Brisbane’s Channel Seven star Shane Webcke has announced his shock departure from the sports news desk amid the network’s recent staff bloodbath.
The presenter announced the news in a statement on Friday, revealing he will step down from his role in January but will remain at Seven to cover the NRL.
Shane had recently been in talks with Seven management to reduce his working hours so he could devote more time to his family business, the outlet reported. Courier mail.
“After 18 years presenting sport for 7NEWS Brisbane, I have made the decision to go in a slightly new direction and from January I will be stepping away from the news desk,” he said.
‘It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, to allow me more flexibility and more time to pursue my family’s farming interests.
“But I won’t be going too far. I will continue to appear regularly on 7NEWS alongside my good friend Gilly, bringing rugby league news to our viewers.
“I have been treated very well over the past 18 years and I am grateful to Seven for supporting me in this next stage.”
The former rugby league player spent his football career with the Brisbane Broncos, representing Queensland in the Stat of Origin 21 times.
Brisbane’s Channel Seven star Shane Webcke, 49 (pictured), has announced his shock departure from the sports news desk amid the network’s recent staff bloodbath.
He retired from the sport in 2006 and went on to become a Sunday to Thursday sports presenter on Seven News in Brisbane, a post he will hold until January.
Shane is one of a long list of Seven staff who have had their roles reduced or been made redundant amid the network’s cost-cutting bloodbath in recent months.
Seven West Media has cut 150 newsroom staff in a round of redundancies that included big names such as Queenslanders news presenter Sharyn Ghidella and veteran weatherman Paul Burt.
Seven Network’s newly appointed head of news and current affairs Anthony De Ceglie has been replacing section leaders across the country with younger managers.
The presenter announced the news in a statement on Friday, revealing he will step down from his role in January but remain at Seven for NRL Insights.
It has also introduced a comedy slot on Friday nights and astrology on the news.
Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide have new news directors and new executive producers have taken over Sunrise, Weekend Sunrise and Spotlight.
The network has also fired veterans Robert Ovadia, Andrew Frampton and seasoned Melbourne crime reporter Cameron Baud, known to friends as the “Harvester of Sorrows” for his grim reporting.
On the Sydney front, Ovadia – perhaps the most high-profile figure in all the dismissals until Ghidella’s – has announced he will take Seven to the Fair Work Commission for unfair dismissal.
Shane had recently been in talks with Seven management to reduce his working hours so he could devote more time to his family business, the Courier Mail reported.
Daily Mail Australia previously reported that Ovadia allegedly sent a series of bizarre, manipulated images to a young female journalist before he was dumped.
Seven Network was dealt a blow this week when Seven West Media, chaired by Kerry Stokes, suffered a 69 per cent drop in profits to $45 million for the full year.
The group owns the Seven Network and Perth-based channel The West Australian, and its broadcaster was the subject of a Four Corners investigation on Monday.
ABC award-winning journalist Louise Milligan aired allegations of harassment, sexism and a toxic workplace culture in the hard-hitting investigative piece Don’t Speak.
“After 18 years of presenting sport for 7NEWS Brisbane, I have made the decision to take a slightly new direction and from January I will be stepping down from the news desk. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, to allow me greater flexibility and more time to pursue my family’s farming interests,” he said.
Things have only gone downhill since then: Wednesday’s 2023/24 results also revealed pre-tax profits fell by a third to $187 million.
CEO Jeff Howard had a tense call with investors following those results.
“There is no doubt that FY24 was a difficult year for Seven West Media and probably for many in the sector,” Howard told them.
However, investor response was muted: shares rose as high as 16.5 cents after the results were announced, before falling to close at 15.5 cents.
The stock was trading at 40 cents a year ago and has fallen more than 60 percent since then.
Seven West Media is home to some of Australia’s best media professionals, Howard said, but some staff have been told to leave.
“The actions of some individuals do not reflect the values, behaviour and attitude of the company as a whole,” he said.
“We are focused on building a stronger, high-performance culture that enables our great people to thrive and where unacceptable behavior is not tolerated.”