Channel Seven’s billionaire owner Kerry Stokes hosted a lavish lunch at his Darling Point home in Sydney for top stars on Friday amid ongoing struggles at the beleaguered broadcaster.
Several prominent 7News reporters and executives arrived at the 84-year-old’s multi-million dollar beachfront mansion to enjoy a long lunch of delicious dishes prepared by celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi.
Among those in attendance were 7News weekend anchors Michael Usher and Angie Asimus.
Usher, 54, looked dapper in a navy two-piece suit paired with a white button-down shirt, while Asimus, 39, exuded sophistication in a short-sleeved royal blue maxi dress with a pleated skirt.
Chatting to Asimus was Gemma Acton, who looked elegant in a dark blue mid-length dress.
Spotlight star Liam Bartlett, 63, and executive producer Gemma Williams, 25, also made an appearance, while Chris Reason, 59, and newly appointed Director of News and Current Affairs Anthony De Ceglie They seemed to be in good spirits at the meeting. .
Mark Ferguson, 58, arrived dressed in a collared shirt, khaki pants and brown boots.
Her 7News weekday co-anchor, Angela Cox, stepped out in a navy crew-neck dress and paired it with closed-toe beige sandals.
Channel Seven’s billionaire owner Kerry Stokes hosted a lavish lunch at his Darling Point home in Sydney on Friday for his top stars amid ongoing struggles at the beleaguered broadcaster.
Several prominent 7News reporters and executives arrived at the 84-year-old’s multimillion-dollar oceanfront mansion for a long lunch.
Several other Channel Seven stars were absent from the evening, including Sunrise’s partner.hosts Matt Shirvington and Natalia Barr.
Barr is currently flying back to Australia from Washington DC, where he was covering US election week.
Her co-host Shirvington has been reporting from the Sydney studio alongside Monique Wright.
Wright, along with Sunrise sports presenter Mark Beretta and meteorologist Sam Mac, who flew to South Africa this morning, also appeared to miss the Stokes feature.
Additionally, The Morning Show co-hosts Larry Emdur, who won this year’s coveted Gold Logie, and Kylie Gillies did not appear to be present at the private luncheon.
Michael Usher and Gemma Acton are pictured outside the Stokes property before lunch.
Usher, 54, looked dapper in a navy two-piece suit paired with a white button-down shirt.
Spotlight star Liam Bartlett, 63, and newly appointed Director of News and Current Affairs Anthony De Ceglie appeared to be in good spirits at the meeting.
Stokes’ reunion with the Seven team comes during a major reshuffle of roles and titles amid a ratings bloodbath.
Last month, Usher and Asimus were named co-hosts of the Friday-Sunday 6 p.m. bulletin.
Veteran Seven journalist Asimus will continue to present weather for Sydney’s weekly news with Ferguson and Cox at the desk.
It comes after Sharyn Ghidella’s replacement was announced earlier this month after the beloved presenter made a controversial exit from Seven.
Angie Asimus (left) wore a royal blue dress with a pleated skirt, while Spotlight’s new executive producer Gemma Williams (centre back) was seen chatting with other guests.
Delicious dishes were prepared by famous chef Guillaume Brahimi (pictured)
He was seen unloading items and ingredients on the Eastern Suburbs property.
Sarah Greenhalgh will take over as co-host of 7News Brisbane’s flagship 6pm bulletin, it was revealed in October.
Recently, several employees were made redundant as part of Seven’s cost-cutting strategy.
Seven West Media has cut 150 editorial staff in a round of layoffs that claimed big names including Sharyn Ghidella and veteran Queensland meteorologist Paul Burt.
Mark Ferguson, 58, arrived dressed in a collared shirt, khaki pants and brown boots.
De Ceglie, recently appointed head of news and current affairs at the Seven Network, has been replacing section leaders across the country with younger managers.
He also introduced a Friday night comedy and astrology ad to the news.
Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide have new news directors, and new executive producers have been put in charge of Sunrise, Weekend Sunrise and Spotlight.
The network has also sacked veterans Robert Ovadia, Andrew Frampton and experienced Melbourne crime reporter Cameron Baud, known to his friends as the ‘Harvester of Pain’ due to his grim news beat.
On the Sydney front, Ovadia – perhaps the most prominent of all the sacked figures until Ghidella – has announced he will take Seven to the Fair Work Commission for unfair dismissal.
Stokes’ meeting with Seven’s elite comes during a major shake-up of roles and titles amid a ratings bloodbath.
