Peter Stefanovic is leaving Nine, despite denials from the network just last week his days were numbered as host of Weekend Today.
As news about Stefanovic’s departure leaked from the Willoughby bunker, a Nine spokesperson told Fairfax (owned by Nine) Stefanovic’s departure was a mutual decision between he and the network, and that he is “a respected member” of the teams he worked with.
“Peter has decided to explore new opportunities and is looking forward to spending weekends with his wife,”
“He has been a respected member of the Nine News team and Weekend Today, and we wish him all the best for the future.”
But TV Blackbox can reveal the decision was a ‘costs based’ decision and Stefanovic was at the end of his contract with the network.
“I’ve had an amazing time at Nine being a foreign correspondent, news reporter and covering some amazing stories for 60 Minutes,” he said. “I’ll miss my friends at Nine very much, it has been a huge privilege to work alongside so many great people.” – Peter Stefanovic
Stefanovic had been seen as a rising star at the network after a successful stint as a foreign correspondent and with the backing of his famous brother, Karl, it looked like Peter was destined to assume the main hosting role at TODAY.
Indeed, the appointment of his future wife, Sylvia Jeffreys, added fuel to the fire and many thought the pair would end up as a husband-and-wife team fronting the show.
Their wedding was hyped and promoted almost as much as a royal wedding event and the sky seemed like the limit for the glamorous, likeable couple.
But then there was Ubergate.
The fact Peter had his phone on speaker while bitching about colleagues did not go down well with his bosses and with Karl’s power diminishing at the network after bad headlines and bad ratings, Peter was no longer protected.
As I reported yesterday there is also a plan to also ‘redeploy’ @SylviaJeffreys and @Tracy_Vo is favourite to move east.
— Peter Ford (@mrpford) December 18, 2018
There have already been reports this week about other networks not wanting Stefanovic, but the fact is he is a very good reporter and would be a quality hire as he starts to rebuild his career.
It’s not over ’till it’s over!
Meanwhile, Peter Ford is reporting Stefanovic’s wife Sylvia will soon be redeployed, replaced by Tracy Vo, a reporter/Presenter at Nine News in Perth. Vo previously worked in the Sydney newsroom, is well liked and has been earning her stripes in the West.
This article was originally published at TVBlackbox.net
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I thought they had a two Stefanovic minimum