Chris Bath is baffled by how much people care that she’s quitting Seven.
She was ousted. She jumped before she was pushed. Newsroom politics became too much. She wanted more money. The dastardly Samantha Armytage engineered it.
These are just some of the rumours swirling about Chris Bath’s shock exit from her rumoured $800,000 a year job at Channel Seven.
The newsreader is being replaced by Melissa Doyle, a former Sunrise host who was herself replaced by Armytage in 2013.
The truth? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
Oh wait, I’m sure you can.
The truth is, no one knows exactly what caused Bath, 48, to leave her position at a network she’s been a part of for 20 years.
She herself says she’s ready for a new direction; everyone else and his dog begs to differ.
So, let’s examine all the possibilities.
Bath has reportedly had beef with Channel Seven’s news director Chris Willis for years, and there’s speculation the tension in the newsroom became unbearable.
She hasn’t mentioned him directly, but she’s called their exchanges “robust debate.”
“I don’t know a newsroom without tension,” she told the Daily Telegraph. What we call that, my friends, is a non-denial.
Then there’s Samantha Armytage, 37, with whom Bath has had a troubled relationship at the network.
It was Armytage who dubbed her “Bath Vader”, a nickname that Bath ran with, turning up at Channel Seven studios the day after the story was reported carrying a light saber.
Bath has also be accused of leaking rumours about Armytage.
She’s refused to discuss Armytage, except this priceless remark to the Daily Telegraph:
“All I will say on that front is: May the force be with Sam. And I say it with a smile on my face.”
Bath spoke to Triple M’s Grill Team this morning but refused to be drawn on whether newsroom politics hastened her departure.
“You know what, mate, it’s just the right time for me to do something new,” she said.
She was really getting her “bloke” on for Triple M.
“You know what, mate, I don’t want to get myself a new headline with anything. In our game, it’s a pressure-cooker environment, but I have worked, in 20 years, with some of the most remarkable people in that place.”
The Australian reported yesterday that Bath’s salary was an incredible (and probably inflated) $800,000. Bath’s contract expires next month, and negotiations are said to have stalled over pay.
There has been talk that the network wanted to downgrade her pay in line with her downsized duties, after she was replaced with Mark Ferguson on the Sunday to Thursday bulletins.
Chris Bath on why she decided to perform on Dancing with the Stars – and maybe why she’s leaving Seven?
A senior Seven executive told the Sydney Morning Herald, “No, that is incorrect. It was never about the money with Chris, we did everything we could to get her to stay.”
Bath hasn’t commented on her salary, except to say that women should stand up and demand fair pay for their skills.
She hasn’t got a new, lucrative position lined up and has said she’s going to be looking around for new opportunities.
Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes has indicated that he hopes it’s not the end of Bath’s association with Seven, saying he prefers to think of her departure as a “sojourn”, reports the Daily Telegraph.
As her replacement, Melissa Doyle, 45, must be ecstatic.
Just a couple of years ago, the media put her in the “has-been” pile after Armytage, 37, replaced her on Sunrise.
But since that time, Doyle has has plenty of work, presenting the afternoon news for Seven and hosting a popular weekend radio show on Smooth FM.
“My sincere best wishes to @ChrisBath7 as she starts a new chapter. I have big shoes to fill. #sn7,” she tweeted after the announcement.
Bath says she’s amazed anyone cares that she’s leaving her job.
“I’ve been overwhelmed. I’m stunned that people even care. I’ve just had so many wonderful messages from people,” she said on Triple M this morning.
More on Channel Seven intrigue?
What is behind the leaks about Samantha Armytage?
One of your favourite TV journalists is being replaced by another.
Why Melissa Doyle really left Sunrise (and how much is cost her).
Top Comments
when will they put Sam on the "has pile" ugh, everything she says I cringe at,. not a fan of Chris Bath either, I'm team Doyle all the way! might even start watching sunday night now....
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