Apparently the 3am wake ups are starting to wear a little thin.
He’s accompanied our cereal and toast for eleven years now, and by the sound of it Karl Stefanovic is ready to walk away from co-hosting Today for good.
The Gold Logie winner is negotiating his role at the Nine Network this week and, according to The Australian, there’s a strong possibility that he wont be returning to head the program with Lisa Wilkinson in 2016.
It’s bound to be worrying news for the network, who is just starting to bridge the ratings gap between Today and its rival program, Channel 7’s Sunrise.
While Stefanovic has said he is keen to move on, there seems to be no obvious replacement for him within the Nine Network. Former Today sports host, Ben Fordham, has been mentioned as a potential stand-in, so too has Stefanovic’s younger brother, Peter, who just this week joined the Weekend Today team as a permanent news reader.
The question is, whether these blokes would be up for the challenge.
The truth be known, there’s quite a bit work that goes into being Karl on Today.
You have to be in top physical condition:
And on top of your game for the big interviews:
As well as professional and collegiate:
And be relentless about chasing down the big stories:
But, to be fair, Ben Fordham has proven that he’s got what it takes:
According to The Australian, Karl Stefanovic is after a permanent primetime gig within the network. While he has split his time been Today and 60 Minutes over the past decade, it’s said that Stefanovic wants his seven-figure annual salary to go towards a light-hearted late night show.
“I would like to do more news based stuff,” he told The Sunday Mail. “A late show would be tremendous fun, something more entertainment focused, not like The Verdict.”
Let’s hope that this is all just a salary negotiation gambit and Karl plans to stay on morning tv forever.
We didn’t ask him for a comment on that, but we can safely assume he’d probably respond with something like this:
Who would you like to replace Karl Stefanovic on Today?
Top Comments
I just don't like Karl's style. But why not just get his brother Peter to replace him. There is so much nepotism goes on here. What about Leila McKinnon back to treading the pavement as a special reporter or filling in for Tracey Grimshaw - when her husband is the CEO at Channel Nine? There must be so many other talented journalists that could be given a chance.
I don't watch morning TV so I can't offer an opinion - but damn, I feel like chasing seagulls now. It's the absurd things that make life interesting.