Jack’s new frequency
The move of longtime Nova producer and anchor Jack Charles to the revamped KIIS FM has triggered plenty of behind-the-scenes speculation at his former network.
Charles spent years at the helm as executive producer of Chrissie, Sam and Browny before following Chrissie Swan to her lucrative afternoon program. There, his role expanded from behind-the-scenes producer to on-air contributor.
The pair are famously close friends, which is why Charles’ move to KIIS is being viewed as more than just a career move. Some radio insiders are convinced Swan would be furious at the loss of her trusted right-hand man.
Charles’ public profile has grown considerably since he took to the microphone during the school pick-up shift. He is now a familiar figure among Melbourne’s WAG and socialite circles.
Sources say it was ‘only a matter of time before he went after something bigger’, adding that he would have received a ‘great offer’ to make the move to ARN.
Two senior figures in the industry separately told us they believed Swan would have ‘hit the roof’ at the prospect of Charles joining a rival network.
In public, however, Swan has presented a positive front. After Inside Mail contacted Nova earlier this month, she quickly posted a glowing Instagram tribute, saying she was ‘positively fizzing with excitement for him’.
Longtime Nova producer and anchor Jack Charles (right) is leaving for the relaunch of KIIS FM, prompting plenty of behind-the-scenes chatter at his former employer
Two senior industry sources separately said they believed Chrissie Swan (left) would have ‘hit the roof’ at the prospect of Charles (right) joining a rival network
Charles posed in front of an image of Swan, rather than with the real presenter, on his final day
Even so, losing a trusted lieutenant is never straightforward. Replacing someone who is both a close friend and an outstanding executive producer is even more difficult. It would be surprising if Swan was not deeply upset when Charles delivered the news.
Speculation intensified when Swan was missing from the studio for Charles’ on-air announcement about his departure. Sarah Abo, a fill-in host who knows plenty about high-profile exits unfolding around her, stepped in instead.
Nova sources were quick to stress that Swan’s absence was unrelated to Charles confirming his departure. Inside Mail understands she had undergone surgery after an unexpected medical issue and was recovering.
We have no reason to dispute that explanation.
Still, a brief call into the studio might have helped quash the rumours circulating through Melbourne’s radio community…
P.S. There’s also a light-hearted footnote to Charles’ long association with Melbourne’s ‘It’ girls.
Many years ago, a fresh-faced Inside Mail contacted Nova’s publicity team to ask, as tactfully as possible, which team Charles played for after he was photographed on a coffee date with a well-known WAG.
His handlers quickly delivered their verdict, with plenty of amusement: there was ‘zero chance’ of anything romantic happening. Case closed!
Expensive taste
Inside Mail knows a thing or two about finding a last-minute, reasonably priced tuxedo at Myer for the Kennedy Awards.
But we have never enjoyed quite the arrangement given to this year’s Brownlow winner, Nick Daicos, who proudly wore a Dom Bagnato suit from the department store before taking home the season’s best-and-fairest award.
Our spies in the fashion world tell us the AFL prodigy was paid a tidy $50,000 to suit up in Myer formalwear, which also included Julius Marlow shoes.
Not bad work if you can get it.
Nick Daicos of the Collingwood Magpies (above, with partner Arlette Amor) was paid a tidy $50,000 to suit up in Myer formalwear at the Brownlow Medal earlier this week
Sell, sell, sell
The new hosts of the Today show, Tom Steinfort and Sylvia Jeffreys, will be presenting a very different show to those who have come before them.
Viewers are set to be inundated with integrated commercials more commonly associated with the morning shows that air after 9am.
The fact that Steinfort and Jeffreys are experienced news journalists is going to make their product spruiking more than a little awkward, in our view.
Traditionally, hosting a breakfast show was still seen as a news presenting role, despite the light-hearted jokes sprinkled in between stories of death and destruction.
But now things are set to change, with Nine promising advertisers the new hosts will be ‘connecting audience trust with click-to-buy commercial conversions’.
