2007 | Boxcutters

News from Channel 9 this morning that Eddie McGuire will no longer be CEO of the network.

This from the Nine media release:

Mr McGuire said he had greatly enjoyed the executive role but said: “I am of the view
that my best contribution to Nine is in the creative elements of the business and that has
prompted this change.”
“I am looking forward to the change in role and to continue working with the executive
team at Nine. I have made a commitment for the next 5 years and we have a clear
mandate to produce the best local content in Australia.”

Of course, there will be those of us (me) who will say “I told you so” but that’s not the point. Nine was in some trouble when McGuire took over and his job was to make it recover rather than make it worse.

It was a bad move all along. As far as Eddie’s “contribution to the creative elements” goes, well, I’d love to hear what you think that contribution entailed.

Eddie McGuire has quit as CEO of Channel 9.

According to a statement from the network, McGuire will step down from the role on June 30 to spend more time on air, after taking a mid-year break for the first time in his career.

McGuire says the decision to quit was his and he wasn’t forced to resign.

Talking to Neil Mitchell on 3AW, when asked about his decision, he said: “Because I think it can add a lot more — because I can, to be perfectly honest.

“The opportunities that have been presented in front of me lead me to do some things I’ve always wanted to do and really get the balance right in my life.

“I’m really delighted that all things in my career have come to this point today.

“I am very much up on my toes and excited about my future.”

He said he took on the CEO’s role as a “circuit breaker”.

“I was sick of being on camera. I took the job because I’d had enough of what I was doing.

“In hindsight I should have had a bit of a holiday before taking on the CEO’s job.”

Asked whether he had any plans to return to the Footy Show, he replied: “Not at all”.

Ian Law, the CEO of Nine’s parent company, PBL, said the ratings at the network had taken a hit from McGuire’s on-air absence.

“It has become clear over the past 12 months that Mr McGuire’s absence from on air as a key host has impacted on the ratings of the network,” he said in the statement.

“The performance of 1 v 100 in addition to his executive duties shows how significant Eddie’s contribution can be to our on air line up.”

Eddie will continue as a member of the executive team of Nine, working closely with the director of programming on concepts and ideas for new shows. For the moment, he’ll remain based in Sydney.

Details sourced from The Age, Daily Telegraph, SBS, Bloomberg, NineMSN

Veronica Mars is the latest show to be caught in the whoosh of an axe, swinging through the air. So much hot and cold, back and forth had been going on for the past month, it’s not too surprising.

From the interweb:

NEW YORK – The CW [the Country Western for those playing at home –BB] network canceled the cult hit “Veronica Mars” and will try to pick up steam in its second year with series about the snobby rich, transplanted families and a bounty hunter for the devil.

The network, created out of the ashes of the former WB [Warner Brothers — BB] and UPN [United Parcels Network… surprisingly — BB], had already ended the long-running family dramas “7th Heaven” and “Gilmore Girls.” On Thursday the ax fell on “Veronica Mars,” which starred Kristen Bell as a wisecracking teenage private eye.

Corporate parents CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc. had hoped the CW [Country Western — BB] could become a fifth major network by combining the best of its predecessors, but it has often slipped behind Univision in the ratings during a disappointing first year.

Full Story

Here’s a nice little scene I wouldn’t mind the government using our taxes to run in an advertising campaign.

From McLeod’s Daughters:

Don’t you wish, when you write a comment on a post, that you didn’t have to go back to the page to see if anyone has replied to your comment. Well dream no more, my Boxcutting siblings.

When you write a comment, you’ll see a subtle checkbox underneath the comments area which allows you to ‘Notify me of followup comments via e-mail’. To receive an email whenever someone adds to the comments on a post you’ve contributed to, just click the checkbox before hitting the Post button.

Once you have an updater set, you’ll see a link to manage your subscriptions and your email details where the messages get sent.

Enjoy!

A couple of sites in the US are reporting that, due to poor ratings, NBC isn’t renewing the US version of Thank God You’re Here.

Everything I’d read until this morning had been positive about the viewer figures – quite the interesting turnaround.

Looks like Jericho is doomed, rumours circulating it won’t be back next season.

Meanwhile 24 has been greenlit for another two season. This should take them through until 2123 in 24 time.

Recent changes to parts of the blog that you don’t usually see (people in the know might call it the back-end) have meant that our RSS feeds have changed.

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Sorry for the confusion.