‘One of the most deliberate acts of bullying I’ve ever seen’: Nine news boss slams Daily Tele’s Today Show article
Nine news boss Darren Wick has described an article in The Daily Telegraph relating to Today Show focus groups as a “fabrication” and “irresponsible reporting”.
The article, which was published overnight in The Daily Telegraph’s Sydney Confidential, suggested secret meetings and focus groups were being held following the poor television ratings numbers delivered by Nine’s recently revamped Today Show.
The Tele illustrated the article with an image of Gardner with phrases like “ice maiden” and “smiling assassin” superimposed on it
What rubbish. If you haven’t commissioned focus groups from Day 1 even to tell you what people like you aren’t much of a TV boss. The show won’t last in its current form this year. July re-launch.
Mmm, to paraphrase the Bard, the “manager” doth protest too much methinks.
One must, and should, defend the team at all times, but hurling invective and general sniping is poor form, and I feel that the more you strike out in reply to this kind of criticism or reporting, the more your protestations look and sound like lame excuses.
Ice Maiden? The epithet must be a bit of an exaggeration, but it could be a vital piece of good criticism, albeit overblown. I suggest that the problems ( if they exist) are Isomorphic. This kind of setting is more susceptible to instant comparison by the armchair critics who can easily recognize the simple form, it is also prone to stalling or ad-lib gaffs which always appear like black holes, often seeming much bigger and blacker than they are.
Like all contrived shows, this kind of presentation requires form and direction on a daily basis, with careful checks and balances. Television programming is an art form cradled within a commercial exercise, it is not a commercial exercise power-driven and cast with overpaid good looking people.
The Daily Tele is a reputable, beacon of truth after all. Some big words, too.
The real shock would be if there was a legitimate focus group anywhere in Australia.
There seems a chance that “Focus group of members of the public” = Ring my mates round for some beer and chips at the boss’ expense.
Cry me a river!
Focus group or not, the article in the Daily Tele is spot on.
And Nine is crying foul. Really!
Who at Nine was defending Karlo! In fact rather than defending the bloke under siege, someone at Nine was deliberately leaking against him to destabilize him.
Where was the bullying here, or is it a different set of rules because he is a bloke.
Georgie Gardner is a lovely lady but has always been on the reserve bench because she didn’t have that star factor.
Well done the Daily Telegraph for having the guts to publish.