A Channel Seven cameraman who lost his job in the latest round of redundancies at the embattled broadcaster was reportedly given the news in the middle of shooting.
In one fell swoop, the Seven television network completed the axing of its entire management team, says Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood.
“Today the clean-sweep was completed – and it was bloody,” Mr Greenwood said.
The notable cuts to Seven include sales boss Kurt Burnette, marketing head Melissa Hopkins and head of sport Lewis Martin.
Seven West Media shares are today worth 17.7 cents – close to an all-time low.
Seven West Media is in the process of slashing headcounts at bureaus nationwide by 150 people following a drastic industry-wide downturn in free-to-air TV audiences and advertising revenue.
According to a bombshell report by the Courier Mail, the latest round of redundancies at Seven particularly impacted staff at the Brisbane bureau.
Longtime Queensland weather reporter Paul Burt, who became a fan favourite during his 11-year stint broadcasting for both the Gold Coast and Brisbane stations, lost his job in the cuts.
A Channel Seven cameraman was made redundant midway through shooting last week. Picture: Seven.
Meanwhile, veteran Seven Brisbane operations manager Craig Dyer revealed his sudden resignation on Monday.
An insider told the Courier Mail the Brisbane redundancies were “brutal” and “cold” and have destroyed staff morale at Seven’s Mount Coot-Tha studios.
Among those shown the door were two cameramen, a long serving technical employee, a news producer as well as other behind-the-scenes-staff.
One of the impacted cameramen was on a shooting assignment when he was suddenly notified of their redundancy last Wednesday.
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Queensland weather reporter Paul Burt lost his job at Seven in the cuts. Picture: Seven.
In the middle of the shoot, the cameraman was ordered to head back to the station, where the staffer was informed he was being “let go”.
While Seven continues to purge jobs in both the news and board rooms, the struggling broadcaster’s top talent have so far emerged unscathed by the latest cuts.
Top on-air talent including Sonia Kruger and Dr Chris Brown (who Seven wooed away from rival Channel 10) are both believed to take home over $1 million annually.
Chairman Kerry Stokes and Jeff Howard survived the latest cuts. Picture: The Australian.
The update comes as rival broadcaster Nine Entertainment is also embarking on a wave of mass redundancies that will eliminate five per cent of the company’s workforce.
Nine’s chief executive Mike Sneesby announced the job cuts to staff last Friday as part of a $30 million cost-cutting plan for the business, mostly from its metro newspapers and the Nine TV network.
“From our nationwide team of almost 5000 people, around 200 jobs are expected to be affected across Nine including some vacant and casual roles not being filled,” Mr Sneesby said in a statement.