★★★★★ 0/5

TEN sacks James Warburton as CEO

TEN has sacked James Warburton as CEO after less than 14 months in the role.

48
Leave a comment

j-warburtonThe TEN Board has given notice of termination to James Warburton as CEO and appointed Hamish McLennan as CEO.

Russel Howcroft, who joined the company last month, will act as CEO until March 18.

Warburton has been dismissed after less than 14 months in the role. Warburton was appointed to the role, and dismissed, by TEN Chairman Lachlan Murdoch. But the appointment led to a much publicised legal case with his former employers, the Seven Network, and months of “gardening leave.”

But he already inherited a network plagued with problems, cost-cuts, management problems and a board of multi-billionaires.

Today Lachlan Murdoch, said: “The Board would like to thank James Warburton for his hard work and contribution during what has been a difficult period for the Company and for the broader media sector. He steps down with TEN’s best wishes.”

TEN has appointed Hamish McLennan, Executive Vice President, Office of the Chairman, News Corporation, and Chairman of REA Group Limited as both Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Company. He has a salary of $1,975,000.

“The Board is delighted to have been able to attract a world class CEO with a strong track record to lead TEN,” said Murdoch.

McLennan added: “TEN is a media business with a strong balance sheet and excellent staff. I look forward to leading TEN through a period of creative renewal and financial growth.”

The news comes just a day after former sales boss Mike Morrison said that the public no longer trusted TEN, but a spokesperson branded his comments, “absolute nonsense.”

This post updates.

48 Responses

  1. Another example of Murdoch and the Richie Rich club ruining Ten. James Warburton leaves a good job at the number one TV network (which even led to legal action) to go work for Ten, only to get sacked.

    1. Conflicting tweets are due to conflicting statements in TEN Press Release:

      “Ten Network Holdings Limited today announced that the Board had given notice of termination to Mr James Warburton.”

      “He steps down with TEN’s best wishes.”

  2. There’s so many conflicting Tweets about this. One says he’s stepped down, another says he was sacked. Let’s hope his replacement works a miracle and brings 10 out of the doldrums.

  4. How do you get a gig like that?

    Leave one network on highly paid gardening leave for 6 months. Arrive at another network, not have terribly much impact, earn a significant salary for 12 months, then get a handy payout of your contract.

    On the serious side, JW will be tainted for quite some time at a media CEO level, but I suspect he was trying to succeed under the tremendous weight of Murdoch and the other knuckleheads on the board.

    Surely the board has to look in the mirror and step down as it is almost mathematically impossible for them to be voted out by shareholders.

    Such a shame for TEN….. Once a great company

  7. It’s so simple..have better shows that actually appeal to an older audience like channel 2 do..that way they would watch the network and not watch shows downloaded by younger audiences..try more HBO type shows and peopel will watch.

  12. Mott gone, Warburton gone. Now get rid of Murdoch and Rinehart and Ten may actually start getting somewhere.

    The network literally has nothing going for it. It doesn’t matter what shows they put on, no one wants to watch simply because it’s on Ten.

  13. Heres the problem and its not Warburton but the people above him. Ever since Murdoch and co have come into Channel Ten the network has spiraled out of control. They are the reason TEN are where they are imo. They tarnished the brand and can’t come back from this. Be interesting if Warburton tries to run back to Seven with his tail between his legs :lol

  14. I seem to recall that James Warbuton was favoured as CEO in-waiting at Seven over Tim Worner. Seems that one out-performed the other by a country mile. This is extraordinary news.

  15. No surprise this happened.
    Due the the analogue TV switch off I fully expect the Ten brand will be retired and the Network plus affiliates will relaunch as FOX FTA before the year is finished.

  17. Wow, stunning but not unexprected news. Nice to see that the CEO job has gone to someone in the News Corp family. Why not go the whole hog and have Foxtel take it over like what happened to Prime in New Zealand? That would be despite Seven being formally blocked by the ACCC to take over Foxtel just a few months ago. Can see this or a future Govt ammending the rules so as not to see TEN go off the air.

    Guessing that Adam Boland won’t be going to TEN now, less so with Warburton gone. Where to now for Warburton, Nine perhaps to lead Nine Sales department?

  19. This is excellent news but the big question on everyone’s lips is how could this man Warburton have made Seven such a success but failed Ten so very badly? Also how do we know the network will change now given the rest of the riff raff is still with the network?

    I only wish Ten would become a competitive third commercial network and the only way forward is to start appealing to a wider and older audience of all age groups 0-99 and leave their digital channels for specific demographics.

    I would love to see a complete overhaul, a new slogan, new logo, new feel etc. and hopefully better things ahead. I would only leave Masterchef and the 5pm news, the only high raters, all the rest can go, start from scratch, appeal to a wider audience and start programming to be number 1 with mass appeal to a mass audience.

    But even with a new CEO, I somehow doubt anything will change. I have a feeling Channel Ten will languish in 4th spot for a long time yet.

  20. The board members should consider their positions or atleast question their capacity to judge a good candidate. This bloke was clearly an amateur from the very beginning.

Leave a Reply