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Sunrise producer Adam Boland plans exit

Sunrise producer Adam Boland has told the Seven Network he does not intend to renew his contract when it expires in November.

Channel Seven Director of Morning Television Adam Boland has told the network he does not intend to renew his contract when it expires in November.

The Sunrise executive producer is believed to be seeking a break from television, partly ue to his father’s recently-diagnosed terminal illness.

But Seven remains in discussion with him for post-contract possibilities.

Boland, 34, was responsible for the rise of Sunrise on Seven at a time when the network was unable to compete in morning television with the long running Today on Nine. He overhauled the network’s breakfast television output in 2003 seeing it rise to #1 around the country, and added Weekend Sunrise and The Morning Show.

He also had brief associations with Sunday Night and the 7HD experiment The Night Cap and produced Reach Out to Asia‘s tsunami appeal, TV Turns 50 and Follow the Flame. He is considered by Seven execs as one of their best ideas men and is the network’s director of Strategic Initiatives. With so many achievements at his age, the media frequently refer to him as a “Wonder Boy.”

But while the Today show has enjoyed a resurgence, Boland has overseen a makeover of Sunrise. Nine now wins the Melbourne market and is neck and neck in Sydney. Seven is on top nationally.

Word of his exit is said to have emerged on Twitter via Today‘s Sarah Harris.

News boss Peter Meakin told the Daily Telegraph, “He’s not going anywhere else and we do have an option to keep him on, but if he really wants to leave then we can’t force him to work here.”

Source: smh.com.au news.com.au

10 Responses

  1. Oh he will be missed. Like this morning I was watching Sunrise and learnt how to make a hot water bottle cover – with my old unused jumper. Whoah! Come to think of it, that’s pretty gripping stuff. Although, I must say that the story was well balanced. Kochie did asked if she used a “back stitch or cross stitch” when joining the fabric together. Good on him. The real question is, who will fill the void in my dose of morning television. That’s right! Who’s going to be my hot water bottle cover? At least he will leave his legacy behind with The Morning Show, when every two days is a men’s underwear segment.

  2. a ploy to get more money, old tactic me reckons…if and when he leaves, I won’t be surprised if Seven poaches Tom Malone from Today as they’ve already approached him before.

  3. @ Dave He made the mistake of staying once before – I don’t think he’ll be talked out of it again. He’s only 34 – he wants something to do and somewhere to go. When you look up at Seven all you see in a group of rusted on neanderthals who are not going anywhere. Nine really someone with ideas in entertainment that’s for sure, and he’s a perfect fit for Ten – at least they take a few risks.

  4. Hmm… who’s going to take over? My money’s on Michael Pell (‘Weekend Sunrise’ and ‘The Morning Show’ EP) or Tom Malone (‘Today’ EP)

    Or will they look outside the box? Perhaps they could look at someone who’s produced competitive morning/breakfast shows in the USA and Canada for ideas? Hmmm…

  5. Might well be that 7 keeps him on as an expensive consultant, rather than a contracted executive producer. Boland can have anything he wants. i suspect at 7.
    He was the wunderkind for their morning resurgence in the past few years. I think Meakin’s right – he ain’t goin’ nowhere!

  6. I wonder what the loss of Boland will do to morale?

    I reckon, a new director of morning television, will tinker heavily with stuff that made Sunrise and The Morning Show successful.

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