A 7News Brisbane promo has been branded ‘disrespectful’ to former presenter Sharyn Ghidella.
The 57-year-old Queensland newsreader was sacked from 7News earlier this year, where she worked for 17 years, amid a series of layoffs in the media.
In the promo video, 7News presenter Max Futcher announces the arrival of Ghidella’s replacement Sarah Greenhalgh with a scowling statement.
“You’re getting two people who are dedicated to the news like you’ve never seen in Queensland before,” he says in the short clip.
The line has caused a stir, with many news industry insiders seeing it as a dig at Ghidella.
“Many see this promo as not only a dig at Sharyn, but also an insult to experienced presenters who have been in the game for years,” a source told the Courier Mail on Sunday.
“It’s just disrespectful,” they added.
Insiders are also said to have criticised Futcher’s reference to 34-year-old Greenhalgh as “still young” in the promo, as it implied Ghidella was “too old” to read the news.
A new promo from 7News Brisbane has been branded “disrespectful” towards former presenter Sharyn Ghidella. Pictured
In the promo video, 7News presenter Max Futcher (pictured left) announces the arrival of Ghidella’s replacement Sarah Greenhalgh (pictured right) with a frown: “You’re getting two people who are committed to the news like you’ve never seen in Queensland before,” he says in the short clip
Ghidella has presented the network’s Brisbane bulletin since 2013, but was fired earlier this year after 17 years.
Sharyn confirmed the news of her job loss in a fiery Facebook post, revealing how she found out her role was being cut while she was at the hairdresser’s.
After several anxious weeks of losing her job, she took aim at the failing network for prioritizing gimmicks like astrology readings over retaining experienced talent.
The line has caused a stir, with many news industry insiders seeing it as a dig at Ghidella. “Many see this promo as not only a dig at Sharyn, but also an insult to experienced presenters who have been in the business for years,” a source told the Courier Mail on Sunday. “It’s just disrespectful,” they added.
“When you’ve been in television as long as I have, there’s not a day that goes by that you don’t expect the proverbial pat on the back… After 38 years, my pat on the back has finally arrived,” she began.
“It wasn’t quite how I expected it to end at Channel Seven. I was at the hairdressers before work when I got the call to say my time at the network was up after 17 years.”
She said her recent time at the network had been “miserable” and that she was happy to be leaving.
“While we are somewhat saddened by this decision, there is also a sense of relief. As has been widely reported, the last few weeks on television have unfortunately been a miserable affair,” she wrote.
“A long list of talented, loyal and dedicated employees have been shown the door in what seems to have been a never-ending process of slowly ripping off the band-aid as it comes to removing what is perceived as excess inventory.
“These people are some of the best content creators in the industry. They are good people and it was heartbreaking to watch.”