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Hamish Macdonald jumps back to 10 as PVO dumped

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After expressing his displeasure at the ABC Hamish Macdonald has returned to The Project leaving one person on the outer.

Former Host of Q&A Hamish Macdonald (image – smh)

When news broke that Hamish Macdonald was suddenly leaving the ABC, his now ex-bosses assumed where he would end up — and they were right.

Despite twitter going into meltdown over his shock resignation, those inside the ABC said the writing had been on the wall for some time that Macdonald wanted to return to Channel 10’s The Project.

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Tensions began to boil when the ABC stopped Macdonald from making regular appearances on his old stomping ground – The Project. Despite hosting one of the national broadcasters marque shows on Q+A, Macdonald believed he would be allowed to do both.

But it was not to be.

As has been reported, the social media abuse Macdonald received only further added to his unhappiness and he ended up deleting his accounts.

Now he returns to The Sunday Project alongside Lisa Wilkinson.

Sadly for Macdonald’s replacement, Peter van Onselen, he has been pushed out the door to make way for the returning messiah. PVO will continue as political editor for the station.

There have been rumours of on-set tensions between Wilkinson and PVO after his disastrous appearance on Insiders where he supported his friend Christian Porter. Wilkinson is said to be unhappy about his support of Porter, who named himself as the Federal Minister accused of rape in a historic case.

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Porter denies the accusations.

Sarah Thornton, Head of Popular Factual, Network 10, said: “We have always considered Hamish part of our family here at The Project, and we are thrilled to welcome him home.

“Hamish is an outstanding journalist and his skill and passion as a broadcaster make him a valued addition to our hosting line-up on The Project.

“Hamish will also be back on the road, where he is peerless, telling extraordinary stories and connecting with people in Australia and around the globe. As the world and the media landscape change, and as storytelling comes to the fore, never have Hamish’s talents been more important. I’m excited for what the future holds with Hamish back at 10.”

While sources at the ABC say Hamish is respected there, he failed to attract viewers to the reformatted Q+A. While some media commentators blame the move to Thursday nights, ratings were already beginning to fall under Macdonald’s watch on Monday nights.

And ratings have picked up under fill-in hosts over the past few weeks.

Now TV Blackbox can reveal Virginia Trioli is the firm favourite to replace Macdonald on Q+A. While the decision is still being considered, senior figures inside the ABC are advocating for Trioli to take his place.

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Robert McKnight
Robert McKnighthttps://tvblackbox.com.au/robert-mcknight/
"Leading TV commentator" - The Daily Telegraph | "Known for his impeccable sources in the TV industry" - The Daily Mail | "Always first with the correct info" - Beau Ryan | Robert McKnight is a highly regarded Australian Television Producer having worked at SEVEN, NINE and TEN during his 30 years in the industry. Currently Rob can be seen every fortnight on THE MORNING SHOW (7) and heard on NIGHTS WITH JOHN STANLEY (2GB/4BC). He is also a producer on 7 NEWS SPOTLIGHT.
Comments

3 COMMENTS

    • I agree, this article implies that Rob isn’t a fan of Hamish. “The messiah” really? Come on guys…

  1. I believe AFL & NRL on Thursday nights has been the main reason why Q&A hasn’t performed so well. Why don’t they return to Monday nights with Tony Jones? Where is he?

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