Viewers have called for Sunrise guest host David Woiwod to permanently replace presenter Matt Shirvington.
The weekend reporter has been filling in for Matt alongside Natalie Barr on the Channel Seven breakfast show this week while he is on annual leave – and viewers have called for his position to become permanent.
‘I’m starting to prefer Woi over Shirvo. Matt’s done well to improve in his time but David has more authority from a news sense,’ one critic wrote on industry blog Media Spy.
‘Shirvo still doesn’t have that in the way that Karl does with years of rolling news coverage. I’d probably swap the pair and move Shirvo to weekends.’
Another agreed: ‘Woi is an excellent talent capable of handling serious news with authority but also has the warmth and charisma for light stories and celebrity interviews.’
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Viewers have called for Sunrise guest host David Woiwod to permanently replace presenter Matt Shirvington. Pictured David and Natalie Barr on Sunrise
‘Woiwood and Nat have an easy friendship and rhythm that she and Matt haven’t nailed yet,’ a third wrote.
It comes after a new report claimed Seven News bosses were secretly planning to sack some of their most popular and best-paid stars.
Former top news boss Anthony De Ceglie had a plan to axe every Channel Seven personality earning more than $300,000 per year in favour of upcoming TV stars, according to The Australian‘s Media Diary column.
It was planned that Spotlight chief correspondent Liam Bartlett, Seven News chief reporter Chris Reason and Seven News Sydney anchor Michael Usher were going to be quietly dismissed as part of a ‘drastic cost-cutting operation’.
Sunrise and Morning Show presenters Natalie, Matt, Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur were the only high-paid stars not at risk of losing their jobs.
However, De Ceglie’s proposal was met with ‘immediate resistance from Seven’s more seasoned executives’.
Veteran Channel Seven presenter Sharyn Ghidella was axed from the network in July last year, after almost four decades working in the news industry.
Ghidella, 58, the face of Seven News in Queensland since 2007, confirmed the news in a fiery Facebook post at the time.
The weekend reporter has been filling in for Matt alongside Natalie Barr on the Channel Seven breakfast show this week while he is on annual leave
‘I’m starting to prefer Woi over Shirvo. Matt’s done well to improve in his time but David has more authority from a news sense,’ one critic wrote on industry blog Media Spy. Pictured David with Weekend Sunrise hosts Monique Wright and Jude Bolton
She said her ‘tap on the shoulder’ finally came while she was at the salon, admitting it was a ‘relief’ of sorts after several anxious weeks of media job cuts.
But she was determined not to go quietly, as she took aim at the failing network for prioritising gimmicks like astrology readings over keeping veteran talent.
‘When you work in TV for as long as I have, not a day goes by when you aren’t expecting the proverbial tap on the shoulder… After 38 years, my shoulder tap has finally come,’ Ghidella began.
‘It wasn’t quite how I expected it to end at Channel Seven.
‘I was actually sitting at the hairdressers for work, when I got the call informing me, that after 17 years with the network, my time was up.’
Ghidella then said her recent time at the network had been ‘miserable’ and she was glad to be heading out the door.
Queensland cloud watcher Paul Burt and Melbourne crime reporter Cameron Baud were also axed from the network amid a slew of cuts.
Burt lashed out at Channel Seven during an awkward final on-air segment after he was axed by the network in July last year.
He presented his final weather segment and took aim at the network during his sign-off.
‘If I’d had the opportunity I wouldn’t have wanted to go this way. It’s what happens when you get sacked,’ he said at the end of the 6pm news.
