Channel Seven is forced to deny claims The Morning Show hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies are about to be sacked to save $2million
Channel Seven has been forced to deny reports The Morning Show is facing the axe due to a decline in advertising revenue.
The program has been hosted by Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies since 2007 and is said to be costing the network $10million per year.
On Monday, Woman’s Day claimed that Seven was considering taking the show off the air as a cost-cutting measure amid the COVID-19 recession.
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EXCLUSIVE ‘Advertisers are queuing up!’ Channel Seven denies ‘complete rubbish’ claims The Morning Show is facing the axe. Pictured: hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies
A source claimed the plan was to cut The Morning Show and extend the network’s top-rating breakfast program, Sunrise, to fill its gap.
Hosts Kylie and Larry are said to be collectively earning $2million, but it’s unclear if one earns more than the other.
Woman’s Day’s alleged there had been ‘closed door meetings’ at Seven over the proposed axing.
‘It hasn’t been signed off, but it’s looking like a very attractive option to the executives. It’s a huge saving,’ a source said.
But Seven’s Network Director of News and Public Affairs, Craig McPherson, told Daily Mail Australia the claims were ‘complete rubbish’.
‘The Morning Show has been a dominant market leader for well over a decade’: Seven rubbished claims the program was in financial trouble, and insisted it was performing well against its rival programs on Nine and Channel 10
‘The Morning Show has been a dominant market leader for well over a decade. Advertisers are justifiably queuing up to get on the program,’ he added.
Seven’s mid-morning news and lifestyle program airs at the same time as Channel Nine’s Today Extra and Studio 10 on Channel 10.
Speaking to the show’s enormous success, former game show host Larry, 55, and journalist Kylie, 53, recently celebrated 13 years as co-hosts of the program in June.
Going strong! Speaking to the show’s enormous success, former game show host Larry, 55, and journalist Kylie, 53, recently celebrated 13 years as co-hosts of the program in June. Pictured in June 2019
Kylie told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2017 that the secret to their longevity is ‘respect and genuine love for what we do’.
In 2019, Larry said while they don’t always see eye to eye on everything, the program is better off for it.
‘You don’t want us to be vanilla. The last thing you want is two people to sit there and just agree with each other and laugh at each other’s silly jokes. We call each other out and I think that’s part of the magic of the show,’ he said.
The Morning Show airs weekdays from 9am on Channel Seven
‘You don’t want us to be vanilla’: Larry and Kylie have spoken about the secret to their co-hosting success in the past, including a ‘respect and genuine love for what they do’