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Brekky Central: review

Adam Boland resists a warts-and-all expose of TV politics, in a book that is perhaps a self-affirming tome to the rise of breakfast television.

2014-10-09_0123As the title suggests Brekky Central is largely an anatomy of Sunrise, its rise from a “a ninety-minute news bulletin wedged between cartoons and a music video show” to a ratings leader.

But the book by former morning TV producer Adam Boland will also detail his brief dalliance at TEN, other Seven ventures including The Morning Show, Sunday Night, The Night Cap and personal experiences including the death of his father, failed business projects, legal battles, media headlines, the support of partners and his breakdown.

It’s clear throughout the book that Boland loves television, which makes it difficult to believe that he is adamant he will never return. But he also takes solace in meaning beyond the small screen.

Boland is gracious about many industry identities in the book including Peter Meakin, Hamish McLennan, Rob McKnight, Ita Buttrose, Chris Reason, Ian Hogg. He acknowledges some of the decisions by former partner Michael Pell in guiding Sunrise, even if he concedes he was against some choices.

The Seven show comprises several chapters, from early beginnings under a robust David Leckie shouting “Let’s have some f***ing fun!” to his reluctance to return to the show he had left because he needed financial support when his Ginseng Bathhouse project was struggling.

The early pairing of a “dorky finance nerd” and a “suburban mum” taking on Nine’s Today succeeded by throwing away the rulebook, with talking points, crew banter, and Live TV events -with US talk show Fox and Friends as its inspiration. If you’re looking for a behind-the-scenes archive of the Beaconsfield mining broadcast (Koch was invited into the back of that ambulance), Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga concerts, tsunami and flood benefits, the media rise of Kevin Rudd, it’s all here. He also concedes a frosty war with Chris Bath (later resolved), a heated argument with Grant Denyer and initially feeling betrayed by Lisa Wilkinson’s switch to Today. The question really is whether anybody beyond media junkies will have much interest in hearing about them.

Boland also details how Wake Up was initially planned as a project for James Mathison and Maude Garrett before it eventually settled on Mathison, Natarsha Belling and Natasha Exelby. He was shocked at the sacking of James Warburton from TEN but says Hamish McLennan supported his vision (that expensive trench from Manly doesn’t crack a mention). The workload to get the show to air contributed to his breakdown, and the host chemistry had evaporated by the time the show premiered. Eventually the stress lead all the way to St Vincent’s Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre.

“With white walls and without windows, the only thing I could hear was the sound of a ticking clock. It did nothing to relieve the feeling of being trapped,” he recalls.

He also takes much blame for Natasha Exelby’s failure on Wake Up, eventually sacking her in a conversation in his car.

“The blame for her stilted performance lay more with me than her or her co-hosts. Had I been guiding the show through its early stages on air, I may have been able to stop the presenter dynamic from being derailed.”

But was he fit to oversee not one but two morning television projects? It isn’t raised directly.

Boland notes various leaks to the media of backstage politics, including some by himself, involving the Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.

He also admits to disappointment over David Koch telling viewers that one leaked email about a ‘secret plan’ to axe Sunrise presenters was penned by “some bloke called Adam Boland who wasn’t even working on the show.”

Personal relationships focus more on current and recent partners Kenny Ang and Julian Wong than Michael Pell, but he maintains the working partnership at Seven with the latter improved after their personal relationship concluded.

Brekky Central resists a warts-and-all expose of network scandals and secrets that will probably see lawyers take a step back from the brink. In many ways it is a self-affirming tome of achievements about a recent chapter in breakfast television. Its purpose is presumably part-therapy and for any shortcomings, it’s clear Boland retains the knack to tell a story.

Whether Boland adequately acknowledges his role in self-promotion as part of his downfall is a question for readers. Even a recent YouTube video for the book suggests savvy use of media is still part of the young man who once managed to attract Jerry Seinfeld’s attention by wearing a knit tie.

Brekky Central is published by Melbourne University Press.

NB: no star rating is applied for a book review.

8 Responses

  1. I honestly question how many people will frankly, give a damn.
    Why does Adam keep thinking he’s the story ?
    I don’t think he invented breakfast television… it’s been playing it’s own hokey bogan brand of news, lifestyle and weather for decades in the US of A.
    Trust me, there are many many people in TV land producing many many hours of content without feeling the need to resort to writing self serving tomes to their own perceived genius…
    Don’t mention The Night Cap, and as for that multi million dollar communications trench to Queenscliff, well I think Ten execs must have been slipped an extra ration of stupid pills.
    Adam, the carnival has well and truly moved on.
    You should too.

  2. Sounds fascinating! I will definitely be buying a copy.
    Will be an interesting contrast to follow on from the biographies of Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard that I am currently reading! 🙂

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