In normal speak, that means the hosts’ new strategy is to sell, sell, sell.
It’s all part of a new initiative called ‘Shop Today’, which has already had a months-long ‘soft launch’.
‘We have no idea what’s going on or how it will work,’ says a Today show insider as Nine’s breakfast program moves to incorporate its new hosts, Tom Steinfort and Sylvia Jeffreys, into advertorial content in a way that would have been unthinkable a decade ago
Advertorials are, of course, a fixture on Today Extra and Seven’s The Morning Show – but Nine looks set to change the rules in a cash grab that could very well destroy Today’s reputation as a half-serious news program to wake up to.
And don’t get us started on what it’ll mean for Steinfort’s reputation as a serious newsman with 60 Minutes pedigree.
Behind the scenes, it’s a mess.
‘We have no idea what’s going on or how it will work,’ complained one insider to Inside Mail.
‘Ever since they sacked Karl Stefanovic, communication has been non-existent as orders are barked down from senior management.’
More integrated ads aren’t the only change. The direct involvement of Steinfort and Jeffreys marks a significant shift from what is usually seen on the morning shows, where the presenters throw to an advertorial host, usually in another part of the studio, allowing for some separation between the editorial and commercial content.
But the press release issued by Nine is making some big promises that look set to shake up the formula:
Seamlessly integrated into the program, the format features trusted Today, Today Extra and Weekend Today personalities – including Sylvia Jeffreys, Tom Steinfort – presenting curated product reviews across high-affinity categories such as lifestyle, home, travel and parenting.
These talent-driven reviews provide brands and audiences with a level of authenticity rarely seen in the social media age.
There’s been plenty of commentary in response to that statement about the upcoming commercial integration – and Nine has not denied any of it.
Viewers have noticed more commercial sponsorship in breakfast TV over the years, especially in weather segments. That’s to be expected as TV stations try to maximise profits.
But will Sylvia and Tom be spruiking steak knives after reporting stabbings? Maybe.
There’s no doubt the financial model of television is changing, and sales departments need to be smarter at integrating commercial content, but on paper this all sounds like a step too far.
Can wiser heads prevail before the show destroys the credibility it has spent decades building? We can only hope.
Nine declined to provide a statement, though a source at the network assured Inside Mail that the anchors’ roles in advertorials will be limited to asking questions of the dedicated commercial presenters.
Sarah goes out with style
Sarah Abo did something many television presenters fail to do when they are sacked. She didn’t trot out the old ‘I’m leaving to spend more time with my family’ line.
While she didn’t confirm that her contract had not been renewed by Nine (which they did while she was on maternity leave, by the way), the presenter didn’t offer excuses either, instead dropping enough clues to allow viewers to piece it together.
You didn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure it out. The absence of Abo appearing via a video link to say goodbye on air was a telling sign. Instead, Jeffreys and Steinfort announced her departure before throwing to a highlights package.
Abo was nowhere to be seen and not there to say goodbye to the viewers who had watched her every day for the past few years.
And it was only going to be a matter of time before insiders revealed the truth – which they did.
People get sacked from their jobs every day, but when someone in the media is sacked (especially an on-air personality), it will make headlines. That’s when the person ‘boned’ needs to make a decision on whether to own it or spin it.
But here’s the tell-tale sign for you: anyone who leaves ‘effective immediately’ has been axed.
Anyone who knows how a TV sacking works would have read between the lines of Sarah Abo’s exit from the Today show, writes former Studio 10 executive producer Rob McKnight
Sometimes, a sacking will be managed with the person being allowed to continue on air for some time, but rarely does someone make the decision to leave ‘effective immediately’.
The only time that happens is if they are going to a rival company like Lisa Wilkinson did when she left Nine to join Channel Ten.
When I was sacked by Ten, it just didn’t make sense to me to lie about it. As the executive producer of Studio 10, nobody would have believed I would leave the show ‘effective immediately’ and I was not interested in playing that game.
