Nine Entertainment‘s Sydney Morning Herald (subscription required) is reporting that Karl Stefanovic and Nine are negotiating details of his early exit from the rest of his contract, after an episode of his independent Karl Stefanovic Show podcast was removed from his feed but later re-uploaded on Pauline Hanson‘s YouTube channel.
When sharing the episode with controversial UK activist Tommy Robinson, Pauline’s Please Explain channel said:
“It looks like they’re trying to sack my good friend Karl Stefanovic for this video with Tommy Robinson!
Deb Knight was a huge flop for Channel 9 and while she was busy grilling me over One Nation’s polling Channel 9’s ratings were in the toilet.
In 2019 on live TV with her, I called on Channel 9 to bring back Karl.
Now with 6 months to go on his contract the weak management of Channel 9 want to sack Karl over this interview.
As it turns out, the sacking part was right.
This makes the recent decision of a collaboration of sorts between Karl, Eddie McGuire, Nine and ARN one to watch ahead of this Friday’s episode of The Long Weekend, airing at midday AEST on the GOLD Network, iHeart, across social platforms, as well as on 9Now and Stan.
What will become of that if the TV involvement (and presumably some of the financial assistance) is gone?
Additionally, Karl is currently on leave from Nine and his Today Show responsibilities, with these decisions made at Nine done without his physical presence.
That would surely extend to the Friday show, for if Karl is doing it live from London, he would need to be up at 3am. But, he would be used to that from his time with Today, not necessary with some jetlag though.
Nine have not yet provided a comment on this decision with the SMH suggesting that details will be formalised once Karl returns home.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo.
Karl Stefanovic's dismissal from 9 is symptomatic of the kind of content that 9 will not put to air.
Though his podcast of an extreme right wing activist was not on 9, Karl has been associated with 9 whose management are risk averse to advertisers who want to be associated with safe risk averse content.
Bluntly, 9 is more scared of losing "safe branding" advertisers than the the wrath of the ACMA.
Ironically the safe advertisers such as banks, insurance and supermarkets welcome customers from diverse political views.
Yet the content on breakfast tv is devoid of anything of value. I saw that a few decades ago watching the banter between Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley on the NBC Today Show.
I didn't come any wiser. It's the same with breakfast tv in general. Safe, superficial and boring.
Having seen Karl's shows on YouTube where there are in depth discussions with actors, members of parliament and discussing the implications of the CGT reforms is hardly covered not only to the Today Show and breakfast tv, but even the ABC.
His channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTXgkOOvYk0c0_tAExJpxzQ
Having an extreme right wing activist as a guest should not be the snake in a game of snakes and ladders where one's controversial interview is the end of a career.
I don't fancy right wing or left wing activists. None have the high moral ground. They are social antagonists making people uncomfortable and unsafe.
Nevertheless I want to know their shtick and be educated abiut their message. I dont agree with their extreme pigeon holing 'isms' narratives.
Ironically Karl's podcast achieve more views than what is on breakfast tv. Look at the view counts on his YouTube channel.
Furthermore Karl will achieve more monetary success from being on social media than when they were on the MSM: Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and Tucker Carlson.
In a similar vein, Candace Owens was fired from social media channel The Daily Wire after disagreeing with Ben Shapiro regarding Middle Eastern affairs. Candace started her own channel with her populist cintroversial views while The Daily Wire's audience declined.
In summary, Karl's departure from 9 and replacement with a safe presenter will not stop the decline in 9's audience: losing a youger audience, losing cultural influence, struggling with digital strategy and relying on legacy stars.
Anthony, Strathfield South, in the land of the Wangal and Darug Peoples of the Eora Nation.