Sharyn Ghidella departs with dignity
Seven Brisbane newsreader joins a growing list of media redundancies (Updated)
Channel Seven Brisbane newsreader Sharyn Ghidella has been sacked in a brutal manner — by phone while have her hair done for work.
She announced it on Facebook in a post full of professional grace and wisdom about the industry that she has served well. She certainly leaves the building with her head held high.
One wonders whether the same can be said about whoever made the decision to add her name to the list of redundancies at Seven (and we’ll be hearing more names soon, sadly).
Possibly it was the same person who decided that no “News” bulletin was complete without an astrology segment. Or maybe it was one of the bigwigs who decided over debacles that cost the station millions in legal fees and reputational damage.
Ghidella’s Facebook post read, in part:
A long list of talented, loyal and dedicated employees have been shown the door, in what seems to have been an interminable process of pulling the band-aid off slowly when it comes to removing what’s been deemed excess stock from the building.
These people are some of the best “content creators” in the business (well, we are digital first now). They are good people and it’s been heartbreaking to watch.
I’ve seen the toll it’s taken on those who’ve left, those delivering the pain and those still there, and when it comes to witnessing this heartache, I think I’m done.
I’m also not one to have my evening news served up with humour and horoscopes either, so, to be honest, it is time to go.
As I’m known to say, the caravan moves on. There is certainly plenty of talent left in the building and I wish them nothing but the best moving forward.
Because television is a great industry, journalism is a worthy profession in any functioning democracy, and I couldn’t be more grateful for all the time I’ve spent so far, working in media.
All three commercial TV networks are making staff redundant, along with the two major newspaper groups (NewsCorp and Nine Entertainment).
Journalists’ jobs are, of course, no more precious than any others, and a lot of people are hurting. But when there are fewer gatekeepers, fake news — both deliberate untruths and stories fabricated by AI — will find its way in.
UPDATE
To be fair to Channel Seven, Max Futcher did give her a heartfelt farewell at the top of the Friday-night bulletin.
P.S.
In an interview with one of his radio students at the University of Southern Queensland, recorded before he heard about Ghidella’s axing, radio star Spencer Howson revealed his long-held desire to read the TV news. He noted that Nine News’s Andrew Lofthouse had been an announcer on ABC Brisbane (then 4QR) before switching to television newsreading. I don’t know that it’s a great time to be looking for work in television, but I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of Howson. (Yes, he’s a friend and I used to work with him.)
©2024 Brett Debritz. If I’ve inadvertently used copyrighted material, failed to give credit where it’s due, written or said something you disagree with, or otherwise upset or unexpectedly delighted you, please leave a comment, email me or connect with me at @debritz on X or @brettdebritz on Threads. I also have an experimental YouTube site, @radiobert. Links are provided as a courtesy; I take no responsibility for their contents or give any warranty of their veracity. Image: Channel 7.