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Make it Matt Doran

If Peter Meakin is considering adding someone else to Wake Up, readers have two words for him: Matt Doran.

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Matt DFurther comments from TEN’s new boss of News and Current Affairs Peter Meakin says he is considering adding someone else to struggling breakfast show Wake Up.

That’s despite the removal of Natasha Exelby last year.

Meakin told The Australian, “It clearly wasn’t working, but things can be fixed slowly and effectively rather than brutally with people and the show itself. Maybe add someone else to the mix, maybe have some other role and someone doing the weather because they do look a bit lonely sometimes.”

So here’s a tip that won’t cost the network any money or research: make it Matt Doran.

Ever since the show began TV Tonight readers have championed for Doran to be included on the show:

  • Getting rid of James & Sam Mack & bringing in Matt Doran will bring some credibility to the show. Also hiring a better newsreader will help.
  • I think they need to move Matt Doran to Wake Up.
  • James Mathison is the weak link.He looks as though as hasn’t got any knowledge of what is going on around him.Matt Doran would be great!
  • I was hoping Wake Up would be a success but it has been one big old hot mess since the beginning. I love the location but the hosts have just never clicked. Perhaps replacing James with Matt Doran would be a start.
  • Surely Peter Meakin would make changes before swinging the axe. Like we have all said on here before, bring in Matt Doran!
  • I do agree with a lot that is being said, in particular having Matt Doran as co-host.
  • I don’t dislike James at all, however I don’t think he is suited to this, I think he would have made a better roving reporting, I agree with most people that Matt Doran would be great, he and Natarsha have a great chemistry that really comes across the screen
  • Natasha Belling should be on news. I don’t particularly dislike Nuala, but Belling is yards ahead in terms of professionalism. She could cross to Matt Doran in the newsroom for updates throughout the morning and chat with him a bit.
  • Viewer feedback has worked once with this show so here goes… Replace “matto” with Matt Doran. He fits well with Natarsha Belling and has credibility and likeability
  • matt doran and natasha belling have proven chemistry together
  • Matt Doran should replace James immediately.
  • I would love to know if Matt Doran was tested as a potential co-host? I just can’t take James Mathison seriously, he would have been a better fit for Studio 10 instead.
  • Now James to go & Matt Doran to the desk please.
  • Matt Doran and Tarsh Belling i’d be happy with.
  • Natarsha Belling is the pick of the three but she needs Matt Doran with her.
  • Now they are down a host, can Nuala split local news duties with Matt Doran in the Pyrmont studio.
  • Changes need to be made. Matt Doran & Natarsha would be a good combo.
  • Keep Natarsha Belling bring in Matt Doran & Reuben Mourad to do the weather.
  • Wake Up needs to say goodbye to James & Nula, move Tash to the news desk & bring in Matt Doran with Natarsha then I might watch.
  • James Mathison (should have been Matt Doran he has killer chemistry with Natarsha)

Meakin also said was not about to start wielding an axe on the show.

Yesterday despite telling the Sunday Telegraph the show was looking at “maybe another six months” today he clarifies, “Six months is not a deadline.

“Commercial television being what it is and even with a network as patient as Channel 10, something has to give. You can’t just live with those figures forever.”

Whatever changes are made to the show the way forward is not to mimic Sunrise and Today but to play it straight as a news-based show, with a broader touch than ABC News Breakfast. Doran could help achieve that. The rest is up to producing and marketing.

28 Responses

  1. Agreed. Why can’t we find out when Roy & HG are on? Their show was the best part of the Sydney games telecast and I still have those old VHS of The Dream – it’s still funny!
    Also agree with Gretel Killeen, very under rated talent.
    Bring in Matt Doran, and his twin brother Ryan Phelan on sport, get Kerri Ann to do something stupid (which she is very good at) and at a long shot, get Charlie Pickering to do some hard hitting interviews (again, he is very good at it!)

  2. Would it be naughty of me to suggest since they’ve got the Olympics plus Roy & H.G. why not have them show up on the show and advertise the fact. Even if it is “Live crosses” or the like. Isn’t it a wasted opportunity? Plus people keep complaining they can never find out when they are meant to be on TV. I watched an ad or two and I agree. It’s a complete mystery when the show is meant to be on. Whereas Wake Up actually has a reliable time it is meant to be on. Of course it isn’t a long-term solution. Just an idea. Possibly a bad one.

  3. I think Matt Doran is a suitable presenter for Wake Up. He has been having a good stint on Ten Eyewitness News since 2010. Maybe Matt Doran might replace Nuala Hafner.

  6. Matt Doran has good chemistry with Natarsha, and having him would improve the presenting standard. I don’t ratings would rise immediately if he was to replace James, but I’d say new viewers would be more likely to stick around if it was him hosting as opposed to James Mathison.

  7. Matt is not the issue…..James is the issue with this type of show…He is not suited to this type of program. And if Ten is going for an older audience….then this guy does not the right guy. He is suited to a younger audience.

    From the few times I have seen Matt and Natasha together on air I certainly was not blown away by the chemistry between them like many here seem to remember..So I don’t feel Matt is the answer.

    Head hunting a name from 9 or 7 is the way to go…Just like Today did with Lisa when they were in the doldrums .

    Look forward to seeing Mr Meakins Changes.

    Studio 10 is excellent and beats the competition hands down.

  9. Network TEN Is like a precocious teenager. You tell it to do something til your blue in the face and it will still do the opposite. People have been crying out for it to move The project back to 6pm-7pm and move reality back to 7pm. They have said keep new reality away from Sun, mon, tue so it doesn’t compete with MKR & The voice. But will they listen?

  10. Matt seems to have a small noisy fan base but he is not the answer. He may have looks and a bit of talent but not the star power this show needs. People are just not going to dump Sunrise or Today to watch a B Grade team. Even if they poach Larry or Andrew O’Keefe they are still up against 2 powerful shows with really good formats. The market is just too crowded.

  11. WakeUp needs Matt Doran! Natarsha Belling is a natural star and i love watching her on Wakeup. Actually i only watch Wakeup becuase of Natarsha. Not sure why James Mathieson was chosen as he has as much charisma as a plank of wood. Matt and Natarsha have great chemistry and should be brought together. I don’t mind Nuala, i think she’s great but not sure the Fed square location works. if you look at the other AM shows its becuase of the chemistry, Thats what got me hooked on Today a few years ago.

  12. I think the problems ten is having across the board are due to the fact they lost the support of their audience by changing things around too much and axing popular shows like the circle, lack of promotion is also a problem, compared to other channels promotion is scarce and could be better.

  13. While Matt Doran may not bring killer ratings at least he has a proven chemistry with Natarsha Belling from when they did the weekend news together. He also has a news background & wont resort to sarcastic schoolroom humour like James Mathison who together with Sam Mack & Nuala Hafner are out of their depth.
    Can’t wait to see what Peter Meakin does.

  15. I think the best thing Channel 10 could do is scrap Wake Up! but keep Studio 10. Matt would only do little. The problem here is there is too many breaky shows running. Channel 10’s best bet would be to maybe compete with ABC for kids and ABC 3. They could have Disney Channel shows like Mickey Mouse etc. instead. It would boost the ratings and kids would love to watch it on TV. Not everyone has Foxtel. Plus ABC does not have Mickey Mouse. Mornings on Ten would be similar to Saturday Disney which used to be on Channel 7 every Saturday Mornings.

  16. Poaching other media talents from rival networks could work, but it also costs money to do that.

    @Bullswool I agree on your second comment.

    Many people have watched Sunrise/Today for years, therefore that’s their routine and many don’t want to change the channel to Ten. Again, this is also reflected in primetime viewing as well. That’s the core issue that Ten is facing.

  18. Matt Doran might improve the content of Wake Up, but he’d do little to improve the ratings.

    Most viewers still don’t know who he is. Wake Up needs some bigger names to be a success.

    Bringing someone like Andrew O’Keefe in alongside James, Tarsh and maybe Magdalena as Weather Presenter would be a good mix.

  19. Studio 10 is already great. It doesn’t need any changes. If it can’t rate obviously there are a lot of people who think “oh that’s on Ten. It must be crap”.

  20. Karl Stefanovic??? Andrew Okeefe??? Matt White??? Larry Emdur??? Maybe one of these big guns could be just what Wake Up needs.

    Personally I think Andrew Okeefe would be great. I don’t particularly like Karl Stefanovic, I just know he is popular with a lot of people.

  21. @steviem – Matt Doran is from Melbourne. Your not liking him has nothing to do with Sydney, and everything to do with the fact that he is about as interesting to watch as a piece of cardboard.

  22. What most people dont realise is apart from Sydney the vast majority dont like snoot noised Sydney people….we want people we can relate to , like and connect with.

    Matt Doran and everyone else that has been on Wake Up are just another bunch of Sydey people we dont like.

  23. I’m not sure Matt Doran is the answer, I think Meakin will look at poaching someone from 7 or 9 (look at how well Sarah Harris turned out). I think
    Andre O’Keefe or Nick Etchell – someone he knows has been exposed to a larger audience and will have a base to carry over.

  24. Doran would definitely be great for the show but has anyone considered what might be great for Matt Doran? Perhaps he doesn’t want to jump onto a sinking ship? A job on Wake Up is not a prized role, it’d be a profile demotion. He’s much better in the newsroom.

    Meakin clearly has little enthusiasm to keep the show and any business minded man would see axing the show as an easy decision. If they do change the presenters, that will be the team holding the bomb when it explodes.

  25. I don’t see Matt Doran lifting the ratings or success of Wake Up…have watched him on TEN late news and he always came off as bland. I actually like James Mathison

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