Seven’s Sunrise guru Adam Boland set to depart
Seven is facing a fight to keep Adam Boland, the producer credited with taking Sunrise to the top, with reports that he has told the network he will not renew his contract when it expires later this year.
Although Boland has not made any comment, according to an article in The Australian today: “Boland has made it known at the network he was unhappy over Seven News had run a story about NSW minister David Campbell’s secret gay life.” Seven covertly filmed the minister entering and leaving a gay sauna, and Campbell resigned shortly before the news report was aired.
However, The Daily Telegraph reports that the move may be for family reasons.
Boland – Seven’s director of morning television – is responsible for both Sunrise and The Morning Show. His responsibilities have grown in recent months with Weekend Sunrise’s Sunday edition growing to three hours in length and the introduction of a Saturday edition. Along with the new 5am Sunrise Extra featuring highlights from the previous day, Boland is responsible for 35 hours of television per week.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Boland will not renew his contract when it expires in November.
However, there still seems to be some confusion about whether Boland will actually move on.
News of his likely departure first emerged in a tweet from Sarah Harris, a journalist on Nine’s rival The Today Show who posted: “Farewell to EP Adam Boland of @sunriseon7?? Rumour hot off the press from Channel 7 staffers..”
However, she later posted: “Relax everyone, word is Adam Boland of @sunriseon7 is staying put. Phew! Brekky TV will tomorrow be as it should..”
Today’s Sydney Morning Herald reports: “Seven and Boland are still talking, and, in any event, Boland is contracted to the end of the year.”
Seven is likely to work hard to change Boland’s mind, given his impressive track record. As well as taking Sunrise past Today, he launched the Morning Show which raced past Nine’s Kerri-Anne Kennerley and the since-axed 9am With David & Kim.
However, in recent months, Nine has narrowed the gap dramatically, and Today consistently wins Melbourne. After hearing news of Boland’s move, one source at a rival network told Mumbrella: “Looks like they picked the wrong week to give up sniffing glue.”
Yesterday saw Sunrise score 382,000 metro viewers to Today’s 322,000, according to preliminary overnight metro ratings from OzTam. However, Today averaged 101,000 to Sunrise’s 82,000 in Melbourne while the programmes were virtually neck-and-neck in Brisbane. And Seven’s The Morning Show scored 199,000 to KAK’s 117,000. Ten’s The Circle rated 81,000.
At the time of posting, Boland and Seven’s spokesman had not responded to Mumbrella’s request for comment.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Sarah Harris’ comments were a bit confusing, but she wasn’t trying to say that Boland would be staying on permanently; she was pointing to the fact that Boland isn’t leaving immediately.
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Anyone else confuzzled by this sentence? “Yesterday saw Today score 382,000 metro viewers to Today’s 322,000, according to preliminary overnight metro ratings from OzTam.”
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Sun is setting over Sunrise?
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I’m more confused as whether Adam is or isn’t leaving Seven? Seems like a non story to me.
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It should read Sunrise with 382,000 and Today 322,000. Nine spin is amazing. Notice how they only talk about Melbourne now and not Sydney. That’s because Sydney has swung back to Sunrise. As for “neck-and-neck in Brisbane” they’ve got to be kidding. Next they’ll be saying “we’re number one in Wagga”. Kiddies it’s the national figure which counts.
Sunrise is up year on year nationally (and obviously on a higher base than Today) .
At the start of the last 2 years the Today mob has claimed they’ll be number one by the end of that year. So far, as usual, they’re all talk.
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is he were to go over a matter of principal David Campbell story i would respect him even more
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Thanks, Matt… my bad, now corrected.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
well that is some great reporting from Sarah Harris and tech savvy of her as well
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Rumour has it Sarah Harris has been begging 7 execs for a job for years but to no avail – so you do the maths??? A journalist with her nose out of joint trying to take a cheap shot????
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