He once accused mainstream media of being “beige” and overly sanitised, but according to Woman’s Day sources, former anchorman turned controversial podcaster Karl Stefanovic might find his way back to TV yet – if Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has anything to say about it.
An about turn?
According to media insiders, the mining magnate is seriously considering upping her investment in Seven after bankrolling executive Bruce McWilliam’s acquisition of an almost 10 per cent stake in Southern Cross Media – which owns the Seven Network, the Triple M and Hit radio brands and West Australian newspapers – in May.
“Gina has made no secret that she’s had her eye on Seven for the past couple of years,” spills a showbiz source.
“She has always had a pretty robust relationship with [Seven’s major shareholder] Kerry Stokes – they’ve had their differences over the years but they’re both proud West Australians – they’re practically neighbours with their sprawling riverfront mansions a stone’s throw from one another in the ritzy Perth suburb of Dalkeith. For years they’ve been referred to as Perth’s business ‘mafia’!”
If it goes ahead, the business deal would propel Gina back into the media world, decades after she once held a stake in Fairfax and Ten.
“The issue Kerry would have with selling Seven to Gina would come down to a few things – mostly Kerry views Seven as his baby and has always hoped his son Ryan [Seven’s current CEO] would continue to run the operation.
“But money talks – and Gina’s got plenty – she’s worth around $39 billion and Kerry around $10 billion – so buying the company at about $500 million is small change!
“If she does purchase the company, one of her first orders of business would be to get Karl back on TV. Whether that means on Sunrise, or giving him his own show – and she’d be prepared to pay handsomely to lure him back,” says the source, speculating his salary could be upwards of $5 million.
Nat’s nightmare
And while Gina might have plans for golden boy Karl, 52, what that could mean for beloved Sunrise stars Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington remains uncertain.
“Gina would favour Karl over Shirvo any day of the week – the only problem is Nat might not agree!”
According to a reliable source at Seven, since Nat took over as host from Samantha Armytage in 2021, she’s one of the few people at Seven who has always felt she had no real reason to worry about being pushed out. “But that all changed recently when the rumour mill went into overdrive that Gina might be looking to invest in the company too. Suddenly Nat feels like her “safe as houses” plum role might not be as secure as she once thought.
“Karl’s facing numerous court battles right now so if Gina was to purchase Seven, he would surely see this as a lucrative opportunity to get himself back on TV.”
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