Channel Seven is secretly drawing up a ‘target list’ of seven internal candidates to replace outgoing Weekend Sunrise presenter Matt Doran as it seeks to maintain its two-decade dominance over Nine’s Weekend Today.
Doran, once considered a weekday successor to David Koch before Matt Shirvington came on board, confirmed last week that he would be parting ways with the network after five years at the helm of the Saturday and Sunday edition of Seven’s flagship breakfast show.
The 41-year-old will appear for the last time this Sunday, giving Seven’s top brass the ratings-free summer period to bed a new Monique Wright co-host before OzTAM polls officially resume on February 9 next anus.
Still, it’s a headache that seven executives could have done without, insiders tell me.
The network just finished breathing a sigh of relief after successfully pulling off a double take on Sunrise’s flagship show, with co-hosts Samantha Armytage and David Koch being replaced three years apart..
Natalie Barr has exceeded expectations and proven a ratings hit since replacing Armytage following his departure in March 2021, while the affable Olympian Shirvington has won over fans since Koch handed her the torch last June.
Channel Seven is currently drawing up a ‘target list’ of network stars to replace Weekend Sunrise co-host Matt Doran (pictured) following his shock resignation on air last week.
Monique Wright shed tears when Doran announced she would not be returning to Sunrise in 2025.
With morning and breakfast shows critical to the continued commercial success of a major network, Seven bosses are keenly aware that their choice for Doran’s long-term replacement is crucial if they are to avoid Nine nipping at their heels. .
And the pressure to “get it right” has only intensified since Armytage announced he had signed with Nine and would be replacing Today for the summer period..
Despite everything at stake, seven experts tell me the broadcaster won’t necessarily be “p“put it to safety” with Doran’s successor. In fact, they may even have Wright team up with another presenter, breaking with a long-established tradition on breakfast shows..
“The problem with playing it safe is that it’s boring and predictable… and boring, predictable television is the death of ratings,” says a well-placed source.
“So nothing is off the table at this point and there are some surprise options that are being seriously looked at and considered as potential Weekend Sunrise pairings.”
Inside Mail can reveal that the seven stars currently being considered are…
MAC SAM
The larger-than-life personality quickly became a Seven stalwart after replacing Edwina Bartholomew as Sunrise’s roving meteorologist in 2016.
Sunrise’s biggest weather presenter Sam Mac is vying to replace Doran
The presenter has since appeared on a number of network shows, including hosting First Dates, competing on primetime special The Real Full Monty and, most recently, fronting Sydney Weekender following the time move full from Shirvington to Sunrise.
A firm favorite with viewers, he was a finalist for the coveted Gold Logie for most popular personality on Australian television in 2019, but lost out to ABC comedian Tom Gleeson.
Is there anything I can’t do? Well, you can’t do it all, and a good meteorologist is essential to Sunrise’s continued success. Therefore, Seven Brass will face some difficult decisions when forecasting Sam Mac’s immediate future.
JAMES TOBIN
You know him, you love him, half of you grew up with him; After all, Tobin first joined Seven as presenter of hit children’s shows Go Go Stop and The Big Arvo two decades ago.
In 2008, he signed with the Sunrise team as an entertainment reporter before becoming the ‘Weekend Warrior’ version of Sam Mac by taking on Saturday and Sunday morning weather presenting duties the following year.
Veteran Weekend Sunrise meteorologist James Tobin could be chosen to make the decision
A versatile talent, he replaced Bernard Curry as host of Seven’s offbeat reality dating show Beauty and Geek for two seasons from 2013 before the show was axed.
When he’s not looking at cloud patterns for Weekend Sunrise, he’s busy filing stories for Seven’s lifestyle staple Better Homes and Gardens, having joined the show. as your 2020 motoring and technology presenter.
SALLY BOWREY
Believe it or not (and you can believe it, too, because we’re reliably informed it’s true), there’s actually a third weather anchor in the mix…well, sort of.
In a surprise move, network sources tell me that current Weekend Sunrise news anchor Sally Bowrey is one of the candidates being seriously considered to replace the outgoing Doran.
Channel Seven executives considering installing Sally Bowrey in all-female hosting combo
Of course, before taking on her current role, she was one of Seven’s most respected weather presenters, and is still known to keep an eye on the skies for us from time to time.
now nine did Try a combination of all-female hosts on Today five years ago. And we all know how Georgie Gardner and Deborah Knight’s partnership ended… with a Bat-Signal pleading with caped crusader Karl Stefanovic to save the day with a glorious comeback.
But maybe Wright and Bowrey will prove to be a winning combination?
LARRY EMDUR
There’s a reason we all want to be as happy as Larry – he’s officially the most popular person on Australian television, having won the Gold Logie in August.
If you can think of a show the man hasn’t presented since joining Seven at the age of 19, when he became Australia’s youngest commercial television newsreader, you’re doing better than us.
Heck, she even fronted Weekend Sunrise alongside Armytage for a year in 2010 before spending over a decade hosting The Morning Show with Kylie Gilles.
The most popular man on television, Larry Emdur, would have to give up his decade-long career as host of The Morning Show with Kylie Gillies to take on the role of Weekend Sunrise.
Still, Emdur already has some side work at Seven, having replaced troubled former network star Andrew O’Keefe as host of weekday quiz show The Chase.
We understand why Seven executives would love to parachute him in to save Weekend Sunrise, but even Larry deserves a day off.
MICHAEL USHER
The former 60 Minutes presenter defected from Nine in October 2016 after quitting his news and current affairs globe-trotting role to replace Melissa Doyle as weekend news presenter for Sydney’s Seven newsletter.
He took a second gig at the network, presenting its nightly news show The Latest, five years ago before having to give it up in March when the show moved to Seven’s studios in Perth as part of a cost-cutting initiative.
Michael ‘Musher’ Usher is in the mix, but he’s just been paired with a news co-host.
Since then, the man affectionately known as ‘Musher’ within the industry has been occupying his free time reading Spotlight intros.
However, he was recently paired with rising star Angie Asimus in the weekend bulletins and we think network insiders will be reluctant to make any sudden moves on that front before the experiment has fully developed.
DAVID WOIWOD
Seven’s US man made headlines over the weekend as speculation intensified that he had entered the race for replaces Doran.
The Where’s Wally lookalike has been with the network for the past eight years, having toiled as a Sunrise reporter from 2016 to 2020.
David Woiwod, Wally’s double, has been considered the firm favorite to replace Doran.
He moved to La La Land as a foreign correspondent. in July 2020 before being promoted to head of the US bureau in April of last year.
It’s hard to dismiss him as an attractive and affable young star.
BERETTA BRAND
When it comes to gun reporters, there are few with a more apt name than Beretta.
And if you checked Berett’s Wikipedia page, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s already landed the top job replacing Doran given he’s described as ‘co-hosting Weekend Sunrise with Monique Wright’ in a hastily edited update.
When it comes to gun reporters, how can you overlook the appropriately named Mark Beretta?
We’re not sure how reliable Wikipedia is… is anyone?
But given his successful reign as one of Seven’s brightest stars, we wouldn’t be surprised if ‘the free encyclopedia’ knew something the rest of us don’t.
Read INSIDE MAIL’s next column this Thursday for the latest reported gossip on what’s really happening in Australian media and politics.