Programmer John Stephens takes over in Melbourne as caretaker as Graeme Hill resigns
Veteran Seven programming consultant John Stephens, who was at the centre of a court battle between Ten and Seven in the first half of the year, will take temporary charge as Melbourne program manager after the long-serving Graeme Hill resigned today.
Hill has spent 33 years with the station, including 14 years in Melbourne.
He said: “Seven has been a big part of my life and I’d like to thank everyone for their support – and the laughs – over the years. It’s great to go out on top with another win and I’m looking forward to having a nice long holiday.”
On Hill’s departure Seven Melbourne managing director Lewis Martin said: “We’ll miss Hilly but after 33 years of service we also understand the decision. He leaves our Melbourne station in great shape and we wish him every success for the future.”
In March Ten announced it had hired Stephens as director of scheduling and acquisitions which resulted in a legal stoush between Seven and Ten, with Ten taking Seven to court after Stephens opted to remain with the network.
The ongoing battle between the two stations saw an email exchange between Stephens and Ten CEO Hamish McLennan published in which Stephens blamed the influence of heavy painkillers for his decision to leave Seven for Ten.
During the court case McLennan said he felt Stephens was the only person to turn around the network’s rating woes and admitted Ten was seeking to prevent Stephens from working for Seven or Nine, and also admitted to offering Stephens his full salary at Ten even if he did nothing for the network.
The end result saw Ten lose its legal bid to prevent Stephens from working for two years for Seven, with the court ruling that Ten had to also pay for its rivals legal costs.
Miranda Ward
Linkedin