Latest news with #BeverleyMcGarvey
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The REAL reason The Project was given the chop - as up to 80 people are expected to lose their jobs
More than 80 jobs could be cut following Monday's announcement that Network Ten's The Project will wrap up production later this month, ending a 16-year run on Australian television. Hosts Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris, and Hamish Macdonald will depart the network, while comedian Sam Taunton is expected to continue making appearances on other Ten programs. Speaking to staff on Monday, Network Ten president Beverley McGarvey confirmed the long-rumoured cancellation saying the program 'just doesn't stack up any longer.' In a four minute long speech, first reported by McGarvey said that discussions about ending the light news and current affairs show had been ongoing for years. One of the key reasons, she said, was a shift in media viewing habits, particularly among the show's core audience. 'Younger demographics in particular, who really made the show thrive in the beginning, have just evolved,' she said. 'They're watching different platforms and they're watching different services.' McGarvey admitted the show had lasted far longer than expected: 'We didn't think we'd be here for 16 years.' More than 80 jobs could go once the show winds up at the end of June She said she and other Ten bosses had carefully weighed up scrapping the show 'for years' and the decision was not made lightly. McGarvey also praised the program's cultural impact across Australia. 'It did great things for the media landscape, and more broadly, it did great things for Australian culture. Not many shows resonate in the way that The Project did.' Describing it as 'a click-baity show' that still maintained strong editorial values, she credited the staff for their work. An apology was offered to staff by McGarvey for the short notice, with them having less than three weeks to find new jobs. The Project host Steve Price told ABC Radio Melbourne on Tuesday that 80 people could lose their jobs Price has been a regular on The Project every Monday for the past 15 years. Some reports put the number of affected jobs at up to 100, although many staff are expected to be redeployed across the Network, to other shows or other roles. Price also spoke to Kyle and Jackie O on Tuesday and called the show's cancellation a 'sad day for Melbourne,' where production is mainly based. 'Staff and artists will be left with nowhere else to talk about their products'. The show also had some production work in Sydney. Price has been vocal about the axing and wrote in a column for the Herald Sun on Monday night in which he said that some critics were 'dancing on the grave' of what they labelled a 'woke' series. 'Those ignorant people doing the 'glad they got sacked' dance over the cancellation called the show woke and leftie. Hello, I am the exact opposite of that description, and have been there from almost the start,' Price wrote. 'Show me that sort of political balance on any ABC TV show – you can't.'
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Tears as Ten president addresses staff at The Project after axing, 100 jobs impacted
Close to 100 jobs are expected to be impacted and more than 50 shed when Network Ten winds up production on The Project this month. Ten president Beverley McGarvey apologised while addressing the program's shocked staff at their Melbourne offices on Monday, explaining the network was cancelling the show because after 16 years on air 'it just doesn't stack up any longer'. According to insiders as many as 100 jobs overall will be impacted by Ten's decision to drop the show, which is broadcast six nights a week and has production offices in both Melbourne and Sydney. Among these are program hosts and panellists including Sarah Harris, Waleed Aly, Hamish Macdonald and Steve Price. In a four-minute address to staff McGarvey confirmed Ten management had been contemplating cancelling the program 'for years'. She said this was due to younger audiences drifting away from free-to-air television. The audience that remained, McGarvey said, weren't 'as well served by The Project as (audiences) were back in the day'. 'It's really just evolution and we didn't think we'd ever have this problem,' she told stunned – and teary – staff. 'We didn't think we'd be here for 16 years but as you all know those younger demographics in particular who really made the show … thrive in the beginning have just evolved and they're watching different platforms and they're watching different services. 'For those reasons, unfortunately the show just doesn't stack up any longer.' McGarvey explained the reason the network had decided to cancel the program mid year. 'Honestly it's not a decision that we've made lightly,' she continued. 'It's something we've thought about for a really long time. And I mean years. We have worked over the years to try and change things a little bit and evolve things – as you have all done – and unfortunately we're at the point now where it just doesn't make sense.' The program will broadcast its last program on Friday June 27 because, McGarvey said, it was just too hard to change audience viewing habits in November or December. 'The reason to do it in the middle of the year is that it's just very difficult to do anything at the end of the year, in summer. It's harder then and it's harder for audiences to make changing habits.' She said network executives did not expect ratings to 'quadruple' when a replacement 'extended national news' program is launched as an alternative in the 6pm timeslot. 'We're not doing it because we absolutely believe that suddenly the audience is going to quadruple at that time. It's really about servicing the audience in the timeslot that exist in this environment from a fee-to-air point of view,' she said. The Ten president acknowledged the news of the show's cancellation would be 'difficult' and 'tough' for staff to hear. 'I know it's really hard to hear and today's a really tough day but I think more than any other show that the network has ever had that The Project did a lot of great things,' she said, reading the room. 'It did a lot of great things for the media landscape but I think more broadly it did great things for Australian culture and not many shows resonate in the way that The Project did. And that meant, for all of us, it was very high profile, people liked to talk about it. 'It's a click-baity show and you guys had to live through that. But I think more than anything there's a lot to be proud of and we're really proud of the show and we're really sad this day had to come and it's just a reality that it did. 'You guys have done a wonderful job in a very tough environment and I think the show has always had integrity which sets it apart from many other things and that's been amazing. 'Because of all those reasons, the show getting cancelled after 16 years is much more difficult than shows that we normally cancel after three seasons or five seasons or 10 weeks or whatever it is, so we appreciate that this is difficult and you'll need time to think about it.' McGarvey said it had been difficult to give staff 'short' – just under three weeks – notice. 'It's difficult to give you short notice. It's almost more difficult to keep going when you know that you're not going to be going forever so we've landed on that (June 27) date. 'I want to thank you all for all your work, not just recently but over the years and thank all of the team at Roving, all of the various on-screen talent we've had over the years because you all work hard and they really bear the brunt of the good bits but also the hard bits of the show and we appreciate that and really thank them and also hope that you're all proud that you were part of something that properly changed Australian media. I'm very sorry.'
