Tuesday 14 November 2023

Media Guardian: Studio 10 morning show axed by Channel 10 after a decade on air

Story from Media Guardian:

Network 10 has axed its morning show, Studio 10, after a decade on air.

In an announcement on Instagram, Studio 10 said the hosts – Angela Bishop, Narelda Jacobs, Tristan MacManus and roving reporter Daniel Doody – would stay on with the station, along with the “majority” of the crew.

The chat show announced: “After ten years as a morning cornerstone in households around Australia, Studio 10 is sad to confirm that the show will not be returning in 2024.”

“It’s been a long and wild ride producing 2,500+ episodes of a show that has brought us as much joy to make as we hope you have had watching.”

The show as suffered dwindling ratings, budget cuts, and changes to its lineup for years.

Bishop said it was a “tough day for the whole Studio 10 family”.

“It’s been a blast,” she said.

“Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.”

MacManus said there were plenty of episodes left before Christmas and that they would be working on “exciting new projects” in the meantime.

“We’re definitely going out with a bang,” he said.

“We’ve loved spending every single morning with you, it really has been great – at times tough, but it’s always been rewarding,” he said.

Studio 10 celebrated its 10th birthday just weeks ago.

Sarah Harris and Ita Buttrose – who were on the original line up – shared their memories of the early days.

Harris said the show meant a lot to her, despite her nerves at the beginning.

“From the moment we walked out, even though there were lots and lots of nerves I felt I was exactly where I needed to be. It was the start of something very, very beautiful.”

Buttrose, who is now the ABC chair, said the chemistry that was there at the beginning was still there. “We could switch from serious to fun and then back again,” she said.

Other early presenters included journalists Joe Hildebrand and Jessica Rowe.

Harris moved to The Project earlier this year.

In 2020, veteran presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley was made redundant, along with Natarsha Belling and Tim Bailey, as Ten made nationwide cuts.

The year before, panellist Yumi Stynes had accused Kennerley of “sounding quite racist” during a conversation about Invasion Day protests.

The final episode is set to air on Friday 22 December.

© 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited.