Seven’s billionaire owner to make flying visit to network’s trouble headquarters following brutal television bloodbath

• Channel 7’s controlling shareholder plunges into escalating internal turmoil
• Network insiders fear ‘risk’ of future staff cuts
• Know more? Email candace.sutton@dailymail.com

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Kerry Stokes, owner of Seven Network, will travel to Sydney Christopher Hill is set to take a direct management role at the beleaguered broadcaster next week amid falling ratings, financial problems and the public sacking of popular presenters.

The Seven boss is expected to be holed up on the executive floor of Seven’s Iffley headquarters for at least two weeks as the troubled network tries to stem months of damaging headlines and internal turmoil.

The 83-year-old Perth resident’s compassionate gesture comes as Seven’s tarnished news brand is widely mocked for including a horoscope segment and a satirical skit in its main 6pm news bulletin.

The once-dominant cable channel has suffered a sharp decline in national news ratings, threatening to see the channel cede its title as the country’s most popular free-to-air network to fierce rival Nine.

The widespread layoffs across the network have claimed some high-profile victims, including celebrities and long-serving employees. Brisbane News anchor Sharyn Gidella, who was fired over the phone while at a hair salon preparing to promote an upcoming TV network.

Stokes’ wife, Christine Simpson Stokes, is a longtime friend and former colleague of the ousted news anchor, and the network boss is said to have been so angry at Guedella’s harsh dismissal that he reached out to her personally, although details of their conversation have been kept confidential.

A Seven Network insider told Daily Mail Australia that staff were already walking on eggshells at the channel’s Sydney headquarters, and news of Stock’s impending visit did little to ease their concerns.

“They said everyone was looking over their shoulders and waiting for the axe to fall again.”

“We are concerned that there could be further cuts – including among on-air presenters – and no one feels safe here at the moment.

New news director Anthony DeCeglie says ratings don’t matter, but we’re losing viewers and it feels like the end of the world for the network.

Seven declined to comment officially on the internal staff cuts.

De Ceglie, who previously worked as a newspaper editor and had no experience in television, was promoted to the top editorial position at Channel Seven in April.

He replaces Craig McPherson, who left amid the fallout from the Bruce Lerman Spotlight scandal, along with the show’s executive producer, Mark Llewellyn.

Taylor Orbach, a former producer on Spotlight, told federal court in April that Lerman received reimbursements for paying for drugs and sex workers while on the show. Flirting Exclusive Interview with Rape Accused.

The Seven Network channel denied these accusations.

De Ceglie told staff he had a “zero tolerance” approach to bad behaviour in the newsroom, and oversaw the sacking of senior Seven News Sydney journalist Robert Ovadia in July after allegations of “inappropriate behaviour”.

Since then, Ovadia has retained his prominent lawyer John Lacson, and filed a claim with the Fair Work Commission against De Ceglie and Seven Network, seeking compensation and reinstatement to the job he held for 23 years.

Meanwhile, a company-wide restructuring in June saw around 150 staff laid off across the Seven West Media empire.

Senior executives who lost their jobs included marketing director Melissa Hopkins, revenue director Kurt Burnett, Seven Melbourne’s head of sport and managing director Lewis Martin.

Former Seven CEO James Warburton resigned last December ahead of The network will be completed on April 18th.Meanwhile, Seven Melbourne’s news director Shaun Menegola gave notice of his resignation in May, just weeks after McPherson’s resignation.

But the turmoil within the network is far from over, with speculation that Mark Ferguson, the veteran anchor of Seven’s main 6pm newscast in Sydney, could be next in the firing line.

Ferguson is on holiday during the Olympics, with Nine TV expected to sweep the ratings, and Seven is understood to have tested alternative presenters with viewer panels, including Michael Usher, Angela Cox and Angie Asimos.

Seven chiefs will be wary of making any hasty long-term changes to the starting line-up, having faced negative feedback from Queensland viewers in the wake of Giedela’s departure.

Secret internal ratings figures reveal that in just two weeks, Seven News Brisbane has lost 29,000 viewers. This sharp decline in ratings left Seven trailing Nine News Brisbane by about 88,000 viewers on Monday – while on Monday 8 July, before it was sacked, Seven was only 60,000 behind.

In a scathing Facebook post after her dismissal, Gidella said morale at the network had been “miserable” in recent weeks and that she was happy to be out the door.

“When you’ve been in television for as long as I have, not a day goes by that you don’t anticipate the famous tap on the shoulder… After 38 years, the moment to tap my shoulder has finally arrived,” she wrote.

“The ending wasn’t what I expected on Channel 7.

“I was actually sitting in the hair salon at work, when I got the call telling me that after 17 years with the network, my time was up.

“While I am saddened by this decision, I also take some comfort. As has been widely reported, the last two weeks in television have been a sad one.”

In a scathing attack on Seven’s new news chief, Gidella specifically pointed to De Ceglie’s decision to lighten the network’s main news bulletins with star signs and comedy sketches.

‘“I’m also not the type to do the evening news with humor and horoscopes either, so to be honest, it’s time to go,” she wrote before ending her speech, “I hope my horoscope for tomorrow is brighter times ahead,” she wrote.

Rival network Nine also faced scandal after The Australian exposed former news chief Darren Wick. He left the station after a complaint from a female employee..

Since then, other employees have made allegations of bullying and sexual harassment at the network, prompting Nine to conduct its own investigation.