Brisbane Broncos\u2019 icon Gordon Tallis <\/a>in his new role as a Broncos PR man \u2013 this column has learned Williams Jr is taking a three month break from Seven.<\/p>\nIn March, Seven announced it was replacing Williams with experienced reporter\/producer Rahni Sadler.<\/p>\n
Williams would be moving to an \u201cexpanded role\u201d in the news division, Seven said, where she would help shape Sydney\u2019s news team\u2019s editorial direction, strengthen broadcast and digital integration, and work alongside the national newsdesk on major coverage.<\/p>\n
While that might be the path Seven news boss Ray Kuka has laid out for her, we hear Williams may have her own goals.<\/p>\n
Between now and her scheduled return to work in June, we understand Williams is travelling and after a couple of tough years at Seven, sees the world as her oyster.<\/p>\n
A role further afield, say, at the BBC in the UK, would suit her splendidly, we hear. A shame they\u2019ve just announced widespread cuts.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s about as far from Seven as you might hope to find yourself.<\/p>\n
Radio exec forced to choose sides as Kyle and Jackie head to court<\/p>\n
Jackie \u201cO\u201d Henderson\u2019s 25-year friendship with KIIS FM radio executive and chief wrangler Derek Bargwanna is said to be the latest casualty of the radio presenter\u2019s $82 million compensation claim against KIIS FM.<\/p>\n
Bargwanna, the current Head of Network at KIIS, has a long and fruitful association with Henderson and her radio partner Kyle Sandilands.<\/p>\n
There has been plenty of water under the bridge for the one-time producer of the duo\u2019s Top 30 Countdown program on 2DAY FM from 2001, who became executive producer of the Kyle & Jackie O radio show in 2006.<\/p>\n
Bargwanna\u2019s star rose along with Sandilands and Henderson\u2019s over two decades, however, it\u2019s understood the radio executive dubbed the \u201cKyle and Jackie O whisperer\u201d by radio colleagues is now on the outer with the pair due to their pending litigation.<\/p>\n
Bargwanna, or \u201cDB\u201d as he is known, was named by Henderson in her recent wrongful termination suit against ARN\u2019s parent company Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation.<\/p>\n
In her statement of claim, the radio presenter alleged she informed Bargwanna in August and September 2025 of her distress concerning \u201coffensive and degrading\u201d comments Sandilands made about her.<\/p>\n
She further claimed the radio station \u201cdid not attempt to intervene and did not otherwise stop Mr Sandilands engaging in the conduct\u201d that had allegedly made the ARN workplace unsafe.<\/p>\n
Though close to both Henderson and Sandilands, Bargwanna is said to be especially tight with Sandilands who, it\u2019s claimed, played a key role in helping Bargwanna secure a job at KIIS FM in 2014.<\/p>\n
That appointment came three months after Bargwanna, once described by Sandilands as the radio duo\u2019s \u201chandbrake\u201d, was let go by 2DAYFM.<\/p>\n
Rumours flew at the time regarding the reason for Bargwanna\u2019s abrupt departure.<\/p>\n
While the official line was that he left the company for \u201cfamily reasons\u201d, there were other theories being discussed at the time.<\/p>\n
Among these was that he played a role in brokering Sandilands and Henderson\u2019s new deal with rival KIIS; that he\u2019d been on borrowed time since December 2012 when, as content director of 2DAY, he had oversight of the 2012 prank phone call by radio hosts Michael Christian and Mel Greig to a London hospital leading to the suicide death of a British nurse; and thirdly, that he was let go following an incident with a colleague who afterwards requested a transfer to another affiliated ARN station.<\/p>\n
After being cut loose by 2DAY, Bargwanna was quickly reunited with Sandilands and Henderson at KIIS FM in 2014 after he was appointed that station\u2019s content director.<\/p>\n
In the role, he would once again be called upon to periodically help manage and soothe the duo through strife and challenges.<\/p>\n
Nothing proved more challenging for the pair than their program launch in Melbourne in 2024, an exercise which saw Bargwanna, in his newly expanded role as head of KIIS network, put in charge of bolstering and sustaining network ratings.<\/p>\n
As history shows, while the duo\u2019s Sydney ratings held up, the Melbourne experiment failed dismally.<\/p>\n
Radio insiders say Bargwanna, who could not be reached for comment, has met his match at KIIS FM in new group content director Dave Cameron, an old school radio boss who was appointed director of content metro radio and new broom at ARN in December.<\/p>\n
ARN bosses meanwhile are keeping their powder dry as they prepare their response to Henderson\u2019s $82 million Federal Court compensation claim, due to be filed next week.<\/p>\n
The radio company disputes Henderson\u2019s claims and will defend the matter.<\/p>\n
No podcast silver lining for Nine execs<\/p>\n
Based on the available evidence, it does seem likely Karl Stefanovic\u2019s bosses at Nine are planning on punting him at year\u2019s end when his current contract ends.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s evidence comes via Channel 7, which has confirmed that despite the ongoing hype about Stefanovic\u2019s podcast and wild claims it has been downloaded by \u201cmillions\u201d, in his bread-and-butter gig at Today, Stefanovic continues to be beaten, day in, day out, by Seven\u2019s Sunrise crew.<\/p>\n
Even with the Australian Open and the Winter Olympics boosting audiences across the day on Nine, Sunrise has still managed to beat Today every day this year and built on its lead over Today.<\/p>\n
Nationally, (broadcast and BVOD combined) Sunrise is up 2 per cent on the previous year with 427,000 viewers compared to Today\u2019s 317,000 (down marginally).<\/p>\n
In the year to date, this figure represents a 35 per cent larger audience.<\/p>\n
In five capital cities, Sunrise is also outperforming Today with 243,000 viewers compared to 212,000.<\/p>\n
What these figures show is that despite the widespread cheerleading and endless speculation about what Stefanovic may do next, his podcast has failed to date to deliver any promotional advantage or bump to Nine, while at the same time has frustrated the media company\u2019s struggling sales team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nine newsreader Georgie Gardner signs off from her weekend newsreading duties for the last time tonight. After 24…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[156,111,139,69,437],"class_list":{"0":"post-383403","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz","12":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}