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Rumour mill: 1. Karl Stefanovic. 2. Today Tonight

All the fun of Sunday rumours in news and current affairs.

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More speculative stories in the media today…. one again floating the notion of Today Tonight returning to Seven, and another suggesting Karl Stefanovic may move on from Today.

Now all we need is a third that brings both rumours together: Karl to host a revived TT anybody?

The TT rumour follows from former exec producer Craig McPherson returning to Seven this week, after working for Nine. If TT did return to 6:30, Seven could get the jump on A Current Affair, currently doing very good business for Nine at 7pm. Whether it a 6:30pm show would literally signal a resumption of Today Tonight remains to be seen. There have been equal rumours Seven could save costs by culling its Adelaide and Perth editions (still on air), given the costs of having dedicated staff for two smaller markets.

Meanwhile the annual rumour that Karl Stefanovic is looking to move on from Today is back (one day it will be right).

“I would like to do more news based stuff,” he told News Corp. “A late show would be tremendous fun, something more entertainment focused, not like The Verdict.

But Karlos is also in contract negotiation season.

His brother Peter joined Weekend Today yesterday.

The Verdict is expected to run until the end of November.

20 Responses

  1. Karl would be great on a show thats like rove (back in the day), or the tonight show with Jimmy Fallon. I think he’d do well in a program like that, and we don’t really have that style of program on Australian television at the moment either.

  2. Nine seem to have been preparing David Campbell very effectively on the Today show for some time and he would certainly be a solid replacement if Stefanoic moved on, but if they really thought about it Campbell would be the perfect host for a nine pm ish Don Lane type late night variety show. Think the market is about ready for a show like that.

    1. It was reported that he is on a 7 figure sum at Nine. If this is not true he would still have to be on a good wicket. My guess is that he is after a role that would stimulate him more such as a late night news/comedy type show. He is probably sick of getting up early and Today Tonight and News reading is really just reading an autocue. He is good mates with David Gyngell and Gyngell will do everything to keep him.

        1. That’s true David but if my memory is correct, I think he was offered the job when his last contract was up so he has to be in the mix. He would be ok on TT only if he could do opinion pieces and interviews. The format would have to change to suit him. They would have to offer him big bucks though.

          1. If they are two separate rumours unconnected then why did you state that Karl would be hosting Today Tonight?

  3. Ye Gods I think I would rather watch Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons than either TT or ACA, neither show is very intelligent at least with the old Rocky and Bullwinkle if you knew anything about US politics it was a laugh, both TT and ACA make me cringe with embarrassment, to me they are both hopelessly juvenile

  4. I want to bring back TT somewhere in 2016. That way it will compete against ACA during its 7pm timeslot. Not only that but push HAA to 72 when TT is on.
    And please… don’t let Karl go!

  5. Today Tonight at 7pm on the main channel, Home and Away at 7pm on 7two. TT would lift ratings in the 7pm slot, and hopefully Home and Away’s loyal audience would follow it to 7two. Although of course we don’t know if it’s economical for Seven to run Home and Away on a multichannel. And 700,000 viewers is nothing to scorn at these days, either. Either way, I doubt Seven would abandon the 1 hour news, that basically just gives Nine another advantage.

  6. I was one of those people that was all for axing TT last time! But ACA has definitely had a free run so now I think they should bring it back. But if they do bring it back, it better be at 6:30! Not 7pm. Plus I don’t want them to move h&a. Be good having the news back to 30mins also! Karl leaving Today doubt it the ratings have been close as of late. And @maxxdude Craig was from 7 so he’s just coming home 😛

  7. I can’t see Karl leaving 9 but who.knows what may happen.

    Who.cares about TT but if it airs at 6.30pm that would likely mean the return by 7 of the 30min news.

  8. Seven just seems to continually poach Nine News staff.. With Today being much more competitive I think Nine wont be letting him go. Let Karl go to night time & bring in Peter & lose Today’s weakest link Sylvia.

    1. You mean “Craig McPherson returning to Seven this week”? Operative word “returning”.
      “Karlos is also in contract negotiation season” and these “rumours” come up all of the time. A cynic would suspect many are spread by the “star”s themselves, or their management.
      Clearly 7 & 9 can’t fill 34 mins of news in a news ‘hour’ without reverting to advertorials for Aldi, Myer, David Jones etc. and using magazine-style filler material. A half-hour News, which is actually 17mins of ‘news’ is an option, given there’s a real 24/7 news channel providing a much broader span of news events.

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