The year Channel Seven signed its own death warrant: How scandals and sackings have brought the network to its knees

To say Channel Seven has had a controversy-filled year so far is an understatement.

The Bruce Lehrmann Spotlight scandal, a high-profile reporter being sacked for alleged inappropriate behaviour, newsroom reshuffles, the axing of a much-loved newsreader, and the introduction of astrology and comedy into the news bulletin have all caused irreparable damage to the network’s brand.

While all three commercial networks face financial doom due to the ongoing collapse of the TV advertising market, Seven – which proudly calls itself ‘Australia’s number one’ – is teetering on the edge of the most catastrophic decline of them all.

This is because, unlike Nine which owns Stan, Seven has no streaming platform to fall back on once television vanishes – meaning it really is downhill from here.

Things are looking so grim that there are already rumblings of the Aussie network falling into foreign ownership.

Whatever happens, 2024 will be remembered as the year it all went south for Seven. 

Lehrmann legacy 

Channel Seven’s tumultuous year kicked off in April with shocks reverberating from the infamous Bruce Lehrmann interview on the Spotlight program.

Spotlight secured two exclusive interviews with the rapist last year in exchange for a year’s rent at a luxury unit, worth about $105,000, ahead of his defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson in the Federal Court.

The bombshell revelations of former Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach, made in an affidavit, caused Lehrmann’s defamation case to be reopened.

Mr Auerbach had been instrumental in locking down Lehrmann for a pair of exclusive interviews for the current affairs program.

In an affidavit to the court, Mr Auerbach claimed Seven had paid for or reimbursed the former political staffer’s eye-watering expenses, including accommodation, meals, drugs and prostitutes. 

He further alleged in the affidavit thousands had been claimed on a company credit card to pay for Thai massages, against company policy and without the knowledge or consent of Mark Llewellyn, then executive producer of the Spotlight program.

Mr Auerbach tendered his resignation to Mr Llewellyn in a November 2022 text in which he confessed to spending $10,000 on the company credit card that ‘had nothing to do with work’ – but made no mention of Mr Lehrmann’s involvement.

The resignation was not accepted at the time and Mr Auerbach stayed on with Seven until 2023 when his contract expired and was not renewed.

Seven and Mr Lehrmann denied the allegations, with Mr Lehrmann claiming they were ‘an untrue and bizarre story from a disgruntled ex-Network Seven producer’.

Following weeks of damaging claims, Mr Llewellyn left the network.

‘I am proud of Spotlight and proud of the dedicated team who make it, he said at the time.

‘I repeat that any suggestion that I was aware of, condoned or arranged payments for illegal or unsavoury activities is wrong.’

Llewellyn’s exit sparked a chain of departures in April, with Seven West Media chief executive and managing director James Warburton leaving the network two months earlier than expected, and he was joined out the door by Kerry Stokes’ right-hand man, commercial director Bruce McWilliam.

The Lehrmann fallout in April also saw the departure of Craig McPherson, network director of news and public affairs and partner of Dancing with the Stars host Sonia Kruger, after nine years in the job.

Mr McPherson was replaced by Anthony De Ceglie, who was appointed in April as Director of News and Current Affairs and Editor-in-Chief.

Mr De Ceglie is responsible for Seven’s News and Public Affairs programs including 7NEWS, Sunrise, The Morning Show and 7NEWS Spotlight, as well as 7NEWS.com.au.

Bondi Junction massacre blunder 

April also saw Seven’s Weekend Sunrise plunged into turmoil after an on-air gaffe mistakenly labelled a 20-year-old Sydney University student as a cold-blooded killer.

The blunder, which aired during the program’s April 14 episode, resulted in the innocent Ben Cohen mistakenly being identified as the perpetrator of the Bondi Junction massacre instead of the actual killer, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi.

Following the gaffe, several producers were reportedly removed from the program and the network settled out-of-court with Mr Cohen for an undisclosed sum. 

Staff reshuffles

The revolving door kept turning at Seven last month with another round of redundancies.

The network announced a reshuffle of its news leadership team, including a new director of news in Sydney, and new executive producers for Sunrise and Weekend Sunrise.

Sean Power took on the role of director of news for Seven Sydney, replacing veteran news chief Neil Warren, who had been at the network for 32 years.

June also brought the news that up to 150 jobs were to be axed across Seven West Media’s TV and print divisions, as well as the sales and marketing teams, and printing staff.

Ovadia and out 

Another unsavoury scandal rocked the network last month when veteran journalist Robert Ovadia was sacked following an internal investigation into allegations of improper conduct.

Ovadia’s exit came after ABC Four Corners made inquiries about the alleged toxic culture in the Seven newsroom.

Ovadia had been with the network for 23 years and it was reported after his exit the allegations concerned emails exchanged between Ovadia and a former Seven colleague four years ago.

The Daily Telegraph reported a Photoshopped image of a young female producer was at the centre of the decision to sack Ovadia.

The picture is believed to depict a cartoon version of the female producer, but it was not sexual in nature. 

There is no suggestion the allegations are proven and Ovadia has previously said they were unfounded and he would defend himself.

Earlier this month, multiple insiders said there was now a tense atmosphere at the station, with some staff ‘miserable’ and taking sick days to look for jobs elsewhere after a new regime took power intent on shaking things up.

Seeing stars 

This shake-up included the introduction of a horoscope segment into the nightly news bulletins by celebrity astrologer Natasha Weber, better known as AstroTash.

The network didn’t need to gaze into the stars to see the backlash, with one viewer posting on X: ‘Channel Seven news now features a horoscope. What rubbish. Looks like they don’t really care about news.’

Another wrote: ‘Seven News treating the viewers as morons with horoscopes.’

Here’s Humphries 

Channel Seven is also trying to lighten things up with a weekly satirical spot at the end of the Friday night news bulletin presented by comedian Mark Humphries. 

Following the first instalment, many viewers didn’t see the funny side, with one tweeting: ‘Only one problem with the new 6.57pm news idea from @7NewsSydney. It’s not funny.’

Humphries took the criticism in good humour. 

‘The worst thing that was said about me, that stays with me is, “I look like a Ken Doll gone wrong!”‘ he told 2DAY FM’s Hughesy, Ed and Erin.

Others enjoyed Humphries’ spot. ‘A bloody triumph,’ a viewer wrote on Instagram. 

Ghidella gone

However, viewers did not see any humour in the recent sacking of veteran Channel Seven newsreader Sharyn Ghidella.

Ghidella, who had been the face of Seven News in Queensland since 2007, confirmed her sacking in a fiery Facebook post.

She said her ‘tap on the shoulder’ finally came while she was getting her hair done before going on camera, admitting it was a ‘relief’ of sorts after several anxious weeks of media job cuts.

Ghidella took a parting shot at the network in her post.

‘I’m also not one to have my evening news served up with humour and horoscopes either, so, to be honest, it is time to go,’ she said.

Ghidella was reportedly axed from the network because she was on a much higher salary than her co-host Max Futcher. 

Of the changes at Seven, Mr De Ceglie said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia: ‘If people think we are being inventive so far, they haven’t seen anything yet.’ 

Time will tell.