Of course, it is embarrassing when people know that you have been sacked. My story was reported by various outlets, and it became gossip at my children’s school.
Would things have been different if I had lied?
I don’t believe so. It would still have been a story and there would have been reports correctly reporting I had been sacked, so I believed it was better to own it.
As Ita Buttrose told me, ‘You haven’t made it in this industry until you’ve been sacked.’
Once upon a time, networks could spin their way out of anything.
Now, the truth always comes out, and it is much better to be honest with the public. It builds trust despite the embarrassment.
Abo may not have come out and said it directly, but she gave away just enough for us to join the dots.
Kath to Kathleen
Recent reports about Kathleen Folbigg‘s same-sex prison romances inevitably led journalists to make inquiries with the impressive young lawyer widely credited with helping secure her freedom after she was wrongly convicted of killing her children.
Just 30 when Folbigg was freed in 2023, Newcastle lawyer Rhanee Rego had spent years working behind the scenes after being assigned a case few others wanted to touch while she was still a university student.
Her story was an extraordinary one, earning her a glowing Good Weekend profile in May 2024 highlighting her tireless efforts alongside barrister Robert Cavanagh.
But with life moving on since her freedom, the now-married Folbigg has parted ways with the legal eagle to whom she owes such a considerable debt and has gone all in with celebrity talent agent Nick Fordham, the brother of 2GB host Ben.
A succinct email to a reporter this week confirmed the end of their association: ‘I no longer act for Kathleen Folbigg.
‘Nick Fordham is Kathleen’s agent. Please refer any future correspondence to him.’
It’s a stark contrast to her profile from two years ago in which she referred to her client warmly as ‘Kath’ and recalled how meeting the ‘deeply traumatised woman’ in prison transformed her view of the case, leading her to believe ‘that she might actually be innocent, rather than just legally innocent’.
Not all hospo heroes
Rita Panahi is something of an ambassador for Melbourne’s hospitality industry, given her habit of dining at France-Soir and Maison Bâtard up to four times a week.
The News24 host even wrote an impassioned defence of the sector back in May.
Fine dining aficionado Rita Panahi took a surprising swipe at baristas this week
It seems Panahi’s love of supporting the hospitality industry is outweighed by her hatred of the ‘lefties’ making our lattes
‘We risk causing enduring damage to this city if we do not support the hospitality sector that gives this city its soul,’ read the headline in the Herald-Sun.
Which is why we were a little puzzled to see her turn on poor baristas in a mean-spirited but undeniably on-brand Instagram post earlier this week.
‘The Starbucks employee watching me hit NO TIP right after they used their fine arts degree to microwave their sandwich,’ alongside an unflattering selfie of an unidentified ‘liberal’.
The person pictured wasn’t a real barista of course. Just an orange-haired, possibly gender diverse person with a septum piercing – which is how Panahi seems to characterise anyone left of Mussolini these days.
It seems Panahi’s love of supporting hospo is outweighed by her hatred of ‘lefties losing it’, or even educated people in general… even when said lefties’ grievances are entirely of her own imagination.
Shark culled
In news that would come as no surprise to readers of Inside Mail, Nine has finally cancelled (should that be culled?) reality TV flop SHARK!
The announcement – or lack thereof – was made last week at its annual Upfronts, where the network gathers advertisers and media writers to showcase its slate of shows for the following year.
Missing from the list was, of course, SHARK!.
Way back in April, INSIDE MAIL revealed the show was a stinker.
This is what we wrote before the show had even aired:
According to insiders, the show is dull and boring, despite PR drivel describing it as ‘increasingly intense challenges, from cage dives to open water swims with minimal protection’.
Production staff have been told there will be a second series – but that’s because local deals usually include a two-series commitment to help cover set-up costs experienced during season one.
But insiders at Nine say they will be surprised if there is a second series, even if the network has to pay a big cancellation fee.
In news that would come as no surprise to readers of Inside Mail, Nine has finally cancelled (should that culled?) reality TV flop SHARK!
In May, Nine’s Head of Content, Production and Development, Adrian Swift, tried to talk the show up in a desperate effort to offset our accurate reporting.
At the Screen Forever conference on the Gold Coast, he explained how Nine was turning to influencers to bring in younger viewers – and ratings.
He proclaimed of the casting of Tammy Hembrow, who has 17 million followers on Instagram: ‘If half her audience comes to the show, it’s the biggest success ever online.’
They didn’t and the show tanked.
Nine knew they had a stinker, but Swift was out there like a used car salesman trying to sell the show, even declaring how they had sexed up the format compared to the English version, which was ‘very much more a nature documentary’.
There’s no doubt Swift knew he was trying to sell a pup – so where does that leave us next time he is making promises about Nine’s next big thing?
Should we believe him… or be wary?
Get Up! and get out
Labor MPs are growing increasingly uneasy about the return of activist group GetUp!, with some privately warning its renewed campaigning risks becoming a political liability rather than an asset.
The concerns began with the appointment of David Sharaz as the organisation’s media and campaigns lead and intensified after the now-infamous anti-Pauline Hanson banner stunt during her National Press Club address.
Many on the centre-left now view the campaign as a strategic own goal, arguing it elevated Hanson and reinforced her outsider credentials at a time when her support continues to climb.
It also led to an embarrassing episode for Sharaz, with him being banned from the National Press Club and investigated by the Australian Federal Police.
Alarm bells rang even louder this week when GetUp! announced comedian Daniel Ilic as its new chief executive.
In a statement, the organisation described Ilic as ‘a man who has spent twenty years getting paid to say things out loud that most organisations would fire someone for’.
Ilic previously led the third-party campaign group It’s Not A Race, which targeted Liberal candidates in seats contested by teal independents.
But Labor insiders fear GetUp!’s return to the political battlefield could further complicate the government’s electoral challenges.
Labor sources worry that Ilic (pictured), who lives in the affluent inner-Sydney electorate of Wentworth, and GetUp may harm their electoral chances
Several point out that the group’s public profile largely faded between 2022 and 2025, a period that coincided with Labor’s strongest electoral performances across the country in decades.
Now, as support for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor government softens, some within the party worry that GetUp!’s high-profile interventions could become an unwelcome distraction and hand political ammunition to Labor’s opponents.
It is a widely held view in senior Labor circles that GetUp! has often hurt, rather than helped, progressive campaigns.
Some point to the defeat of former Opposition leader Peter Dutton as evidence, noting Labor finally won Dickson after years of unsuccessful, well-funded GetUp-backed efforts against him.
Conservative opponents have frequently succeeded in portraying GetUp! as a force of political outsiders seeking to influence communities in which they have little connection.
Despite spending millions of dollars over multiple election cycles targeting Dutton, the group failed to unseat him.
Critics inside Labor argue the organisation is repeating those mistakes.
During the Farrer by-election in May, GetUp! spent more than $600,000 on advertising attacking One Nation.
GetUp!’s stunt during Hanson’s speech at the National Press Club is widely considered to have backfired, helping cement her ‘outsider’ status among voters
The campaign failed to stop the party’s momentum, with One Nation recording a swing of about 33 per cent, securing almost 40 per cent of the primary vote and ultimately winning the seat on a two-candidate-preferred basis with 57.55 per cent.
The result has deepened concerns among some Labor figures that aggressive anti-conservative campaigns can end up energising the very voters they are intended to deter.
With Labor facing growing pressure in a string of regional and outer-suburban seats won at the 2025 election, some insiders fear GetUp!’s renewed prominence could become a political headache.
In particular, they worry that Ilic, who lives in the affluent inner-Sydney electorate of Wentworth, may reinforce perceptions that progressive campaign strategies are being driven by inner-city activists disconnected from the concerns of voters in suburban and regional Australia.
For MPs in marginal seats, the concern is not simply that GetUp! may be ineffective, but that its interventions could actively undermine Labor’s efforts to hold ground in communities where cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability and migration have become dominant political issues.
Driving Mr Violi
Liberal MP Aaron Violi has quietly added a high-octane gift to his parliamentary register of interests, declaring a luxury supercar experience through a Victorian exotic car company.
The Victorian MP disclosed that he received a ‘Car Drive in Luxury Car around the Yarra Valley by Drive Me Exotics’, with the gift officially added to his register on September 18.
According to the experience listing, the package allows participants to drive their choice of luxury supercar for one hour, with options including a Ferrari F430 Spyder valued at $550 or a Corvette C8 Z51 valued at $500.
The company describes the experience as its ‘most popular’ offering, promising drivers the chance to get behind the wheel of a supercar and choose their own route through some of Victoria’s most picturesque destinations.
Liberal MP Aaron Violi has quietly added a high-octane gift to his parliamentary register of interests, declaring a luxury supercar experience through a Victorian exotic car company
That could include tackling the winding roads of the Dandenong Ranges, cruising through the Yarra Valley, or heading along the Mornington Peninsula coastline.
‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make your dream possible,’ the promotional material states.
The package also includes photo opportunities and professional instruction before and during the drive.
It is not clear which vehicle Mr Violi selected.
Inside Mail contacted Aaron Violi for comment.
Murdoch Meltdown
Some of Anthony Albanese’s most devoted online supporters were left spluttering into their keyboards on Monday after the government announced Siobhan McKenna, the chair of Australia Post and former News Corp broadcasting chief, would be Australia’s next consul-general in New York.
For Labor’s anti-Murdoch faithful, it was a particularly bitter pill.
McKenna has long been seen as one of Lachlan Murdoch‘s closest corporate allies, making her appointment to one of Australia’s most prestigious diplomatic posts an awkward fit with years of anti-News Corp rhetoric.
The backlash was made all the more uncomfortable by Labor’s own history.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd famously spearheaded a campaign against News Corp’s influence in 2020, attracting more than 500,000 signatures to a petition calling for greater scrutiny of media concentration and helping spark a Senate inquiry.
Yet despite the outrage and the inquiry’s recommendations, no royal commission ever eventuated.
And now, some of Labor’s loudest online supporters are watching a former News Corp executive board a flight to Manhattan with the government’s blessing.
Veteran journalist and broadcaster Mike Carlton, never one to hide his feelings on Murdoch-related matters, offered a succinct assessment: ‘FFS.’
Labor’s most loyal anti-Murdoch supporters melted down over the appointment of Siobhan McKenna (pictured) as Australia’s next consul-general in New York
New Politics editor and ARMedia director (not to be confused with Are Media) Eddy Jokovich also slammed the move.
‘WTF? Of course Albanese was going to appoint a former News Corp person as a diplomat, because that’s exactly who Albanese is,’ he fumed.
Saturday Paper columnist Paul Bongiorno opted for a more sarcastic approach, taking a swipe at Labor’s recent decision to appoint former Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to the board of the troubled Snowy Hydro 2.0 project.
‘Next they will appoint Sussan Ley to something… oh wait,’ he said.
The Greens also joined the pile-on.
Greens senator David Shoebridge accused the Prime Minister of dropping any pretence of distance from the Murdoch empire.
‘The Prime Minister thought he may as well make it official. Labor is run by and for News Corp and the 1 per cent, so he has appointed a former News Corp executive under hard-right Lachlan Murdoch to a plum New York diplomatic job,’ Shoebridge said.
Former Greens leader Christine Milne went even harder, suggesting Albanese had become far too cosy with the media giant’s powerbrokers.
‘What a boot-licker for the Murdochs Albanese has turned out to be. Can he get any more spineless?’ she posted.
And if anyone thought Albanese might be troubled by the criticism, he gave little sign of it when quizzed directly on Monday about McKenna’s close ties to the Murdoch empire.
Asked whether he had sought assurances that McKenna would not continue lobbying on behalf of Lachlan Murdoch’s interests, the Prime Minister barely entertained the premise of the question.
Instead, Albanese praised the incoming consul-general as a consummate professional, declaring she had been appointed ‘on merit’ and describing her as an ‘outstanding appointment’ because of her experience across both the public and private sectors.
Liberals holding things
Inside Mail has noticed an intriguing trend emerging across Liberal ranks: the humble policy document is having a moment.
Not one, not two, but several senior Liberal figures have recently been photographed clutching neatly branded ‘Our Plan’ style booklets as they tour electorates, hold press conferences and pose for campaign photos.
Among the converts are NSW Opposition leader Kellie Sloane, Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and Federal Liberal Deputy Jane Hume, all of whom seem determined to ensure voters literally see their policies.
Political strategists often obsess over messaging discipline, but this takes it one step further.
Why just talk about a plan when you can physically hold it up for the cameras?
David Crisafulli (centre) and all LNP candidates held the ‘The Right Plan for Queensland’s Future’ document at any given opportunity
The document trend has gone federal with Angus Taylor (left) and Jane Hume (front) brandishing their own document to the media and anyone else who is within view
The trend isn’t entirely accidental.
Its origins can be traced north to Queensland, where David Crisafulli pulled off one of the most significant state election victories in recent memory by ending Labor’s decade-long grip on power.
Throughout the 2024 campaign, Crisafulli and virtually every LNP candidate were rarely seen without a copy of the party’s election blueprint, ‘The Right Priorities for Queensland’ and ‘The Right Plans for Queensland’s Future’.
The documents became a campaign prop as much as a policy platform, appearing at press conferences, community events and media opportunities across the state.
The lesson clearly wasn’t lost on Liberal strategists elsewhere.
Inside Mail understands that with the federal Coalition rebuilding after its election defeat and state branches searching for a winning formula, the Queensland model appears to have become a source of inspiration for Liberal strategists across the nation.
No one has embraced it more enthusiastically than Jess Wilson, whose Liberals are increasingly confident of returning to government in Victoria after November’s election, defying the downswing the party is seeing elsewhere.
Liberal Leaders Jess Wilson (left) and Kellie Sloane (right) have also revealed their own plan documents
Wilson has been frequently spotted carrying her own policy booklet, ensuring there’s never any doubt about what the cameras should focus on.
She is also running on the same slogan as Crisafulli with ‘A Fresh Start for Victoria,’ similar to ‘A Fresh Start for Queensland.’
Whether voters actually read the documents is another question entirely.
But if the Queensland experience is anything to go by, Liberal operatives are betting that being seen with a plan is almost as important as the plan itself.
‘And none for Kevin Rudd… bye’
The old Rudd-Gillard fault lines quietly resurfaced this week, courtesy of the NSW Labor Instagram account.
The party’s social media team marked Kevin Rudd’s birthday with a polished graphic and a list of his achievements in office, the sort of obligatory acknowledgment afforded to a former Labor prime minister.
But the treatment of Julia Gillard was notably more enthusiastic.
Just days later, followers were urged not merely to wish Gillard a happy birthday, but to sign a giant online birthday card, handing over their email address in the process.
‘Julia Gillard’s birthday is next week and we want to give her a giant birthday card to celebrate. Will you add your name?’ the post read.
Labor supporters were asked to sign a ‘giant birthday card’ for Gillard, while Rudd was left with a pitiful ‘Happy Birthday Kevin’ post.
It went on to praise Gillard as Australia’s first female prime minister who delivered reforms in education, health and the environment, while describing her as a trailblazer for women in politics.
‘Help us say a massive happy birthday and sign her card today!’
There was no equivalent campaign for Rudd.
That may not be surprising to Labor veterans, who may recall that the NSW Right was among the key power centres involved in the events that eventually brought down Rudd’s first prime ministership.
Factional wars may have faded from public view, but inside Labor, old loyalties and old grudges have remarkably long shelf lives.
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