EXCLUSIVE
Veteran weatherman Paul Burt has been sacked after a focus group investigation found he was unpopular with the public, a Seven Network source has said.
Burt, who worked at Seven for more than a decade, addressed his sudden departure in his final broadcast on Saturday at the end of Queensland’s 6pm news bulletin.
“If I had the chance, I wouldn’t have wanted to go down this path. That’s what happens when you get fired,” the 51-year-old said in his last appearance.
But a senior source within the network told Daily Mail Australia the reason for Burt’s dismissal was simple: he put off too many viewers.
“Paul Burt was axed after extensive audience research in the Queensland market identified him as one of the least liked presenters on air, with the dreaded ‘turn-off’ factor,” the source said.
That research was conducted in the first quarter of 2024.
The source said perceived audience appeal was an important consideration when deciding which “talent” would be fired from a show and “it’s not like names were picked out of a hat.”
“Networks spend a fortune on surveys and focus groups to identify emerging talent and evaluate long-standing presenters,” they said.
“The audience decides who reads the news.”
Veteran weatherman Paul Burt has been sacked because a focus group investigation found he was unpopular with the public, according to a senior Seven Network official. Fans are pictured holding signs in support of Burt
Burt, who has been inundated with messages of support online since his departure, did not accept the investigation.
“I mean these people are going to try and cover their backs,” Burt told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I think if they look at numbers like that, they might want to change the people who give them those numbers.
“Because I’m on the ground, I hear what people say and understand what they want. I’ve been doing this for 28 years.”
Daily Mail Australia has obtained a farewell email Burt sent to seven colleagues on Monday afternoon.
“Hi everyone, I never thought I’d be writing this email so soon, but here we go,” she wrote.
‘First and foremost, I want to thank everyone I’ve worked with directly. You’ve all been incredibly amazing and done sensational work and deserve so much more recognition than you get.
‘Secondly, those of you who reached out to me after the news broke over the weekend and today to ‘check in’ and pass on your kind words, wow, that’s been very rewarding, so thank you.’
Seven’s Brisbane news director Michael Coombes told Burt (far right) last month that his contract would not be renewed. News of his dismissal leaked out before Burt could tell his wife and children.
Seven’s Brisbane news director Michael Coombes told Burt last month that his contract would not be renewed. News of his dismissal leaked out before Burt could tell his wife and children.
“It feels horrible,” Burt said. “It’s… It makes you feel sick to your stomach.
‘SSometimes you just want to sit and talk. To the big, big bosses because they probably don’t. ‘We know what we’re doing up here.’
The night before Burt delivered his final report, he did a live feed from Surfers Paradise for the 5.30pm Gold Coast bulletin.
As he gave the weekend’s weather forecast, fans held up signs reading “Burty is a legend”, “Queensland’s favourite weatherman” and “Bring back Burty”.
“We basically showed up and there were a couple hundred people with signs and everything,” Burt said. “I think that says it all.
‘All those people who showed up with signs are our customers. They are the customers who watched the show – past tense – and were loyal to me and the network.
“It’s our ratings. It’s the ones that are going to make money for advertisers. It’s our viewers and the people we need to listen to.”
Burt had invited locals to Surfers Paradise beach in a video thanking them for their loyalty, which was posted on the I Love Robina Facebook page and received 60,000 views.
He also used that television opportunity to endorse Liberal National Party candidate Hermann Vorster for the seat of Burleigh in the Queensland state election.
“Elect this guy,” the presenter said. “Or it will simply not happen in Burleigh again.”
Burt began his television career at Seven in 1996 before moving to Ten and then Nine, returning to the network where he first got his start in the industry in 2013.
“Seven brought me back for a reason,” he said.
“So if the numbers aren’t there, well, I don’t see how that adds up, in my opinion.”
Seven West Media, which also owns the West Australian newspaper, is cutting 150 staff from its newsroom in a round of redundancies that has hit other big names including Brisbane news presenter Sharyn Ghidella.
“You look at people like Sharyn Ghidella, who is a Channel Seven loyalist,” Burt said.
“When you see these kinds of people being moved, that kind of says something.
“I understand that business is business. We are going through cuts in all fields.
“Unfortunately, it’s not a pleasant feeling for us, for her, or for everyone else who saw the film.”
Seven West Media is laying off 150 newsroom staff in a round of redundancies that has hit other big names including Brisbane news presenter Sharyn Ghidella (above)
Ghidella, who received a “tap on the shoulder” while at the hairdresser’s getting ready for work after 17 years with Seven, has made her feelings about Burt clear.
“All the best Burty for what’s to come,” the 58-year-old wrote on X.
“You’re very good at what you do… I’m sure many exciting adventures await you. Good luck, although you won’t need it at all. I bet you’re already getting offers. Xx.”
Seven’s recently appointed head of news and current affairs Anthony De Ceglie has been replacing section leaders across the country with younger managers.
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.
Burt’s final segment of Saturday was followed by a montage of on-screen moments from his 11 years with Seven, played to a soundtrack by the Crowded House classic Weather with You.
Among those scenes were images of Burt interrupting a weather report to help save a 10-year-old boy being swept away by an undertow in Surfers Paradise in May 2022.
News presenter Samantha Heathwood thanked him for his “passionate weather reporting over the past decade and more” but Seven’s senior source said Burt did not go out gracefully.
“He failed to show up for his own farewell party, which had been organised with a cake, and he missed some of his last shifts without telling management, leaving them in a bind,” the source said.
Burt admitted that he did not attend her farewell last Friday and that he had told management he would not be attending the week before her celebration.
“I’m not that kind of person,” he said. “I don’t want any fuss. I don’t need a cake. I’m not interested.”
Burt, who wrote his own weather reports, said he also didn’t want to interrupt his work schedule on a busy Friday afternoon when he made about 10 live calls to the newsroom.
“I don’t want to waste time getting back to the office when I’m in the workplace,” he said.
Burt posted a video thanking viewers for their loyalty, which was posted on the I Love Robina Facebook page and received 60,000 views. He appears in her latest weather report.
“I didn’t want to just stand there and be told, ‘Here’s a cake, congratulations, goodbye, and thank you for your time.’ I never asked for that.”
As for skipping turns, Burt said he missed his first crossing on Friday and another the week before when he was filming a view of an overturned ship at Tweed Heads.
On both occasions he had notified management.
“Don’t get me wrong, I really admire the network,” Burt said. “I love the network. I really do.”
‘Unfortunately, I think things could have been handled a little differently in certain sectors of the newsroom at this point.
“If you have three of your best-selling items in a store, do you just get rid of those three and deal with what’s left over? As a business owner, I don’t think you would do that.”
