Anthony De Ceglie to depart Seven, successor named
Seven West Media’s news boss Anthony De Ceglie is departing the broadcasting giant to take on a gig outside of the media world.
The Australian Rugby League Commission has named him as the inaugural chief executive officer for the NRL’s newest team, the Perth Bears.
Peter V’landys, chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission, said De Ceglie’s appointment marks an “important step forward” for the sporting code in Western Australia.
“To succeed in Perth, you need a well connected local who knows how to get things done and has a can do attitude,” he said in a media release on Thursday.
“Anthony is a brilliant operator with a proven track record and a genuine Western Australian, and I am excited about what he can do for us as we grow rugby league in the WA market.”
The Perth Bears will be the NRL’s 18th club, joining in 2027.
Seven West Media has confirmed Perth news boss Ray Kuka will replace De Ceglie.
Anthony De Ceglie
As West Australian Newspapers editor-in-chief for five years, De Ceglie ruled over Seven’s newspaper monopoly in the West, before launching The Nightly into the Eastern Australian news market.
He took over as the director of news and current affairs and editor-in-chief at Seven West Media in April 2024, replacing Craig McPherson, who held the role since 2015 and stood down amidst turmoil at the network.
As the news boss, De Ceglie centralised Seven’s TV news team by introducing a national desk, ran by a team of “expert editors in their round” who deliver content across the network.
He hired high-profile foreign correspondent Hugh Whitfeld as director of the news desk, poached A Current Affair’s Sydney bureau chief Gemma Williams to run Spotlight, and moved Sunrise executive producer Sean Power to the role of director of news in Sydney.
He also appointed former finance editor Gemma Acton as the newly-created director of news operations, and poached another ACA head, Chris Salter, as the director of news in Seven Melbourne.
De Ceglie said these hires were “part of a strategy to recruit young leaders to Seven”.
Controversially, De Ceglie also experimented with the top-rating 6pm news bulletin, axing veteran TV news presenter Sharyn Ghidella after 17 years with the network, and introducing a satirical segment, hosted by Mark Humphries, and horoscopes — both of which were quietly dropped shortly after.
“I have loved every minute of my six years at Seven West Media, both as editor-in-chief of West Australian newspapers and more recently as the director of news and current affairs at Seven,” De Ceglie said in a media release.
“The support and guidance from everyone has always been incredible and I am forever grateful.”
Ray Kuka
Ray Kuka, who will replace De Ceglie, is currently SWM’s deputy director of news and current affairs, and director of news in Perth. He will commence the new role on May 19, with a transition period until De Ceglie’s last day on May 30.
Kuka said being charged with leading is “next level” and a privilege he’ll “never take for granted”.
“I love working in television and can’t wait to see what the future brings our staff and our audiences.”
Kerry Stokes, chairman of SWM, said in the release: “We thank Anthony for his contribution and leadership and wish him every success in his future role, which sees him return to Perth.
“The SWM team is full of the best operators in the business. Ray is the ideal person to lead Australia’s number one news and current affairs team to an even better future.”
His successor in Perth will be announced in due course.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the agency beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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Wow, a whole year at 7. Did the stars predict his new gig?
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