Math, Tash and Tarsh: Boland reveals Wake Up lineup: ‘I was creatively bored at Sunrise’
Ten has revealed the title and lineup for its new daily breakfast show.
From left: Exelby, Hafner, Boland, Belling and Mathison at the announcement
Wake Up will be presented by James Mathison, Natarsha Belling and Natasha Exelby from Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club in Manly with Nuala Hafner reading the news from “a glass box” from a familiar Melbourne location.
The backdrop to the show will be a panoramic beach view.
The show will start before the end of the year, but fitting out the set at Manly is expected to take around two months. The network is also laying a fibre optic cable from Manly to Ten’s headquarters in Pyrmont so that vision from the seven cameras in Manly can be mixed from the control room at HQ.
Boss Adam Boland – who famously paired David Koch and Melissa Doyle for Sunrise – told a media briefing the lineup was reached after a fortnight of screen testing different presenter combinations. He said: “To me this feels like 2001 all over again.”
Referring to Ten’s failed Breakfast fronted by Kiwi Paul Henry and Kathryn Robinson, Boland said: “Chemistry is everything at breakfast. You only had to look at the last Ten Breakfast show to work that out. It was obvious what went wrong with that. It was probably obvious to the people at Channel Ten from 7am on the first morning.”
Boland will be in charge of Ten’s output from 5am to midday.
He was unclear about what time each day’s episode of Wake Up would start and end, although he hinted there would be only about two months a year where the first few minutes of the show would have darkness outside – suggestion a start time of 6.30am.
The network has already announced an as yet unnamed mid-morning show which will be helmed by EP Rob McKnight. Two of the five panellists are Joe Hildebrand and Ita Buttrose with the remaining three as yet uncast. The show’s name is being decided through a social media competition.
During yesterday’s launch, Boland referred to there being “a series of shows we roll out”. He also suggested Wake Up and the mid-morning show would be “bookended” by two distinctive news bulletins, although he would not be drawn on their nature.
The key point of difference between Wake Up and the two established shows of Nine’s Today and Seven’s Sunrise is the non-studio setting. However, Boland also said that Wake Up’s news bulletins would be localised for individual states, something not offered by Sunrise or Today. He said: “We will be the only show in the market doing local news. I wanted to do it for five years at Sunrise.”
There will also be far fewer guests on each show. Boland said most pre-production for the show will be done in the early hours of the morning, rather than the day before, as Sunrise and Today work.
Boland said that the network is also investing heavily on tapping into social media for the show, including four social media producers.
Describing Sunrise and Today’s approach as “AM radio”, Boland said: “How do we do an FM version of a radio show on TV? How do we make the show physically look different? ”
Boland said that Sunrise and Today had now become so similar that viewers struggled to tell them apart, suggesting that the two shows ‘ close rating shave left either one unwilling to take a risk. He said: “From a viewer’s point of view, it’s like going into a supermarket and there’s just one product.”
He said he felt “creatively bored” by the end of his tenure with Sunrise. “Towards the end at Sunrsie there was not enough freedom in the format.”
Boland said that he’s been in the gym and when he looked at Sunrise and Today next to each other, for a few moments he was unable to tell them apart.
Manly council has told Ten it can hold concerts on the beach for up to 30,000 fans. Boland said much of the seafront will be wired for audio. He said: “We’re going to RF the whole beach.”
Boland predicted that he would make mistakes, saying: “I jumped the shark more than once (at Sunrise) and when you do, you just fix it.”
Of the four stars, Belling is a Ten veteran, mainly in news reading roles.
Mathison’s on air roles have included on Channel V and Australian Idol.
Exelby arguably has the lowest profile of the three presenters, having been a reporter and presenter with Ten since 2008. She drew headlines last month when she apologised for a giggling outbreak while reading a bulletin item about riots in Brazil after flirting with a guest.
Hafner made her name with Seven where she worked with Boland.
The announcement preceded a large party in Sydney last night which saw Ten relaunch its offering to the market. Labelling itself, the The New Ten, the network also offered viewers a first look at forthcoming drama Wonderland.
Tim Burrowes
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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I’m bored already……..
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So no New Zealanders on a 457 visa?
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Belling seems a strange choice. A notable newsreader I wouldn’t have thought she had the pizzazz required for breakfast TV. But hey, I might be wrong…
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I like it – nice idea.
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Good luck to them. I think Natarsha Belling could quite possibly shine with a looser format like this.
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What do Sunrise and Today get audience wise? Is it about 250,000 each per morning? And then again I reckon it’s pretty ‘dip in and out’ stuff as most people race out the door for work or take kids to school. That means half-a-million Australians MAX watch breakfast TV. I don’t think this is going to increase the market, more cannibalise from the other two. It’s failed before for Ten because I’m just not sure the audience is there really…
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What about Ita?
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Hi Mark,
Ita is signed to the mid morning show.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Queenscliff Surf Club? Wasn’t Bondi Italian available?
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There’s something about Exelby, I reckon he’s onto to something there.
I hope they do well, it needs a shake up. Easy to lay the boot in, but instead I’ll reserve judgement and wish them well.
Wonderland looks good.
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Im ready for something fresh and new. Something that appeals to a younger audience. Its the same reason why The Project is an important current affairs show as it is completely different to ACA and TT. Well done Adam. I’ll be watching.
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James Mathison just doesn’t seem like a morning person… He’s got those late night eyes.
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If it’s good enough, the audience will come……there’s little to attract them at the moment
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I wonder if Tom Waterhouse will give you odds on this going past 52 weeks…. or rating 100,000 for 3 consecutive periods?
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It strikes me that they are targeting a younger crowd but perhaps ignored the fact that, unlike The Project, their target audience might not even be interested in breakfast television, which is traditionally the domain of retirees and stay-at-home parents.
James Mathison might not have the appeal for a broader demographic beyond the Gen Y types. I find him difficult to warm to, and I’m Gen Y too. Good luck to them, but I’m not confident they will get a big enough slice of the breakfast pie.
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None of the presenters make me want to jump out of bed. Why is everyone forgetting about the ABC in the morning Michael, Virginia and occasionally Beverly, the sports guy is also very good they are the best morning team, they click together and are all natural .Sunrise and Today make my skin crawl watching them make me want to go to work ………
I think it would be very hard to get show stopping hosts who wants to get out of bed at 4.30 am and going down to Manly beach to talk about what is on social media.
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How ironic that social media is denigrating a show that hasn’t even premiered BECAUSE it dares to include a social media as an important element. Im willing to wait until the show premieres before making a negative comment. The calibre of the people behind the scenes is what will make this show stand out from previous attempts.
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zzzzzzz…but I guess something different is something at least…really over Karl and Kochie
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“Creatively bored” if 300,000 plus viewers tuning in to seven every morning is a sign of being creatively bored we should expect more than 400,000 viewers for this morning of creative content and programming from Boland waving his creative wand at TEN.
I don’t think so. The audience of 55 plus loves the creativity Seven and nine put to air every morning. Anyway at least we are engaging Aussie talent. Good luck.
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A breakfast show aimed at young people? Nine did it years ago – it was called The Midday Show. “Good Morning Australia for the unemployed” as Garry Who called it.
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When Sunrise started, a hell of lot of people in the media called it a joke.
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.”
Gandhi
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Finally a morning show that I can watch. The other two shows are the same old thing every morning. And the ABC is just a stage for the Labor party to push all the lies.
And David pushing AFL side port or the labor party.
A
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“Melinda” Doyle?
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Oops! Now sorted. And we’re not the only one: http://www.tvtonight.com.au/20.....ondon.html
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella