne presenter’s contract would not be renewed it has since been reported by The Age, The Australian, Herald Sun and generated angry Twitter responses.
Wil Anderson:
Ch 10 sacks Helen Kapalos and keeps Paul Henry. That’s like buying an avocado and only keeping the stone…
Tom Elliott:
I can’t believe Ten has just sacked Helen Kapalos from its Melb news. No jobs are safe in tv anymore …
Jonathan Creek:
“@theagebreaking: Boned: Ten sacks Kapalos: this is quite possibly the dumbest decision http://bit.ly/Z0MSdv ” #Moveonmal
Tim Campbell:
#kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #kapalos #Booooooooo!!!
Kapalos herself tweeted ”Fall down seven times. Get up eight” shortly before boarding a flight to New York.
But The Age reports she was told after finishing her Friday bulletin by Melbourne news director Dermot O’Brien and human resources boss Graeme Kethel.
She was told her contract would not be renewed when it expires in March and would not be offered other roles.
By 6.30pm the network had blocked computer access and cancelled her security pass, which sparked legal threats. After a tense standoff, management allowed her to access her computer to print a travel itinerary for her NY holiday while friends helped clear her desk. Mal Walden is believed to have called about 10pm to offer support.
Sunday Telegraph reports others who have been reportedly sacked include Sydney sports reporter Paul Cochrane, reporter Gabrielle Boyle, health editor Sheryl Taylor. Others to depart include Senior producers Amy McCarthy and Brad Hodson.
Early reports that Bill Woods had been sacked were denied by TEN.
So far TEN’s only statement on Kapalos has been, ”We will not be renewing Helen’s contract, the details of which we will not discuss publicly.”
A source close to Kapalos told The Age ”It wasn’t personal, it was business, but it should have been handled much better.”
Kapalos launches www.helenkapalos.com.au today.
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31 Responses
Good luck Helen, hope you are taken on by a network soon. Perhaps sky news or a multi-channel can pick up your services. As for Channel 10, people will continue to desert the network.
@Danny 1.11pm – I think your two sentences must rank as the most perspicacious and loquacious to ever grace my monitor’s pixels.
I read them about 5 times. If you’re not a poet, you should be!
@David – is Howecroft joining Ten a postive thing?
I enjoy the Gruen Transfer but despite his affability and asking “Yeah?” at the end of each sentence I find something peculiarly mercenary about him.
So many comments about this boned newsreader – like me, I suspect most of ‘straya has no idea who she is. She must be pretty good to get such a big reaction from her Melbourne audiences. My sympathies to her – nothing fun about being ‘let go”.
Quoted on page 1 of the Sunday Age today David Knox, kudos to you and your wonderful site!!
Anyway, this lady has been treated dreadfully, would it have killed them to end her employment and allow her a bit of dignity. Thank her for her work and have it, publicly at least, look amicable. Instead it has turned into yet another PR disaster for this once pioneering network.
Not saying it is right but…..
Good lord people, have you not followed show business for the last forever? It never gets handled well and when you are out, you are out now. It’s happened to presenters, TV series, producers, directors, pretty much everyone who works in the business.
If you want work, the worst thing you can do is sue, makes you an unattractive option for future employers. You join the beast, you take on all aspects, good and bad.
Unbelievable! All of this in the context of Paul Henry & Andrew Bolt continuing! Political, political, political. Sheryl Taylor is one of the real gems of Ten News. Her reports are second-to-none. The decimation of Ten News will go down as one of the major nails in this network”s coffin. The saddest part is that TEN has had a news department with integrity, fairness & enthusiasm for many years. Going, going, gone. Me too!
Russel Howcroft joins TEN in new year.
I wonder if Gerald Stone is busy on his next book – “Who Killed Channel 10?” It’s got to the point where you need to avert your eyes from the train wreck – too painful to watch. Don’t the management at Ten understand first they do the firing, and then they are fired?
Go for it Helen I hope you sue them out of existence
I cannot believe what I just read!
Ch 10 need to take a good long look at themselves!
That is a disgusting, disrespectful way to treat anyone!
Good Luck in whatever you do next, Helen.
Bruce Gordon, WIN-owner and TEN’s largest shareholder, arrives in Oz this week. Reckon he’ll be buying lots more shares at under 30 cents.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words well have a look at this:
hfgapps.hubb.com/asxtools/Charts.aspx?asxCode=TEN&chartType=3&volumeInd=9&TimeFrame=D6
Very true David. Instead of a tangible avowal containing soundness, the high and mighty engage in recreation of semantics leaving us with the duty of finding the connotation.
The human race of television is indubitably capricious and even more gung ho. But instances such as this are futile.
I agree with Wil Anderson – Ten has certainly got rid of an avocado and kept the stone.
They should get rid of Paul Henry, Andrew Bolt and of course Lachlan Murdoch.
Just curious – is this one of Russell Howcroft’s initiatives?
Wasn’t he hired recently to improve Ten’s fortunes?
Sacking a highly popular and professional newsreader and treating her like garbage is not the way to attract viewers IMO.
For Ten not to renew her contract is one thing but to treat her in such a terrible manner is disgraceful.
The chances of Bill Woods remaining behind the 5pm desk are basically non existant. His contract is due to expire and Ten have made it blatantly obvious they are sacking their experienced staff and switching to single presenters. A huge mistake on their part. You can’t buy experience.
Over the years the amount of times I have heard networks say “This is untrue” only to then become true in the weeks that follow is ridiculous. It’s all about the way you phrase things.
I hope it’s not true about Gabby Boyle and Sheryl Taylor. If Bill Woods is goes i’m officially switching off Ten.
“Fall down 7 times and get up 8.”
The ABC should contact Helen and see if she wants to head across to Perth, be a good addition to the New 5:30pm News Bulletin they’re planning. After all Helen was a presenter on Nightline and Sunday, worked in News And Documentary at SBS, so she’d be an asset (especially going up against TEN at 5:30pm).
Have things really changed at Ten? Wasn’t Tracey Spicer sacked via email after returning from maternity leave in 2006?
I really hope people continue to desert Channel 10
What I don’t get is if her contract is up in March why was she ‘let go’ this week? Will she be paid out for the next 4 months?
Helen was the reason I watched ten news when I could. Professional. Eloquent. Beautiful. As a long time ten fan, even I’m becoming a little lost with ten. I honestly believe that Murdoch will bury ten. Someone who cares needs to do a dawn share raid and throw out the dead wood management. RIP Ch 10. Murdered 2012.
Truly disgusting. A network in crisis doesnt behave well, but thats not an excuse.
What a disgrace, Ten.
This is still sad news for Helen, it is never nice to ‘lose’ a job that you really love and care for. However “contract not renewed”……doesn’t seem to give any lawyers any leeway unless there were options on both sides. From a viewers perspective I don’t watch ch10 news, so I don’t care and the numbers were not that big but I can understand how she must feel…
The lack of empathy, professionalism and experience in the Ten ranks these days is outstanding.
When will this so called high profile Board stand up and admit their mistakes. Surely they are not a proud bunch any more ! Hang your heads in shame.
Very sad to hear how this has been handled. Just terrible on TEN’s part.
As I said in my previous comment, I didn’t really like her much as a news reader but this heavy handed approach by Ch10 to block computer access and cancel her security pass so quickly is pathetic!
Ch10 what are you doing? Hope you get taken up by another network quickly Helen.