‘The radio silence makes no sense’: When will the new Seven CEO front up?
It’s been over a week since Seven West Media announced the immediate departure of CEO James Warburton and new head, Jeff Howard, is still yet to talk publicly.
On a new episode of the Mumbrellacast, editor Neil Griffiths and publisher Adam Lang shared their thoughts on the move by the network, given the string of controversies it has endured in recent times, including a former Spotlight producer claiming Seven paid for drugs, sex workers and more to secure an interview with Bruce Lehrmann, and the TV giant facing a lawsuit after incorrectly reporting the identity of the Westfield Bondi mass murderer.
Griffiths noted that despite multiple attempts by Mumbrella during this time, Seven has continued to decline to comment.
“That seems pretty crazy to me, because you’ve made the change. It’s been speculated. You’ve gone through the trenches. Jeff’s in now. How the heck has Jeff Howard not gone on a press tour?” Griffiths said.
“Talk, get moving. The radio silence makes no sense to me.”
Lang agreed, saying that it would be a boost for Seven for Howard to “step up, step in” and lead the company as its new CEO.
“Seize the moment,” Lang said.
“[Australia] can be the best in the world in this industry. And frequently, we show we are. Not always, but frequently. And so, let’s get that back on track, you know? Seven should be, I think, recognised as a trade brand and an employment brand for its people, for its trading partners and match it up with where they are with the consumer brand.”
If there is a strategy behind Howard’s silence since last week’s announcement, Lang questioned “whether that’s the right one”.
“Speculation loves a vacuum. And here we are, case in point, speculating because there is a vacuum of information coming out of Seven. They’re not saying anything. And so, I think that speculation will continue,” he said.
“So I think that’s really the space to step into is ‘What are we going to say? What path are we charting? How are we communicating that to our teams and to our partners?’”
Listen to the full episode here.
Subscribe to the daily newsletter
Have your say